Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My tokay, three months old, is rather obsessed with eating. I handfeed her. (SHe's so used to being handfed she's clueless how to catch food on her own.) She's getting fat so now I limit her to 3 crickets daily, everyday. She could eat a lot more if I fed her more, but, problem is, she's getting very very fat. She's constantly begging for food so I feed her.

I figure since she's only 3 months old she may need some baby fat. She's getting quite fat that climbing glass is kind of cumbersome for her that her abdomen is getting bigger with fatness.

Is it possible to overfeed a TOKAY? Or do they stop eating when they are full?

She's a very sweet Tokay, and quite charming when it comes to begging for food. Makes me go awwwww....so I"m tempted to give her another cricket.

JadeFox

At three months if you think your baby is getting fat I'd cut back to every other day and continue with the same quanity you feed it now. I can't say for every Tokay but i always put more than they eat in and they stop when full instaed of eating everything dropped in. Then again they will eat alot cause their still growing fast st that age but I've never seen chunky Tokays at that age, only large around the belly after eating. Hunting food is a very good exercise for it, i hand feed some but not all the time.
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My posts and replies are my experiences only
1.2.15 Tokays
1.4.10 Leos(13 albino)
1.2.0 AFT's(amel male)
0.2.0 Stenodactylus Petrii(Dune Geckos)

She's definitely a chub. She will gladly eat as many crickets you care to give her. But I think I figured it out-she likes attention, and she will do anything to get it! Include beg for food. She definitely doesn't see me as a threat. But you are right maybe I should cut back on some, but still I'll feed her daily since she's growing. I'll limit it to two crickets a day instead of three.

JadeFox

Hello--
Another option would be to hand feed her one day, and force her to hunt her crickets the next. Hunting is a primary form of exercise for geckos--helps keep them in shape. If you merely hand-feed her, all she has to do is lie under her lamp and be a "lounge lizard" while digesting.
Just something to consider...
rgds,
althea

Problem with that-she learned a new trick. Bang her head against the glass until I feed her. She will *not* hunt for crickets but instead keep on knocking her head until I feed her. She knows feeding time is in the morning, and I'm afraid she might hurt herself if I don't give in.

Otherwise she's fine. Feed her, no more temper tantrum.

And yes she's still gaining weight....and you are right. She does not care to move too much. But she still climbs glass occasionally, and goes to bed in her log...but not much else.

JadeFox

Too funny! I have a beardie who throws temper tantrums if I'm not moving towards the superworms quick enough, and she'd be a slug if given her way once she's eaten.

I don't know if this would work for your Tokay, but it does for my beardie. I put the food item on a pair of forcepts and kind of "lead" her around the enclosure. It makes her move to get the food item. I also take her out and put superworms on the floor across the room and make her run for them. I don't know if your Tokay is tame enough for the second activity.

As for the first, I tried it with my Golden gecko tonight, and JJ was more than happy to leap around the enclosure in pursuit of the super worm on the tongs. We even had a spirited game of tug-o-war with a couple of worms.

I wish you the very best with your Tokay! She sounds like a sweetie--an exception to the species reputation!

rgds,
althea

I really appreciate this advice. I have a beardie that is lazy as a slug-now I make her run after her food. Works great (and it's the ONLY time I can get her to move).

My tokay is now very very fat and chubby and has slowed down eating. About a year now, she's about adult. SO she doesn't eat as much as before. She does like too much attention though and won't eat unless I hand feed her.

Luke

sounds like the lizard has you wrapped around her lamellae!

Seriously, you should have never handfed her all the time or fed her daily. I give mine crickets every third day or so.