new tokay (Gekko gecko) won't eat

[dfourer]

Just picked up a beautiful Tokay at the Chicago NARBC show. Problem is he/she won't touch food. It's been three days. I think he's about 4 inches from nose to vent. Living in a well over-grown 55-gal vivarium with fluorescent tubes and all live plants. Seems to like the surroundings. Seems healthy and active but Looks thin to me. I've tried silk worms, crickets, and roaches, dumping the food in or offering it from the end of a stick. I don't have much experience with geckos. Any suggestions? This is my first post on geckos unlimited. Thanks for your help.

 

[fenrisswolf]

I would give your Tokay some more time to get acclimated. If you bought him from a NARBC show, chances are that your gecko is in decent shape, and that short amount of time without food will not harm him.

As long as he's properly hydrated, I'd give him a few more days to settle in, and only then try offering food again. You did not mention what temperature you are keeping him at, but as long as it is at least in the mid-seventies, (but preferably a little hotter,) he should be warm enough to be properly active.

Generally speaking, unless you are dealing with a hatchling, a feeding schedule where he is offered food every other day is more than sufficient to keep your Tokay healthy and in good shape, so it is not necessary to try to feed him every day. (depending on your Tokay's temperament, you might either end up with a lot of loose feeders, or a very fat Tokay on your tank. )

BTW, either feeding method will work just fine, although the stick/feeding "tweezers" method might be a better way to get your Tokay to associate you with food, if you want a more "friendly" Tokay that will keep an eye out for your presence nearby. (Friendly being a relative term for tokays, as a lot will depend on your individual animal's personality.)

 

[BlakeDeffenbaugh]

I agree with most of what was said by Fenrisswolf. But a 55 is WAY to big for a Tokay that small. I dont care if any flick is shot at this but it really is. Try down sizing the cage till you make sure he's eating and healthy and grown a little more. A tokay of that size can be freaked out in that big of a tank if it was used to a smaller one for the beginning of its life. Put it in a 10 or 20H and see how it does.

Also make sure you have a hot spot around 90ish. If young animals are to cool they might get a little freaked and not eat from that too.

Who did you get it off of if you remember?

 

[dfourer]

I agree with most of what was said by Fenrisswolf. But a 55 is WAY to big for a Tokay that small.... Also make sure you have a hot spot around 90ish.... Who did you get it off of if you remember?

Interesting observation. I thought of moving to a small tank till feeding is worked out (have to buy one). The big tank was set up for plants for several years. There is a water area in the same vivarium that has been home to a newt for 3 years. I can easily clean that area by changing the water. Having a land animal in the vivarium might not work. It's something I might lean about from reading this web site. As to the vendor's name, I don't know. Temperatures have been over 80f by day. I'm new at this. I attached a photo of terrarium.

Added: I put a heating pad behind the glass where the gecko likes to hide. I'm going to try to get him acclimated to the big tank rather than move him again. My space is very limited and that's a fact I can't do anything about.

 

[Schlyne]

I've also posted on the CHS list, but now I can write a more complete response now that I've had a chance to read the thread. A concern I have with a tank that size and with as much cover as it has is whether or not the gecko is finding the food.

I started out my two female CB tokay's in a fairly small rack tub setup, with simple paper towels, a bar to climb on (the tubs in the rack was originally designed for semi-arboreal or arboreal snakes with back heat). I raised them seperately, although they had been living with each other when I got them. I use a small round dish for the superworms I feed my tokays. The dish is tall enough that the superworms have a harder time crawling out of the dish and wandering around the container.

I've had my two since Jan, and only in the last 2 or three months have I ever acutally seen them eat. They eat just fine, but they've never felt secure enough without the tub being closed to eat in front of me.

Nice job on the planted tank, btw. I've been wanting to set up a natural vivivirum style setting for my girls.

I know what you mean about friendly tokays. I've worked with my two, and Right usually has no problem being picked up for a few seconds, even if it's just long enough to be transfered to a different tub so I can clean. Left is a complete spaz, and generally doesn't like being touched at all. She can be picked up, but she's likely to sit there with her mouth open the entire time. I've never had either one of them pull the "bite and won't let go", but I've been nipped here or there in the "taming" process.

I'm not at home so I can't check the rack temp at this second, but I think it's set to 89.

 

[dfourer]

Schlyne,
I think it's tricky keeping a skittish animal in a nice big vivarium like I have. I didn't know much about the gecko when I brought it home. Some say they can tweezer feed them, but I wouldn't try this again. Now the animal has got a hiding place where I can't get him out without making a mess. I put the hearter behind that spot to make him happy. Now I think I will take out the heater in the hope of getting him out and catching him.

I put silk worms near his hiding place and the worms sit there for days and just wave their heads around. Also I can hold a ****roach or cricket in front of the entrance to his retreat, so the gecko does not see me or the forceps, just the head of the ****roach.

My only other herps right now are a mostly-aquatic newt, and three tree frogs (American green and one grey). They are very good hunters. Seem to have a way of knowing when there is food around even before they see it, or maybe it's just coincidence that they go looking when I put the food in. Anyway, it's a smaller viv. but full of plants, actually set up for the frogs. The big viv was not set up for animals, but I wanted to find some animal that would live in there. That's how I got into this in the first place.

David in Chicago

 

[dfourer]

Just picked up a beautiful Tokay at the Chicago NARBC show.

Update. Tokay ate two little roaches today. The brat didn't know I was watching! He(She) knows only one speed-lightning. Probably his appetite is only stimulated by similar speed, as opposed to smell, like sensible animals. It's been three weeks to the day since I brought him home. He's thin as dry grass, but I am hopeful he will fully recover and grow fat. I was careful to put calcium dust on the 2nd roach. Will get some vitimine powder. Does anyone know if I can just crush up one of my own multi-vitimine pills?

Ten days ago, I caught the Tokay gecko and moved it, from the big vivarium, to a small cage about the size of a shoe box. I provided a heater, hiding space, water dish, food dish, and some cardboard. He's only out and about in the dead of night. Crickets and roaches have the run of the place. I slowly suspected he had taken some food, as he survived, and small droppings appeared. This morning I heard him strike and saw the bug in jaws.

(Hey, did you notice this web site filters out c**kroach?)

More updates 11-6-08. Tokay is eating daily, in his little shoe-box size home, but still skinny. Feeding home-raised roaches, and crickets. Eventually move to a larger cage again.