Tokay Gecko

[T_Dog]

Does anyone know if the smaller gechos, the Jinjoks are part of the Tokay's diet? If they eat mice and scorpians I would think that they would.

[sbk]

Yup, eat those too. We had a big one that ate a mouse.

[PoorSucker]

Name this gecko:

[Tywais]

Dtook Gae (the sound it makes is similar to the name). Probably can find a few topics on here about that specific type.

[LeungKen]

Looks like a subtle form of advertising to me

[PoorSucker]

Looks like a subtle form of advertising to me

You got me..

[Beacher]

What!!!??? 350 baht for a T-shirt!!!

[PoorSucker]

What!!!??? 350 baht for a T-shirt!!!

That's the falang price, welcome to Koh Samui.

[sbk]

Tokay Gecko, poorsucker. And I hope your t-shirt is high quality for that price (or perhaps an XXL for the farang crowd?)

[Thaddeus]

Name it........ I'd call it Gerry.

(or possibly Gordon)

Edited September 17, 2008 by Thaddeus

[PoorSucker]

Name it........ I'd call it Gerry.

(or possibly Gordon)

Thanks, but I have gone with Thaad.

[hanno]

Tokay indeed and don't be tempted to grab it, they pack a nasty bite.

[Lite Beer]

Tokay indeed and don't be tempted to grab it, they pack a nasty bite.

and they also poo everywhere.

[PoorSucker]

Tokay indeed and don't be tempted to grab it, they pack a nasty bite.

and they also poo everywhere.

And one of my employees nickname is poo.

[Lite Beer]

Tokay indeed and don't be tempted to grab it, they pack a nasty bite.

and they also poo everywhere.

And one of my employees nickname is poo.

I bet she's a little crab.

[Knightsbridge]

A giant gecko or as has been said a Took - Gae. Juveniles tend make the noise, whereas the seniors tend to keep quiet...

[jts-khorat]

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.

There is the firm belief in rural Thais that Tokays are incarnations of murdered people coming back to haunt. Having one living in your house is already a very bad omen, but they are removed due to the fear that one bad ghost might attract more, and most likely worse bad spirits.

The same reason I believe, why they are not eaten, while even small monitor lizards are a delicatesse (or Tokays are just too bony).

[phibunmike]

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.

:

These superstitions perpetuate themselves. In my village, people warn me that Tokays will jump onto your throat and strangle you. Of course, no-one has gone near them to find that it is not true. I tried to grab one once to relocate it for a terrified niece, but it ran away - I can't imagine being attacked by one, they are so timid. There is a similar situation with millipedes - my neighbours warned me they were deadly, until I picked them up :-)

[meadish_sweetball]

Does anyone have information on the life cycle of the tokay ( took gae ; toogay ; dtuugae ; dtoogae ) gecko / gekko?

I am specifically looking for a way of telling the newborn and young tokay geckos apart from the smaller regular jing-joks (chingchok ; jingjok djingdjok etc.). This is so I can identify any tokays early and evict them from our house.

My wife is completely and utterly phobic of them, and if we found a large one around the house, or in it, that would freak her out to the point where she couldn't stay in the house.

Pics of small/newborn tokays would be great, if somebody has them.

Also sharing this fact sheet which I found informative: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Reptiles.../Tokaygecko.cfm

[Tywais]

My wife is completely and utterly phobic of them, and if we found a large one around the house, or in it, that would freak her out to the point where she couldn't stay in the house.

Pics would be great if somebody has them.

Pics of your wife freaking out over a tookay sounds more interesting. I do have one on my computer of a younger/smaller one I found in my house some time ago and will post it tomorrow. The head makes it rather obvious in that it seems more disproportionately large in size relative to the body.

Just found I have a copy on my server. I would say this one is smaller then our larger jing joks.

[meadish_sweetball]

Thanks tywais, if the colours are that sharp, the eyes are that colour and the head-to-body ratio is that different, I think I am still on the safe side.

The ones I was suspicious about have the same grey-green colour and size as regular jing-joks, but also a soft pattern of darker spots on their back.

[sbk]

A baby tokay has a noticeably larger head than a gecko, out of proportion with the body really.

Our cook is the same, runs screaming from the room. guess I can't criticize too much, I run screaming from the room when its rats or mice

***edit*** of course, I have good reason to dislike rats and mice, they are vermin and they jump out at you when you surprise them

[PoorSucker]

My wife is completely and utterly phobic of them, and if we found a large one around the house, or in it, that would freak her out to the point where she couldn't stay in the house.

Play this one on high volume.

[Mrjlh]

Name this gecko:

Tokay Gecko

[F1fanatic]

Personally, I like them and agree with previous posters who have said they're only aggressive if attacked. Who can blame them??

There's an enormous 'f..k you' lizard living in my patio roof who comes down between 7 and 8 each evening - I look forward to seeing him!

He runs away if I move and is one of the wonderful things about living here - as are the Golden Tree snakes - something else I see frequently (and they are aggressive, if threatened, but harmless too)!

Thailand has so many types of wildlife that we don't know or recognise. Learning the difference is one of the things we learn to do, unlike the Thais. Something I still can't understand!

The Tokay lizard is one of the harmless variety of reptiles that is there to be enjoyed and not worried about!!

[MrDream]

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.

Tokays are nocturnal by nature. You will seldom spot them at all while its daytime. They do bite, and they do hurt. Most of the time they would rather just get away from you though then bite you. If you poke at them then they will turn and take a nip at you. They are great to have around the house as they eat all the insects, including small scorpions. Many Thais are scared of them beyond belief, has to do with a Thai movie about Tokay geckos a little while back.

I used to have a pair as pets back home, no way to tame them, they are just too wild to handle. You can easily catch them, as I caught a 1ft. Tokay at the families house in Issan, and catch the ones a bit smaller then that monster for fun. Overall, they are harmless and good to have around. They are not going to creep into your kiddies cribs, but they are attracted to lighted areas, as the bugs are attracted there too, ie Tokay buffet.

Honestly, I would just let them be if you could. If your wife insists on getting them outta there, put up a light on a corner of a wall in the house, leave the light on all night, every night for a week or 2. The Tokays will start to see the food source from the bugs, and in turn will start to flock to that area. They are fast little guys, so having a basket with very small openings, or even a net with a rounded lip to put flush up against the wall will get them in. At some point you are going to have to handle them while catching them. I just used my bare hands, as I make sure to get a good grip on the corners of the jaws so they can't turn to bite you. You might want to get a pair of work gloves though if your not used to handling reptiles. Grab them through the net, and take them in a bag, at least 10-15 minutes away from your house before you release them. If you let them go on the corner of your street, they will most likely make their way back, as they know where their steady food supply is.

A lot of people have them as pets in the states, they are kind of like poisonous snakes, beautiful to look at, and watch hunting their live food, but people will never be able to handle or tame them. Good luck with them my friend. Here is a pic of my big guy I caught for you lol.

[Yahooka]

My impression when it comes to Tokay superstition is that it brings GOOD luck to have around (according to my Thai connections).I never had one around when I lived in LOS and I haven`t had much luck since !!

Had a lot of snakes around and I didn`t mind them at all......but the centipedes used to scare the hel_l out of me.....the scar on my leg after a bite from one hiding under the bedsheets still gives me shivers !!!

[MrDream]

The family said something similar about the centipedes. I didn't realize they were that dangerous. Although the families house, when you see a full grown black scorpion walking out the front door of the house, I guess thats country lol. I wanted to catch the scorpion and keep it for a pet, but grandma got to him with a broom handle before I could with a cup lol.

Tokays are really cool though. Always did like them since I was a kid. The Thai movie that makes all the family scared of them I found out, had to do with Tokays being evil spirits that got into peoples bodies and ate them from the inside out while they slept. No wonder the missus wouldn't let me keep the big guy in the bedroom with us.

[T_Dog]

Well, its August. Has anyone seen any baby tokays yet?

[Gary A]

We have had one in the house for six months or so. I don't mind him because he amuses me with his running battle with my wife. She has been trying to catch him since he has gotten in the house. A couple weeks ago she decided to kill him because she can't catch him. She did end up with his tail but he is now growing another tail. My wife is not afraid of him and tries to grab him bare handed. She has caught a number of them bare handed and has not gotten bit.