Are Typical Thai "Tokay" Lizards Dangerous? If not, then WHY are people so afraid of them?

[phetphet]

Tokays. Ignore them and they wil ignore you. Have several that appear on my house wall every night. Except when it is windy. Have only had to chase one out of the house once, but another gone got in, above the ceiling. That wasn't nice, being woken at 3am by their loud to-kay cry.

I have heard that if you try and pick them up, they can bite, and have strong jaws. If you look on youtube there are videos  of people handling them with welding gloves or a thick towel.

They are nothing to be scared of if you just leave them alone. The one that can give a bite, or a strong whack with its tail is the Monitor Lizard or Hia as the Thais call it.  

 

In  Isaan they eat those little those little lizards with the long tail. I think they are called Frilled lizards. Cook them and chop them up in a salad.

 

Edited July 24, 2021 by phetphet

[KhaoYai]

3 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I have, so far, never been bitten by any type of lizard.

Truly BEAUTIFUL animals.

Don't fall asleep in Lumpini Park then - your luck might change.

[tonray]

17 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Anyway, it turned out that the same nurse gave me the jab, each time, and we sort of struck up a nice friendship by the 5th jab.

maybe you can return the favor ?

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

During the Vietnam War, American GIs called the tokay the "f--- you lizard" after its distinctive cry.

 

Tokays are nothing to be afraid of and they're not aggressive. We have them around our house and leave them alone, although one of my adult daughters is quite afraid of them.

 

We do call the security guards when one of these shows up in our yard:

 

Edited July 24, 2021 by Etaoin Shrdlu

[KarenBravo]

3 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Have these near my house, never seen an animal move so fast

It's an Oriental Garden lizard. 

Very quick. They climb up high to positions to either watch for prey, or to try and escape.

The lizard needs the long tail for balance.

[tonray]

1 minute ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

During the Vietnam War, American GIs called the tokay the "f--- you lizard" after its distinctive cry.

 

Tokays are nothing to be afraid of. They're not aggressive. We have them around our house. We leave them alone and they leave us alone, although one of my adult daughter is quite afraid of them.

 

We do call the security guards when one of these shows up in our yard:

 

When I lived near the Sutishan MRT in Bangkok....early mornings there was one of these big guys slithering around the back of my building....I had only been in Thailand for a few weeks then and seeing this in an urban environment was a shock.

[tonray]

Just now, KarenBravo said:

It's an Oriental Garden lizard. 

Very quick. They climb up high to positions to either watch for prey, or to try and escape.

The lizard needs the long tail for balance.

We had one of these but the local feral cat took care  of him....sadly. Menace

[bbko]

Yes, tokays are reincarnated humans that eat cats and dogs. 

[bbko]

4 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

During the Vietnam War, American GIs called the tokay the "f--- you lizard" after its distinctive cry.

 

Tokays are nothing to be afraid of and they're not aggressive. We have them around our house and leave them alone, although one of my adult daughters is quite afraid of them.

 

We do call the security guards when one of these shows up in our yard:

 

That's no more a tokay than my house cat is a lion. 

 

It's a Water Monitor/Hia.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

Just now, bbko said:

That's no more a tokay than my house cat is a lion. 

 

It's a Water Monitor/Hia.

Didn't say it was a tokay.

[Kanada]

I don’t get it….these things poop ???? and pee constantly and everywhere and attract snakes ???? 

No lizards in the house for me…they can live outside the house all they want….

Edited July 24, 2021 by Kanada

[GammaGlobulin]

6 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

During the Vietnam War, American GIs called the tokay the "f--- you lizard" after its distinctive cry.

 

Tokays are nothing to be afraid of and they're not aggressive. We have them around our house and leave them alone, although one of my adult daughters is quite afraid of them.

 

We do call the security guards when one of these shows up in our yard:

 

Yes. There are many words for animals which are onomatopoeic.  As you rightly state:  When I lay me down to sleep, and when the Dutgee begins to sing, ...  mostly what I hear is Yuck You, Yuck You, Yuck You.  Always the same refrain.  And, then, after a long pause, again the refrain, Yuck You, Yuck You, Yuck You.

 

As I stated above.... I find this very comforting...  And, I love it.

[MrJ2U]

There bite is very painful.

They look mischievous but they eat those nasty insects like mosquitoes and bigger ones eat mice.

 

[tonray]

4 minutes ago, Kanada said:

I don’t get it….these things poop ???? and pee constantly and everywhere and attract snakes ???? 

No lizards in the house for me…they can live outside the house all they want….

Unless you have cat, virtually impossible to keep them out short of sealing yourself in with plastic wrap. Yeah the droppings are a mess....every week I have to use wet wipes to clear the window tracks.......yuck

[GammaGlobulin]

15 minutes ago, tonray said:

When I lived near the Sutishan MRT in Bangkok....early mornings there was one of these big guys slithering around the back of my building....I had only been in Thailand for a few weeks then and seeing this in an urban environment was a shock.

It IS a shock, at first.  However, trust me...  after a while, you begin to love these guys.  Our world would be far poorer without them.  And, they are beautiful.

 

I just do not know IF the Dutgee is somewhat territorial, or very territorial and aggressive.  I can usually get to within one meter of these guys, in order to take a photo, before they begin to move away.

 

Sometimes, I worry that while trying to get a better image with my phone, they might pounce on me.

 

I am not from Thailand, and so I have little experience with the Tokay's behavior.

[sucit]

Don’t get too close to it. They may carry covid. Remember to self isolate. 

[tonray]

6 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I am not from Thailand, and so I have little experience with the Tokay's behavior.

It's the same with Thai women...eventually you learn to steer clear of certain things...ha ha ha ha ha

[JonnyF]

They are pretty aggressive. When we moved into our farm house it had been vacant for 3 years and there was about 10 of them in there. Took us ages to get them out, they sit there staring at you with their mouth open, quite threatening ????. They also run towards you if you shake a stick at them, was quite funny watching them chasing my girlfriend's screaming sister out of the house.

 

My gf hates them, she reckons the loud call (Tookaaeee Tookaaee hence the name) attracts snakes to come and eat them which does make sense. Fortunately our PitBull shares my girlfriend's dislike of them so they don't tend to last long if they come near our place. They're brave though, they often stand their ground against him which only makes his job easier. They can have some quite attractive colouring though but the idea of them attracting snakes to the property is enough for me to not discourage the dog from doing his thing.

 

 

 

 

[rumak]

4 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Sometimes, I worry that while trying to get a better image with my phone, they might pounce on me.

It's when you try to French kiss them that the trouble begins.   They will NOT let go of your tongue !

 

i would nominate this for most silly thread of the month........ but hey,  anything is better than covid covid covid         

 

tokays do not pounce.   they always move away,  quickly if one attempts to harm them.  If cornered,

they will hiss or bite if they can.       

[tonray]

20 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

was quite funny watching them chasing my girlfriend's screaming sister out of the house.

Perhaps I should get one for each member of my GF's family....ha ha ha

[GammaGlobulin]

13 minutes ago, rumak said:

It's when you try to French kiss them that the trouble begins.   They will NOT let go of your tongue !

 

i would nominate this for most silly thread of the month........ but hey,  anything is better than covid covid covid         

 

tokays do not pounce.   they always move away,  quickly if one attempts to harm them.  If cornered,

they will hiss or bite if they can.       

As you say, silly is sometimes better than serious.  Also, for some, this thread might be informative.

[bbko]

33 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

It IS a shock, at first.  However, trust me...  after a while, you begin to love these guys.

Uh, no I don't.

 

While they are harmless unless provoked, I don't want them around my exterior lights at night.  Having to hose off their droppings may be a joy for you but not for me.

[KC 71]

It is considered lucky if you have one on your property

We have one.I named him Tony ????

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, Aforek said:

I know what you mean, I  like to hear when they are far away ( for instance in the house next door ????  )but when they are in the false ceilling, 2 meters above you,  it's diffferent : loud !

 

what I don't like is their big shape and frightening aspect 

but I am not affraid, just I don't like :

 

I fear much more ( like Thai people ) the centipede ( ta-kap )  ; this one is very dangerous and in houses, too 

What does that look like.  I have what look like centipedes and millipedes, as well as the scorpions, as I mentioned.  Which is the dangerous one?

[metisdead]

A post with an image trolling about ladyboys has been removed as well as the related replies. 

[GammaGlobulin]

From October until the end of May, there were extremely few instances of things like lizards, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, etc, in the house.  We have had a lot of rain recently. And, this might be a factor why we have so many of these indoors at this time. Maybe this is why some people prefer to live in condos, on a high floor.

[Aforek]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

 

 

My gf hates them, she reckons the loud call (Tookaaeee Tookaaee hence the name) attracts snakes to come and eat them which does make sense. 

 

 

They can't attract snakes with their loud " to kay ", because snakes are deaf ; I have read that only males have this sound, females are silent ( may be the sound is to attract females ) 

27 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

What does that look like.  I have what look like centipedes and millipedes, as well as the scorpions, as I mentioned.  Which is the dangerous one?

May be mods will say it's off topic, but the dangerous ones are the centipedes

many posts on this forum about them 

[KarenBravo]

Let's get one thing straight. Ching-choks and Tokays do not eat mosquitoes (except in the jungle).

Ching-choks and Tokays hang around electric lights. Mosquitoes are drawn to darkness.

So, what is the likelihood that a mosquito will even get in range for these Geckos to eat them?

They don't. They eat other insects that are attracted to the light. They have field days when termites and ants take to the wing.

 

Any Gecko found in the house is fair game for a whack. All Geckos outside are left alone.

I do not want poop in my kitchen, or bedrooms.

 

 

Edited July 24, 2021 by KarenBravo

[Cake Monster]

I actually got bitten by a large Tokay about 4 or 5 Months ago.

This thing was hiding, as they do, and every night the noise it made was horrendous.

It took me ages to find the exact location of this beast, and I decided that it needed relocating to a place not near my Home.

Having found its lair, I then managed to get it out with the aid of some shade netting to stop it running ( they are quick ), and as I grabbed it behind its head, it spun round and completely took the Top of my Thumb off in a split second.

Long shot, I stuffed it in a large Plastic bag, and took it about a KM and let it go.

There was Blood everywhere. Not the Tokays, mine !

This was after I had visited the Local Clinic, received a Tetanus Jab, and had the top of my thumb dressed Etc.

After many visits to the Clinic, the wound finally healed up

These critters are not scared of you, and will defend themselves, so be very aware of them.

 

 

[JonnyF]

20 minutes ago, Aforek said:

They can't attract snakes with their loud " to kay ", because snakes are deaf ; I have read that only males have this sound, females are silent ( may be the sound is to attract females ) 

Snakes aren't deaf. 

 

https://www.reptilesmagazine.com/the-vet-report-contrary-to-popular-belief-snakes-can-hear/