Tokay Tokay Tokay!

I have always loved geckos. I think they are adorable and amazing pets. When I was looking at pictures of geckos, one gecko stuck out to me. I thought this little guy was the cutest, funniest, and most interesting of them all. Tokay geckos are actually a tad famous. They are very friendly, which makes them an ideal pet. Also, their vibrant colors of blue with orange polka-dots really catch the eye. Male and female Tokay geckos differ in this sense as, like many animals, the males are more brightly colored, while females have more deluded colors. The males also have a more swollen tails due to the existence of hemipenes (two penises). Their skin is velvety to the touch regardless of their appealingly bumpy skin. They can get to be rather large, about 14 inches from head to tail, and are the largest gecko known to man. Their limbs and body are very well defined and developed. Their feet have fine setae on them, which allows them to overhanging surfaces and move at fast speeds. A few of their defense mechanisms include changing colors, having folds of skin that prevent it from casting a shadow, and the ability to unhitch their tails from their bodies. After shedding its tail, the Tokay gecko will regenerate a new one 3 weeks post tail shed.

Natural Location of Tokay Gecko

Tokay geckos prefer a tropical rainforest habitat. They live in the trees and on cliffs from northeast India to the Indo-Australian Archipelago, but can usually be found in our very own homes. Like I said before, they are wonderful pets. They are noisier than most geckos, however. These noises are often mating calls or defense screams. Otherwise, they are very docile creatures. They are insectivores, so their typical household diet is mealworms, cockroaches (in adulthood), crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts.  Because of taste for pests, they are seen as good luck in southeast Asia.
If you wish to purchase them online, they range from $20 to $100. This can be dependent on their color, age, gender, or how slimy the sales person is. Luckily, they are not endangered, so they are easy to come by, thus the low price. I will post some links to sellers of Tokays, but I always suggest that you purchase from a local breeder. You could also attend a Reptile Expo. I happen to know that they have one in Chicago, but they are the best place to buy reptiles. They know what they're doing. For more information to look at local breeders, look at my blog, Reptile Care.

Tokay gecko hatchling

Scientific Name: Gekko Gecko

Links: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Tokaygecko.cfm
http://www.backwaterreptiles.com/geckos/tokay-gecko-for-sale.html
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-Events-Calendar/