Driving Us Nuts !

[PostmanPat]

Desperate plea for help ! Our house recently "acquired" a single "Tokay" which now scuttles around the outside wall right near our bedroom window making its very loud "Tokay, Tokay, Tokay " call all night long, last night woken every flipping hour!!

I know some will say, aaah, its part of the charm of living in a tropical climate, with which I would agree if it was someone elses house not mine !!

Seriously, well, semi seriously, is there something like a smell they dont like, or a noise they dont like, or should I be buying a slingshot or similar and taking lessons in accuracy ?!

[Ricardo]

Our gardener has used a long bamboo-pole, to knock the bugger off the wall, in the past.

Alternatively a shotgun might work ... wonder what it might cost to rent-a-tank off the local Army, for the day ?

[lopburi3]

I have my doubts but here is a list of repellent.

http://www.weiku.com/Other-Household-Chemicals/buy-gecko-lizards-repellent.html

I really expect, like an old style clock chimes, you will get used to the noise quickly and find that it is not a problem. Know that I did when had them years ago.

Before going on a killing spree of an endangered species perhaps have someone collect as a pet/relocate (rather than as medicine). There are people that actually would like.

[Dante99]

Do you talk with your Thai neighbors? They probably know someone in the neighborhood who will be happy to come over some evening and catch it for you. Ask them to dispose of it many kilometers away so it does not return, then do not inquire what they do with it. We have a guy in our neighborhood who has removed many for us over the years.

[junglechef]

I occasionally have one living in our house, it's sound echos off the cement wall, especially if they lodge themselves behind a cabinet, and really makes me feel like Tarzan.

They go away when their ready, usually a few days but can hang about longer if they like the same TV programs as I do.

But seriously killing them is pretty extreme and might bestow bad karma.

[PostmanPat]

So. A tank it is then ! When I blast the side of my house down wonder if my insurance will pay for a rebuild ??!!

Wasnt thinking of a killing by the way, just a "get rid quick" option !!

[cmsally]

They are territorial so it's simple, just get another Tokaey !

Oops maybe problem not solved that way.

[Saan]

Leave the poor bastard alone and get used to it. I have what sounds like a very large one in the garden a few feet from my window. It's the same with soi dogs barking at night. Nothing can be done about it so learn not to dwell on it and it just becomes part of the night sounds of living in Chiang Mai. Like the tuk tuks that delivers some working girls home to the apartment block opposite my place about 3 am. Sometimes I'm not sure what is louder - the tuk tuk or the girls. As I said, it is just part of the night sounds of Chiang Mai.

[CNXBKKMAN]

My old place had a whole family living above us in some crevice created accidentally by local builders craftsmanship. My new place doesnt have any Geckos and i wish it had. I am almost thinking of making some kind of "birdbox" to attract them. The reason why i have some respect for Geckos is that at the old place i would sweep the back yard and bits of gecko shit. When you looked at it you could see it was made up of many crushed cockroaches and even bits of scorpion. Funny thing was cockroaches were very rare at that place and scorpions were about a one a year sighting. Then i realised i wasnt seeing cockroaches and other creepy crawly things was because the geckos were hoovering them up every night.

So basically get rid of your Gecko and say welcome to all the local scorpions, roaches, millipedes. They keep a lot of this stuff away.

[Oscar2]

you have one tokay living at your house making its call all night? good for you. we have at least 10 of them shouting all night! some are huge! if we go outside at night and shine a flashlight on the side of the house, you can see many of them. we haven't had any in about 2 years. don't know what happened but now we have more than ever!

[Sparkles]

Just don't try and move one with your bare hands they have quite a bite.We have one in our front garden but he only calls a few times at night.Always 6 or 7 calls.

[terminatorchiangmai]

Find out where he lives in day time.

Then block that access when he is out in the evening.

He will move to another place.

Worked for us.

Good luck.

[puck2]

Do it this way

[northernjohn]

Our gardener has used a long bamboo-pole, to knock the bugger off the wall, in the past.

Alternatively a shotgun might work ... wonder what it might cost to rent-a-tank off the local Army, for the day ?

I had heard that some Japanese had paid 50,000 baht just to shoot one.

That is not a joke it really happened.

Should be able to get them to bring it to your house for 100,000 baht.

[Ricardo]

IIRC, there was a rumour a few years back, that these creatures were fetching a good price-per-kg in China, for medicine to treat cancer or baldness or droopy-juju, or whatever.

And people were going round the villages, offering to buy them up, the number of tokays appeared to go into decline about the same time.

Isn't living in a Thai village fun !

I mean, one just couldn't make this sort of thing up, except possibly on 1st April & with sufficient 'lubrication' of the brain-box !

IME the tokay may relocate, after a few weeks, alternatively the farang victim might consider doing the same ?

Edited May 4, 2015 by Ricardo

[lopburi3]

Perhaps a bit more than rumor it seems

Ready to drink macerated medicinal liquor with goji berry, tokay gecko, and ginseng, for sale at a traditional medicine market inXi'an, China.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokay_gecko

[Papayabokbok]

Leave the poor bastard alone and get used to it. I have what sounds like a very large one in the garden a few feet from my window. It's the same with soi dogs barking at night. Nothing can be done about it so learn not to dwell on it and it just becomes part of the night sounds of living in Chiang Mai. Like the tuk tuks that delivers some working girls home to the apartment block opposite my place about 3 am. Sometimes I'm not sure what is louder - the tuk tuk or the girls. As I said, it is just part of the night sounds of Chiang Mai.

Yep....And THATS why im leaving..ive reached my limit...im done..tixs booked--2 weeks to go...

Can keep your dogs...geckos...tuk tuks..loud bargirls..noisy clubs..yada..yada...enough..check bin krup..

(saved a few of you the usual "then leave..etc..." "ill send a taxi"..go home farang...done and done)

Its part of the "night sounds" cos ppl allow it to be..im sure my neighbors and thier noisy dogs will be glad.

[northernjohn]

Leave the poor bastard alone and get used to it. I have what sounds like a very large one in the garden a few feet from my window. It's the same with soi dogs barking at night. Nothing can be done about it so learn not to dwell on it and it just becomes part of the night sounds of living in Chiang Mai. Like the tuk tuks that delivers some working girls home to the apartment block opposite my place about 3 am. Sometimes I'm not sure what is louder - the tuk tuk or the girls. As I said, it is just part of the night sounds of Chiang Mai.

Yep....And THATS why im leaving..ive reached my limit...im done..tixs booked--2 weeks to go...

Can keep your dogs...geckos...tuk tuks..loud bargirls..noisy clubs..yada..yada...enough..check bin krup..

(saved a few of you the usual "then leave..etc..." "ill send a taxi"..go home farang...done and done)

Its part of the "night sounds" cos ppl allow it to be..im sure my neighbors and thier noisy dogs will be glad.

Did you have to look hard and get many people with you to find a place that had all that wrong with it?

[Pinot]

Leave the poor bastard alone and get used to it. I have what sounds like a very large one in the garden a few feet from my window. It's the same with soi dogs barking at night. Nothing can be done about it so learn not to dwell on it and it just becomes part of the night sounds of living in Chiang Mai. Like the tuk tuks that delivers some working girls home to the apartment block opposite my place about 3 am. Sometimes I'm not sure what is louder - the tuk tuk or the girls. As I said, it is just part of the night sounds of Chiang Mai.

Yep....And THATS why im leaving..ive reached my limit...im done..tixs booked--2 weeks to go...

Can keep your dogs...geckos...tuk tuks..loud bargirls..noisy clubs..yada..yada...enough..check bin krup..

(saved a few of you the usual "then leave..etc..." "ill send a taxi"..go home farang...done and done)

Its part of the "night sounds" cos ppl allow it to be..im sure my neighbors and thier noisy dogs will be glad.

Ahhh, we'll miss you...kinda. You're absolutely right. We've allowed tokays to control our lives. Who are they to "tokay" all day and night? They should be hunted down and eliminated. Dogs, geckos, bargirls and clubs...off with their heads, I say.

Well, you have bought "the tix." You should go.

The loud bar girls, the neighbors and me are gonna yada yada. Probably get the dogs barking and the tokays tokaying. We're talking party, man! "Night sounds!"

But if you already bought the tix...

[Beetlejuice]

We have a whole family of tokays that have made residence between a wooden box and the wall outside our bedroom and we love them, even given them names.

At certain times of the year the male starts drifting all around the area and makes his mating calls then returning to his home outside our bedroom. I love these critters and all of nature, these geckos are amazing, plus they are good for the environment, they eat insects and vermin.

Those who have no tolerance of the animals and environment around them, probably have no tolerance of other people either and anti-social. .

These geckos are natural to Thailand and have been here probably for millions of years and in fact have more rights to be here than we do. My advice is; enjoy the wonders of nature, rather than opposing it.

[eyecatcher]

Just don't try and move one with your bare hands they have quite a bite.We have one in our front garden but he only calls a few times at night.Always 6 or 7 calls.

They are harmless; and actually have no teeth. Yes they can grip on and draw blood. we found this one in our guesthouse room in Chiang Dao a couple week ago; only about a foot long but small cloth and grab. and look he is showing you his teeth!

We have a couple at home and last year I decided to try and attract it. So I went on the "net" and downloaded a tokay recording onto my phone. When our tokay sounded off, I used to play my recording.

Well that was a mistake it wasn't long before I was starting to get worried; the daddy of all daddy tokays was soon on my verandah somewhere above my head talking back to my phone.

Maybe you can find the tokay sound that says "go ahead punk make my day" as opposed to "come up and see me sometime"

[CNXBKKMAN]

I believe Tokays have a some kind of bacteria in them that allows them to eat cockroaches and dead stuff but if you are bitten by one will get a infected wound. You should never get bitten by one in normal circumstances, they will always run away but i wouldn't try to pick one up without some protection.

[junglechef]

Same argument for snakes, they were here first and are a necessary part of the natural balance.

Why not just makes friend's with them (can't we all just get along)

Edited May 6, 2015 by junglechef

[BB24]

Amazing that some people think that all noises are natural and should be accepted. Whatever you reckon for you, but for me I deal with whatever it is after a few days - so that I can sleep. Koel birds sometimes cause problems here - a few firerackers in their direction and off they go - they usually dont come back either. The GF said do not do that for the Tokay - just makes them angry. She said if you can get long pole/stick with some string/hook on the end you can hook it around his head and pull tight. Do not try to grab - they are dangerous. Once you have caught him walk him a long way away and put him in another tree. Or as someone else said - get a local Thai person to do it for you. They sometimes go away after a while, but if there is good food there, then they will stay. As someone said, that can be a good thing as they eat most insects/bugs - so maybe put up with him for a little bit and then move him if he doesn't go away.

[junglechef]

How about ear plugs? Win Win

[scottiejohn]

How about ear plugs? Win Win

Are the earplugs for the Tokay so he can't hear all these Farang moaning about him going about his own local business?

[circusman]

I have my doubts but here is a list of repellent.

http://www.weiku.com/Other-Household-Chemicals/buy-gecko-lizards-repellent.html

I really expect, like an old style clock chimes, you will get used to the noise quickly and find that it is not a problem. Know that I did when had them years ago.

Before going on a killing spree of an endangered species perhaps have someone collect as a pet/relocate (rather than as medicine). There are people that actually would like.

Who says endangered ? And the chimes idea would be worse than the lizard.

[angiolo]

IIRC, there was a rumour a few years back, that these creatures were fetching a good price-per-kg in China, for medicine to treat cancer or baldness or droopy-juju, or whatever.

And people were going round the villages, offering to buy them up, the number of tokays appeared to go into decline about the same time.

Isn't living in a Thai village fun !

I mean, one just couldn't make this sort of thing up, except possibly on 1st April & with sufficient 'lubrication' of the brain-box !

IME the tokay may relocate, after a few weeks, alternatively the farang victim might consider doing the same ?

My G/F says they are valuable for medical purposes . I met one dealer who had 20 or so in a large mesh basket. He fed them raw meat and ,yes , they have a powerful bite. He was feeding them with a pair of kitchen tweazers,carefully

[toesolipsolie]

I'm new to this part of the world and I have been wondering what the hell that call was/is and where it came from,....a lizard, (Gecko) for crying out loud!

Didn't think it was a bird but kinda figured it had to be, sorta wondered if it was some strange mechanical squeaking on a god only knows what kinda contraption that could only exist in the darkness at 03:00.

But I never got the sound," Tokay,Tokay,Tokay "

What I hear is,...and I'm not making this up, is... " <deleted> you, <deleted> you, <deleted> you " The sound actually reminded me of Joe Pesci saying just that in the movie Goodfellas.

OK maybe my mind is in the same gutter said gecko is hanging out in but now I know it aint the, "<deleted> you" bird.

As usual my post was not helpful to any request by the OP so good luck with that!