Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello!

So I picked up my Tokay Gecko this weekend, I'm not sure if it's a male or female yet. For now I'm calling it a he : ) He is about 6 inches long and seems to be pretty healthy. My only concern is that right now he is in a ten gallon tank with a screen top. I've read a couple articles that seem to offer conflicting advice -

1) Screen Top - some articles say that a screen top should be used while others say that they shouldn't because they can damage the gecko's toes.

2) Drinking - some articles state that Tokay Gecko's will not drink from water bowls but only drink from misting leaves or other objects in the tank, but of course I've read other articles about Tokay's drinking just fine out of water bowls.

I will be building a new cage in a couple weeks so this ten gallon cage is only temporary. His new cage will be 18x12x18. Will this be large enough for a single adult Tokay Gecko? Would it be large enough for him to have a mate once I determine what he or she is?

I've kept many Tokays in cages with screen tops and never had any problem with injured feet or toes. I did have one Tokay that rubbed its nose raw against a screen top but it healed just fine when it was moved to a new cage. So anything's possible but overall I'd say the probability of an injury due to a screen top on your cage is low.

I keep water bowls in all my tokay enclosures. I have personally witnessed many of my tokays (I currently have 18) drinking out of their water bowls. They also seem to like to defecate in them, so I clean them frequently. But I also do mist daily - just to keep up the humidity here in arid colorado. I's say if yours is not accustomed to a water bowl, I would mist just to make sure it stays hydrated while you're determining whether the bowl is being used or not.

Finally, 18 x 12 x 18 should be ok for a single tokay but IMO is a bit small for a pair.

Hope this helps...