Tokay Gecko

[Jared]

Ive just moved into a house in Korat, I went to get some water out of the fridge when from behind it out jumped one of these buggers, scared the crap out of me, I've only seen the little ones before. He was about 9 inches and very noisey. I spoke to the landlady and she replied yes you have 3 in there weve been trying to get rid of them for years. What I would like to know, are or can they be harmfull as my newborn spends most of the day in the room next to the kitchen. Can they be caught and got rid of, do they bite?

Also the wife is terrified of these things and she will not go in the kitchen, not good.

[mitmig]

Three of them in your house! I once had one in my house and tried to get it outside with a broom. She or he got so angry with me that he attacked the broom and didn't let go of it! I don't like them in my house because they sh*t everywhere and make a hel_l of a noise. Outside they are free to sit where they want. I would try to get them out of your house somehow, but I don't think you have to be scared of them only when you corner them they'll get nasty.

[guardian]

Not sure, but I've read somewhere before that they have razor sharp teeth.

[Jared]

Yeah ive been doing a bit of research on them, there nasty little buggers. I did try getting it out with a broom but I ended up being the one chased out of the room. They are apparently very aggressive and will attack. There is crap every where in our kitchen we thought a bird had got in but now i realise its gecko poo. One good thing about them is that they will kill any cockroaches or spiders that come into the room. Every morning I find 2-5 dead cockroaches and this morning a massive dead spider. I also found out that insect spray can be harmfull to them Also if one bites you there impossible to get off the only way you can get them off of you is if you hold them under water. I think im going to ask around to see if i can get someone to catch them. Its not that they scare me .......... much, im more worried that one could get into my little boys room and bite him, they could probably get there mouth around his little leg.

[chownah]

My wife has a piece of wood about two metres long with four spikes sticking out at the end. She catches the tokays by skewering them with this.

Tokays will generally leave people alone if given the chance. The good thing about tokays is that if you have them you will not have mice or rats.

Chownah

[Thaddeus]

Tokays will generally leave people alone if given the chance. The good thing about tokays is that if you have them you will not have mice or rats.

True, but as Jared points out, if they do bite you, they don't let go.... not the sort of creature you want inside the house if you have a small child.

Chasing them away will not work as they will just come back, any dwelling is a good source of food for them..... I don't like killing anything, but if it likely to cause harm to a family member, it has to go, permanently.

[sbk]

Well, I've had tokays living in my house for 17 years and have NEVER been attacked by one. Of course, I leave them alone, they leave me alone. I have never heard of one attacking anything that wasn't bothering it (like attacking it with the broom, for instance). When given a chance to get away, they choose to flee and only fight when cornered and attacked. They eat cockroaches and, as chownah pointed out, rats. Anything that eats rats can stay in my house. A little bit of tokay poop is a small price to pay for getting rid of rodents.

The Thai women I know, in general seem to be afraid of them, I guess its because they were told as youngsters that if they weren't good the tokay would come and eat their liver. So, don't put your wife's fear down to anything based in reality, tokays are not aggressive and do not attack unless provoked.

[guardian]

3 of you have asserted that tokays eat rat. But the previous house where I lived had an occasional tiny rat running in the middle of the night and we had one nearly foot long tokay only coughing like an old man in the middle of the night. As it was hiding in a space in the kitchen and the particular place echoed it's noise multiple times. It's point of entry to this place was from a hole in the roof.

One day I decided it was time for the tokay to leave. Armed with a long broomstick, I went and tapped hard under the place it was hiding. It would leave only to return again within a few minutes.

Once I decided to scare the shit out of it. I waited till I heard it shout. As soon as I was satisfied that it was well settled down, I switched on the light and casually went towards it's usual place. It saw me and simply stood still. Next, I reached out for a chair and placed it right near it's place and stood on it. Still it did not move. I slowly reached for the long broom and swiftly blocked it's exit towards the roof and pushed it down with an instant jerk. This shock was enough and it fell to the ground. I was really very scared to get down and waited for it to run for its life before I got down. Mind you, I was only scared as I was not really armed and ready for this situation then.

I did this a couple of times to it and now the frequency of hearing it reduced to once in 3 to 4 days. Some days, I was successful in dislocating it, while some other days, it would simply escape before I could shock it and push it down.

Still very annoying. So, this final time, I was really armed now. The broom, the chair and a see-through plastic hamster box. I decided enough is enough. That day was the big day. As usual, I managed to push it down. Then, immediately I jumped down and started chasing it. That was the first time in my life I've seen a cornered tokay hissing back at me menacingly. I had to run around a bit and had to throw a few utensils to evict it from it's hiding place in the ground. After a few moments chase, I finally managed to place the box over it.

Now comes the tricky part. How am I going to close the box? If I turn it around, it could quickly escape before I closed the cover. It was really pissed and hissing all the time. Then, I simply tapped the box on many sides to get it to climb onto the box instead of standing on the ground. When it did exactly that, I quickly slid the box over a board, held it tightly and turned it around and had just enough time to remove the board and shut the box. Had it escaped, I'm sure it had enough time to bite me hard if it had wanted to.

This was the first time I ever saw a tokay so close. Though it looks just like a common lizard, only bigger. It had many beautiful coloured spots on it's body. Also, I had read before that it was a really useful creature except for it's vocal cord, so I did not want to kill it. I let it be in the box overnight and the next day, I walked about 3 blocks away and let it loose in a park.

Ever since then, have not heard it for the next 7 - 8 months I stayed in that house.

[Thaddeus]

Well, I've had tokays living in my house for 17 years and have NEVER been attacked by one. Of course, I leave them alone, they leave me alone. I have never heard of one attacking anything that wasn't bothering it

Sorry SBK, but I beg to differ..... a small Tokay, very gecko-like, is no threat.... but a big one is a completely different kettle of lizards, just being in their territory is enough to spark a confrontation.

Thais' don't remove them for no reason (can PB help me with the ' ?) .... and they don't eat them either (at least not here) so there has to be some foundation for the tokay fear.

[DragonLad]

Are these the <deleted> You Lizards?? they make a noise like they are saying <deleted> you!!

Edited November 25, 2006 by DragonLad

[chonabot]

I used to breed these in the UK .

They will bite and not let go as mentioned before.

When I was bitten [a few times] I used to fill the kitchen sink with water and submerge my hand until they let go.

They have sharp teeth and can easily infect one if bitten.

That said they usually leave you alone if you leave them alone. They are the pit bulls of the gecko world.

As you have a little one around, I would not hesitate to remove it.

Easily done, lure it out, have a large cloth bag available, reverse the bag and smother the gecko with the bag, tie the bag up, take the gecko to your neighbours house and release it where it is most likely to annoy them.

ps And then buy a rat trap or a cat.

[Thaddeus]

Are these the <deleted> You Lizards?? they make a noise like they are saying <deleted> you!!

Yep.... that is them (or they are those ..... help PB)

It starts as a gentle '<deleted> you.... <deleted> you... you.. you .. you' in the distance, then it gets closer and closer, and before you know it... it's 3am and the wife has the broom out.... that's tonight's unwanted entertainment sorted out.

[DragonLad]

Are these the <deleted> You Lizards?? they make a noise like they are saying <deleted> you!!

Yep.... that is them (or they are those ..... help PB)

It starts as a gentle '<deleted> you.... <deleted> you... you.. you .. you' in the distance, then it gets closer and closer, and before you know it... it's 3am and the wife has the broom out.... that's tonight's unwanted entertainment sorted out.

My Dad was with the United States Air Force during the vietnam war and stationed in Thailand. He almost pissed himself laughing when he first heard the sounds that these geckos would make.

He told his friends about it but they didn't believe him until he made recordings and sent them the cassettes, they thought he did something like record a movie at high speeds or something. pretty funny.

[Nikkijah]

First time I heard one of these was in a restaurant on Koh Chang, I thought it was the bell to tell the staff that a dish was ready to serve! It sounded like a crappy electronic chicken cluck

[John 1]

What's wrong with you bunch of pansies, a little Geko making a bit of noise, as for chasing you they only defend there territory, they also eat the big black scorpion's you may see the remains on the ground the poison sting and some legs they eat the rest. The biggest I have at home would be 30cm long and very nice colour, they stick there eggs to the wall with some sort of white glue.

If I had kids I would be more worried about snake's, yes they find there way into your house with ease.

[Nikkijah]

What's wrong with you bunch of pansies, a little Geko making a bit of noise, as for chasing you they only defend there territory, they also eat the big black scorpion's you may see the remains on the ground the poison sting and some legs they eat the rest. The biggest I have at home would be 30cm long and very nice colour, they stick there eggs to the wall with some sort of white glue.

If I had kids I would be more worried about snake's, yes they find there way into your house with ease.

I tend to agree with you on some points John 1 BUT however beautiful they look and however useful for catching bugs they may be etc.. they are incredibly noisy and this is a good reason to shift them to the neighbours house, other than the noise the sh1t is pretty bad too, especially if they are presiding in your kitchen...

[sbk]

Nope, thats the guy Thaddeus and I stand by my position, their aggressiveness is over played by Thais who are taught from very young to fear them. I have NEVER been attacked by one, never been bitten by one. In fact the only person I know who has been attacked is my husband who catches them and removes them from the bungalows. And even then, he's never been bitten. They do not attack when left alone.

As for the rats, maybe it takes an older tokay to do it, my husband and I heard a mouse screaming (mouse, rat same thing) and came out to find the tokay crushing it in its jaws. Kinda icky, but I cannot stand rodents. So, go for it Mr Tokay (or Mrs )

[Tarragona]

We seem to have between 1 and 3 in our house, I think it's just 1 at the moment. They are very quick to dive for cover. The one that's here now is behind a cupboard right next to a light switch and has never made a move for my finger when I turn the light on. If anything it moves away.

The wife doesn't seem too bothered by them.

They can leap a fair distance too. I once startled one venturing up alongside the stairs (they have never made it upstairs) and it flew off the wall near the top of the stairs and pretty much made the bottom. It went right past my face and was the only time I thought I might be under attack.

I didn't know about the rats / mice. We did once have mice in the kitchen and, unbeknown to me, the wife put down glue traps under a couple of cupboards. I was mad when I was investigating a strange noise and found a tokay had stuck itself. Those traps are a truly evil invention.

Edited November 26, 2006 by Tarragona

[Nikkijah]

We did once have mice in the kitchen and, unbeknown to me, the wife put down glue traps under a couple of cupboards. Those traps are a truly evil invention.

Yes they are, totally the cruelest method of capture... who has to kill the little things once they've been caught?? Maybe we just leave them there to starve to death na! NICE.

[tigerbeer]

we have many many tokays in the house. especially in the godown. but we also have these two other kinds of lizards around the compound. can anyone help identify them? and also how dangerous they are?

[John 1]

The lizard on the left is a skink some name like that, the other one quite common don't know name, both not dangerous, insect eaters. Observe and enjoy them.

[raro]

As for both, rats and Tokays, our cat takes well care of it. No Joke, that 8 month old cute little furry animal took out one pretty big Tokay already, as well as a small rat (at the age of 4 months...).

[Pond Life]

I never heard of Tokay eating mice or rats, but now I like them even more.

I enjoy the sound they make, even if its outside the bedroom window.

Beautiful to look at, just check out the colour & texture.

Most Thai's seem to be afraid of them but its mainly down to superstition.

Just ask your Thai friends how many of them have actualy been bitten or seen someone bitten rather than heard that their brothers, cousins, friends, wife once heard of someone getting bitten.

Think of them as a pet. A dog might bite your kid to, but many people mix the two without problems.

[h90]

I never heard of Tokay eating mice or rats, but now I like them even more.

I enjoy the sound they make, even if its outside the bedroom window.

Beautiful to look at, just check out the colour & texture.

Most Thai's seem to be afraid of them but its mainly down to superstition.

Just ask your Thai friends how many of them have actualy been bitten or seen someone bitten rather than heard that their brothers, cousins, friends, wife once heard of someone getting bitten.

Think of them as a pet. A dog might bite your kid to, but many people mix the two without problems.

Many thai people also belive that they bring bad luck. Some are extrem afraid from owls.

Some try to kill these animals quickly before they (or the bad luck) brings harm to anyone.

Even my wife who don't belive that feels unconfortable if such an animal is near, just because she got it theached when she was a child.

[Jared]

The Tokay is no more. We finally got rid of him yesterday, I worked out he lived behind the fridge in the water tray. Me and the wifes bro managed to chase him outside then put him in a bucket. We took him to the end of the street and let him go, kind of miss the little chap. Whilst he was in the bucket he regergitated a 6inch milipeed. If it was my call I would of let him stay but as the wife was scared he had to go.

Now im probably going to find lots more bugs in the place, hopefully the wife isnt scared of them.

[BambinA]

we have many many tokays in the house. especially in the godown. but we also have these two other kinds of lizards around the compound. can anyone help identify them? and also how dangerous they are?

The lizard on the left is a skink some name like that, the other one quite common don't know name, both not dangerous, insect eaters. Observe and enjoy them.

Agree

Left = จิ้งเหลน / Jing lhen = skink

Leiolopsisma siamensis

Tropidophorus thai

Right = กิ้งก่า /Ging Gah = lizard

Edited December 3, 2006 by BambinA

[Gary A]

Someone forgot to tell my Thai wife to be scared of them. Once in a while one will manage to get in the house. My wife hates the big black turds they leave all over. She makes a project of getting them back outside. Usually she is able to knock them off the wall and sweep them out the door with her trusty broom. The last one ran under the microwave and she was yelling at me to lift the microwave up for her. I started out the door to the garage to get a welding glove. She stopped me and told me that she knew what she was doing and didn't need a glove. I lifted the microwave and her quick little hand grabbed the lizard right around the middle. He couldn't bite her although he did have his mouth open and wasn't happy. She carried him outside and put him outside of our privacy wall. I hope he decided to come back in. I like em! A male Thai friend of mine has a big one that normally stays in his bedroom. He claims that rats fear them because the lizard eats rat babies. That's good enough for me to like little lizards.

She does put up with the jing joks because it's impossible to keep them out.

[T_Dog]

I used to breed these in the UK .

They will bite and not let go as mentioned before.

When I was bitten [a few times] I used to fill the kitchen sink with water and submerge my hand until they let go.

They have sharp teeth and can easily infect one if bitten.

That said they usually leave you alone if you leave them alone. They are the pit bulls of the gecko world.

As you have a little one around, I would not hesitate to remove it.

------------

This is an old thread, but would you care to give some background on why you would remove tokays from a home? You seem to have some experience with them.

Just moved into a cottage and we have at least five living outside and above the ceiling tiles. I only hear them maybe once a week, but I can see them on one side of the house where they like to "hang out" at night. One is almost pure white and about a foot long.... a big one.... and the prior tenants said it ate scorpians The house has no spiders or cockroaches, and if I rout around the outside, there are very few bugs so I am sure they are making a positive impact. I rather like them as it seems a natural way to keep pests down. I have not heard of anyone in Thailand giving a first hand account of a tokay attack or tokay bite.

The little fellow in this photograph almost fell on me this morning after the rain here in Chiang Mai. They are a beautiful creature.

[sbk]

I don't remove them from my home either, but many Thai people are superstitiously afraid of them, having been told as naughty children that a tokay would come eat their liver.

They also poop quite a bit and if not cleaned up or in a difficult to access place, can smell.

I have never had a tokay attack me when I have left them alone, never had one run over the top of me (like mice will do), they don't eat the furniture or your books , and in fact, except for the poop, are nothing but beneficial.

[Gary A]

I don't remove them from my home either, but many Thai people are superstitiously afraid of them, having been told as naughty children that a tokay would come eat their liver.

They also poop quite a bit and if not cleaned up or in a difficult to access place, can smell.

I have never had a tokay attack me when I have left them alone, never had one run over the top of me (like mice will do), they don't eat the furniture or your books , and in fact, except for the poop, are nothing but beneficial.

I have had them fall on my head and shoulder a number of times but they were very quick to get away from me. They fall from the top of the door going into my garage. They seem to like to sit on the top edge of the door.

We now have another one in the house but he lives behind a large book case and my wife can't get to him or she would grab him and he would be out the door. I'm waiting for the day when she insists that I move the book case so she can catch him/her. He normally stays out of sight and when I see him, I chase him back behind the book case. It's out of sight and out of mind.