Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got a tokay gecko about 2 months ago. He seems unnaturally shy for his species. when i first got him, i would never see him. lately, he has been sticking his head out of a log, and occasionally i will see him basking on a branch, but other than that i don't ever see him. I hear him at night, though so i know he's out doing things.

he also eats very well. when i drop crickets, or grasshoppers in his cage, he lunges out of his hiding spot, and all the food prey is devoured in the next 20 minutes or so.

anyway, his cage is getting fairly dirty, and i want to replace the bedding, and maybe add some more moss, and decorative items to the cage. is this a good idea to do so soon after he was placed in the cage? i'm worried that the cleaning will stress him out even more, and make him even more shy. and is there anything i can do to make him feel safer? the back of his cage isn't covered yet, but i will do that when i clean. this is my first reptile, so i am a little confused as to how active he should be. thanks for any feedback!

His behaviour is very normal for wc tokays. They vneed years to become less shy-if at all.
CB Tokays are seen much more often.
If you want to see your WC Tokay more often, place its tank in the most frequented region of your home, keep it heavily planted and furnished with lots of hidings and offer some low wattage basking spots.
With time the gecko may get used to trouble around his cage and may be seen more often.
Whiel cleaning the cage, just leave the gecko alone in his hiding.
So he will learn, that he will never be disturbed in his secure places.
That will help him to believe that you are not a dangerous predator.

Hope that helps

Ingo