Fell In Love

XoVictoryXo

XoVictoryXo

New member
I fell in love with a Tokay at the pet store yesterday. I have never seen one in real life, only online. Can I tell you how pictures online do not do this beautiful species justice?? He was crawling around like predator feeding on large crickets. Unfortunately he was housed on coconut fiber and I watched him actually eat some of the dirt :( Is that normal substrate for them and is that ok if he digests some of it?
I have 2 Leo's, I am definitely very very very curious and fascinated about this little guy, He was being sold in his setup- all for $120 I thought that was a really good price! Is there any caresheets I can read over to see if I am a valid candidate to care for one? How big of a tank do they need? The tank he comes in opens from the front and is tall, not long!
Seem like only advanced reptile keepers should care for these guys. They are known to be vicious I know that much! lol
sorry for bad picture quality, does he look healthy? I am in love with him he is beautiful!
tokaygecko_zps466788ec.jpg
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
XoVictoryXo said:
Found this care sheet, but it isnt very descriptive!
Caring for your new tokay gecko, Gecko gecko, with pictures
Click to expand...

There is a caresheet in the caresheet section.:) No impulse buying XO please!:biggrin: If you are serious I suggest you contact a breeder through here. Beautiful and interesting? without a doubt. More responsibility, higher electricity bill. Keep in mind they require high humidity, higher temps, larger gecko, substrate maintenance.
 
Riverside Reptiles

Riverside Reptiles

Administrator (HMFIC)
Tokays are not "vicious". They are however protective and shy. THey require lots of vertical hiding places and a large enclosure with lots of vertical space (think tall, not long).
As mentioned above, there is a tokay care sheet in our care sheet section. There are also a million previous posts with great detailed information with extremely basic to extremely advanced keeping information. If you're considering getting a tokay, I would suggest getting a captive bred animal directly from the breeder. You will save yourself a lot of time, effort, and money in the long run by not having to deal with all of the issues of a wild caught, cheap pet store animal. It will also be a lot more likely to be "social" than a wild caught animal. You can post a free "wanted" ad in the classifieds here on GU.
 
Aimless

Aimless

Super Moderator
Tokays are awesome. very intelligent, active geckos. I would also encourage you to go with a breeder - often in pet stores they are WC and loaded with parasites. not always, but often enough to make one wary.
 
XoVictoryXo

XoVictoryXo

New member
Thank you guys, for talking me out of this particular Tokey, LOL.
I cant seem to get him off of my mind, I really feel hypnotized. LOL
So its set in stone, my next pet, in the future, will definitely be a Tokay, and I will purchase thru a breeder; definitely not the pet store. For now I think I shall remain in awe, simply observing him!
 
Aimless

Aimless

Super Moderator
I fell in love with a Golden Gecko at a pet store. I had a crush on her through the glass for a long time before she finally sold. it was not a good place from which to buy a gecko, or I would have snapped her up.

I totally feel your pain.
 
Marauderhex

Marauderhex

New member
My oldest gecko was a Golden that I got from a pet store in Central PA back when I was in high school. She's at least 10 years old (bought her full grown) and still going. I'm not saying this because I am advocating impulse buys, if anything it's more like saying that you may be getting a much longer term pet than you think.
 
billewicz

billewicz

New member
XoVictoryXo said:
I found it
http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/gecko-care-sheets/42286-new-tokay-gecko-caresheet.html
Thank you guys, I feel like a newbie all over again. Trying to resist the Urge but not sure I can, I think its their eyes drawing me in, and their paws!
Click to expand...

Well Welcome to the Tokay Forum, and other cool Gekko!

Unlike the Leo's you have been working with which have been captive breed for 35+ years, almost all of the Tokay in pet stores are wild caught. What you 'save' in buying a $25 animal, you will need to spend in Vet bills, fecal exams and meds to insure your new guy makes the transition.

Take your time and hang out in these forums for a bit. Peruse the various threads and get a good feel for enclosures, set-ups, husbandry and a like.

Enjoy and we look forward to your joining the ranks of Tokay Keepers.:banana:

All the best,

Michael's Tokay Hoard @ www.billewicz.com
 
XoVictoryXo

XoVictoryXo

New member
Thanks guys! :) I will definitely stick around, take my time and do lots of research. I'm even going to start socking away money specifically for emergency vet funding to ensure I am fully prepared. :) I am getting a promotion at work soon which means I will have more $ to enjoy my hobby :):) YAY! lol
I have one quick question, was this Tokay's coloring/morph rare? Majority of him was a deep brick red with specks of rust and specks of blue, I attached a clearer photo of him and enhanced coloring a bit. Looks like Red Granite or possibly normal. Guess Im trying to figure out if it will be hard to find this GORGEOUS morph once I am ready to welcome one home. :)
tokayy_zpsfb02dd77.jpg
 
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Riverside Reptiles

Riverside Reptiles

Administrator (HMFIC)
It's just a normal in its dark phase. These animals have the ability to change color quite a bit throughout the day. My suggestion would be to slowly start putting together your enclosure for a tokay as that truly is where most of your money and time is going to go. Once you get it all set up and finished, you'll be ready to get the animal and already be fully prepared.
 
billewicz

billewicz

New member
It's the start of mating season so this one is pushing it's brightest colors right now. This normal, possibly male is showing on the darker side in the photo. He could go from light gray with light blue and orange dots, to dark slate gray with rusty spots and almost no light blue dots at all.

There is a stick thread with lots of morph photos here in this forum for your enjoyment. I've also got a few on my site as well at the Tokay Hoard, www.billewicz.com , enjoy!
 
XoVictoryXo

XoVictoryXo

New member
I think he has lost a lot of weight guys :( Breaks my heart, I can't watch anymore, I really hate petstores. :( I want to save him but No, I wont support this :( ugh
IMG_20130104_181137_zps040ea49f.jpg
 
aquamentus_11

aquamentus_11

New member
XoVictoryXo said:
I think he has lost a lot of weight guys :( Breaks my heart, I can't watch anymore, I really hate petstores. :( I want to save him but No, I wont support this :( ugh
IMG_20130104_181137_zps040ea49f.jpg
Click to expand...

I like the dark phase too. My first gecko was a pet store tokay that looked even worse than this. Fortunately for you, you have this site to redirect you before you make the same mistake I did....mine wasn't an "impulse buy", but I definitely was in over my head. That being said, that tokay was my favorite species so far (with the pictus as a very close 2nd): in appearance, attitude and behavior. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did when you're ready.
 
Aimless

Aimless

Super Moderator
awww, bummer :( parasites for sure. maybe crypto if they re-use caging. I really, really hate that.

I "rescued" a tokay many years ago who was considerably thinner than this. it's the last time I spent money on a hard-luck petstore animal. quite a bit of time, money, handfeeding, medicating and heartache later he died.

it wasn't worth it. they had another one a few months later, also in bad shape. all I did was support their bad practices :( this is why I'm so against pet store "rescues"

it's hard to watch them die. and, Tokays are so tough they suffer longer.

ah, I'm sorry.
 
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