Buying Tokay Gecko

If you are thinking of buying a Tokay gecko there are a few things to consider. Tokay Gecko are often sold as either wild caught (WC) or captive born/bred (CB). Wild caught animals are exactly that, caught straight from the wild, and imported. They are quite often underweight, stressed and riddled with parasites but are generally very cheap to buy. Wild caught animals will need fecal tests for parasites and can have difficulty adjusting to living in captivity, sometimes refusing to feed. Although cheap to buy initially you should be prepared to pay for fecal tests and any treatments they may require as a result, some wild caught animals simply do not adjust to captivity and don’t survive, however many wild caught Tokays do make great improvement and can make excellent pets when given the proper care.




The signs a tokay gecko might be wild caught are underweight and skinny animals, dark skin color, noticeable ticks or mites on the skin and sunken eyes. These animals can make a recovery and become happy and healthy geckos but will take time and proper care to do so. The alternative is to buy a captive born/bred animal from a breeder. This will rule out nearly all the problems of a WC animal but you will likely have to pay a higher price. Buying from a good breeder also gives you a valuable source of information and advice and does not encourage the capture of further wild animals for the pet trade, unfortunately CB Tokays are not as readily available as WC animals but are becoming more and more common. 

Once you have bought your Tokay you should give them at least 24 hours alone in their new home without disturbance so that they can adjust to their new surroundings. Provide fresh water either by spraying or with a water dish. Many people say that geckos don’t drink from bowls but some have been known to venture down and drink from them.