Tokay Gecko

• Family: Gekkonidae
• Adult Size: 6 to 9 inches
• Range: Southeast Asia
• Habitat: Trees and on human dwellings
• Captive Lifespan: 12 to 20 Years
• Dangerous:
• Care Level: Intermediate

Overview

Tokay geckos are attractive physically and draw hobbyists to them based on sight alone. That’s unfortunate because the Tokay gecko’s attitude doesn’t match its good looks. If you think a nocturnal lizard that’s definitely not a hands-on pet is suitable, this is an otherwise hardy gecko to consider.

A very tall heavily-planted cage is in order for a tokay gecko because they walk walls easily and will fully utilize the vertical space. They like to cling to tree trunks, but also frequent the walls of human structures. They do this to catch insects that proliferate in the vicinity of man; cockroaches are among the prey items they are particularly fond of. For that reason, some people in southern Florida have released them on their homes to control pests. In captivity, they’ll also gobble up other large bugs, and many can be trained to accept pinkie mice.

Tokay geckos come from forests where rainfall is abundant. Spraying the entire cage with a fine jet of water several times per week is necessary to keep them from drying out and as a source of drinking water as it runs down leaves and branches. They like it warm too, so 65 degrees Fahrenheit is about as low as they should experience in a cage, and only overnight until it once again warms back up into at least the 70s.