How to Care for & Rear Tokay Geckos

Tokay geckos are fairly large geckos that are known for their feisty personalities. While beautiful, with their gray skin and orange spots, the geckos are extremely aggressive, so you should avoid handling them. They are, however, relatively easy to care for, particularly for an experienced reptile keeper. Rearing a baby gecko can be even more difficult, as their feeding habits can be burdening and they can stress out very easily. If you decide you want to rear a Tokay gecko, however, just remember that it takes quite a bit of dedication and patience.

Things You'll Need

  • Ten gallon aquarium
  • Screen lid
  • Heat lamp
  • Heat bulb
  • Under-tank heater
  • Shallow water dish
  • Newspaper
  • Hiding logs
  • Plastic vines
  • Water dish
  • Food dish
  • Spray bottle
  • Temperature and humidity gauge
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the adhesive side of the under-tank heater underneath the tank; it should stick securely to the bottom. This pad will warm up and provide extra heat for the enclosure.

    • 2

      Lay about three to four sheets of newspaper at the bottom of the aquarium. The newspaper will act as a substrate and is good because it cannot be accidentally ingested like other substrates such as bark or sand.

    • 3

      Place the temperature and humidity gauge at a high point in the center of your tank. These gauges typically attach to the glass with some adhesive or a suction cup. Keeping it in the middle of the enclosure will give you an average temperature and humidity.

    • 4

      Place the decorations around the tank but leave enough floorspace for your water dish and food dish.

    • 5

      Set the water dish and food dish at the bottom of the tank. The water dish should be cleaned out and refilled every single day, as the gecko may defecate in its water. It should be fed every day, as well. Place meal worms and wax worms in the food dish as treats and place crickets in the tank as its primary food. A baby gecko may eat about five small crickets a day.

    • 6

      Set the screen lid on the tank and place the heat lamp and bulb on one side of the enclosure. The bulb should be no more than 50 watts as to not overheat the enclosure. Putting the lamp on one side will create a warm side of the tank, and if the gecko gets too hot it can escape to the cool side.

    • 7

      Place the baby in the tank and let it explore for at least a day before trying to feed it.

    • 8

      Mist down the tank every day with a spray bottle so that the humidity is a little over 60%. The higher humidity will make it easy for the baby to shed its skin as it grows.

    • 9

      Change the newspapers at least once a week. Place the baby in a temporary enclosure while you clean out its primary tank. A temporary enclosure can be a plastic Critter Keeper often sold to house crickets in pet stores. You may need to wear protective gloves when handling your gecko.

    • 10

      Turn the heat lamp off at night so that the temperature drops to around 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Daytime temperatures should be around 87 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 11

      Upgrade the Tokay gecko to a 20-gallon enclosure after about six months as it grows. It shouldn't need any larger than that.