Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, my female tokay has layed and eaten 2 clutches of 2 and 1 of 3 in the past half year or so. I know they only tend to eat when either the egg is bad or they are lacking calcium so I dont take them out.

Well, after 3 normal looking clutches getting eaten, I'm starting to think they are just bad parents : The female pretty much refuses to eat whenever she lays and just lays on or near the eggs. I think she may be to paranoid, so she gets hungry and just eats them.

Any experience with this? She just layed 2 really fat and round eggs so before she has herself a meal I'm debating on taking them out. What do you guys suggest?

if it were me, i'd separate the eggs out, and boost the females calcium supply.

I guess my main concern is that the female might get stressed out if I stole her eggs since I heard they are very protective of them...what do you guys think?

I don't think taking the eggs will stress her enough to do her any harm. I would go ahead and remove the next batch.

Quig

I've got a pair, and I've always removed them from the cage. Wear some really thick gloves though, lol. Both of mine are incredibly protective. The last time I took some eggs out, my big male launched himself out of the tube they usually lay in and got me right across the knuckle.
Kevin

It is natural for Tokays to guard eggs and once in awhile eat them. The main thoughts on parents eating eggs or their offspring is something is wrong with them. Not something we can tell but rather evolution has put in as a safety net for genetically altered offspring which the parents can detect. Not to say to this is or is not happening in your case. I would recommend covering the eggs with deli cup (pinholes can be placed in for air exchange) and tape it to glass of tank if you want to keep it natural but protected. I am sure it is not from lack of feeding but rather parental instinct/may or may not be defective offspring by our standards but some change the Tokays find unacceptable. If you choose to cover with deli cup, keep substrate for eggs as is but remove enough to get deep & wide enough cup around the egg site. Check once a week also for air exchange on larger scale.

I've had sucess with this method in egg gluers and a few plated lizards I hatched out in naturalistic cage. Carefull of tape so that no sticky rollovers or pieces can attach to Tokays or hatchlings later on.