tokay gecko

[kenya]

Allowing an invasive species to be released into the wild is inexcusable. Its this sort of thing that leads authorities to want to ban exotic animals.

I agree. The Tokay should be caught. Please don't kill it if at all possible, but it can't remain there and if the only way to prevent it from escaping is to destroy it, so be it. You could probably use a live trap for small animals and bait it with food and put it near the gecko. Try to prod him out and as soon as he moves, fill in any gaps with Great Stuff so he can't go back (try not to let him touch it). You may have luck wrangling him into a box or into the trap.

Tokays already have feral populations in Florida and are very aggressive in terms of guarding territory and food. He WILL eventually find a mate- they are more common than you think and will do a lot of damage to the sensitive ecosystems in Florida (which honestly have enough problems as it is). I understand the compassion some of you have behind protecting the gecko, but you have to understand how much damage "one little Tokay" could actually do to a Florida ecosystem. It is very irresponsible to leave him there.

Be careful, they have an amazingly vicious bite.

If you do catch him, I would be very interested in having him- I currently have 5 very nice CBB Tokays of my own and I adore them.

Good luck!

Edit: I missed a page!

Elisa has a good point- contact a local gecko keeper or herp club- they are pretty awesome at catching lizards, you know Someone might even have some adults they can bring securely caged to call out the rogue. You will find him easier this way. You could try a recording as well and he will probably call back.

 

[Chamgirl]

I agree. The Tokay should be caught. Please don't kill it if at all possible, but it can't remain there and if the only way to prevent it from escaping is to destroy it, so be it. You could probably use a live trap for small animals and bait it with food and put it near the gecko. Try to prod him out and as soon as he moves, fill in any gaps with Great Stuff so he can't go back (try not to let him touch it). You may have luck wrangling him into a box or into the trap.

Tokays already have feral populations in Florida and are very aggressive in terms of guarding territory and food. He WILL eventually find a mate- they are more common than you think and will do a lot of damage to the sensitive ecosystems in Florida (which honestly have enough problems as it is). I understand the compassion some of you have behind protecting the gecko, but you have to understand how much damage "one little Tokay" could actually do to a Florida ecosystem. It is very irresponsible to leave him there.

Be careful, they have an amazingly vicious bite.

If you do catch him, I would be very interested in having him- I currently have 5 very nice CBB Tokays of my own and I adore them.
Good luck!

Edit: I missed a page!

Elisa has a good point- contact a local gecko keeper or herp club- they are pretty awesome at catching lizards, you know Someone might even have some adults they can bring securely caged to call out the rogue. You will find him easier this way. You could try a recording as well and he will probably call back.

There we are, no excuse to kill the Tokay as we have someone keen to take him that lives in America.

 

[kenya]

There we are, no excuse to kill the Tokay as we have someone keen to take him that lives in America.

IF they can catch him. It is no light task. If he can't be caught, it is harsh, but he should be destroyed for the sake of the everglades.

...but yes, do want! I love my Tokays. You would do way better finding a local keeper though.

 

[Syn]

I also want, but Kenya is far better suited for such an animal.

I really hope there is a happy ending for the little one.

 

[jojackson]

It'll probly be killed by an irresponsible persons free roaming cat or dog before it starts 'eating all the insects in the everglades' and switches to children.

 

[Syn]

It'll probly be killed by an irresponsible persons free roaming cat or dog before it starts 'eating all the insects in the everglades' and switches to children.

I don't know.. I think the Tokay will have to breed with another Tokay before it can be eaten.. provided it will only lay TWO eggs, and the eggs will take 90+ days to hatch! The cats and dogs will probably have an omelet as well. If the cats and dogs don't get to it, the wild veileds will!

 

[kenya]

I don't know.. I think the Tokay will have to breed with another Tokay before it can be eaten.. provided it will only lay TWO eggs, and the eggs will take 90+ days to hatch! The cats and dogs will probably have an omelet as well. If the cats and dogs don't get to it, the wild veileds will!

Neither the cats, dogs, nor rogue veileds would get those eggs, much less find them, even.

Guys, invasive species are a huge deal in so many ways. The fact that there are irresponsible people out there who let their former pets just go (or if they escaped and weren't found which happens, but really shouldn't have a chance to if you are being totally responsible and taking necessary precaution against it) is one of the main reasons people lobby against herps being captive at all, much less pets in an average person's hands. You absolutely are responsible for that animal for the rest of its life- this includes making sure it doesn't have the opportunity to escape and establish itself in an ecosystem it isn't native to.

A whole 'nother can of worms, but besides humans, domestic cats are the most damaging introduced species there is, and I don't even mean feral ones. When I get cats again, they will be indoor only and have leashed time outside, but being the amazing predators they are, I would never inflict them on the native fauna of an area. Some species of birds are really getting hit hard simply because cats are good at catching birds and never bother to check if what they are about to eat is an endangered native species or not (the nerve!)

I guess what I am trying to say is, scoff at the idea as much as you want, but prevention is the best medicine and native species, especially in rich ecosystems like the Florida everglades, deserve as much protection as possible.

 

[Chamgirl]

I totally agree no-one should let their unwanted animals loose. In England years ago there was a trend to buy red-eared terrapins (sliders to you) and when they were no longer small and cute, many people let them go in rivers. I can judge these people because I myself own a red-eared slider and have done so for approx 28 years. Cleaning him out is the bane of my life but I believe an animal is for life regardless of the time involved or expense incurred. I have taken in two rescues (a chameleon and a leopard gecko). I have been keeping lizards for 10 years and would never dream of selling one and if one escaped then I wouldn't be able to sleep at night for worry.
Primarily though I am an animal lover and cannot comprehend how anyone can kill a healthy lizard. I 100% believe that if the Tokay can't be caught alive then simple, don't catch it. It is already living in the wild, its done, so be it.

 

[jojackson]

because cats are good at catching birds and never bother to check if what they are about to eat is an endangered native species or not (the nerve!)

ROFL, every cat should carry Bill Oddie's 'Birders Bible'!

No Mistake Kenya, I agree with the princple, and I agree people have a lifetime responsibility to the animal and the enviroment, no question.
I just think an effort on the scale of one individual to be wasted, If you care about the enviroment that much, Then go out and educate people about conservation,
especially if you are fond of reptiles and want to be able to keep them in the future.
You beat that last big bill, but more, rewritten, will come.

Destroy one wild tokay and you make a small difference today, educate one pet owner and you make a big difference tomorrow!

 

[kenya]

ROFL, every cat should carry Bill Oddie's 'Birders Bible'!

No Mistake Kenya, I agree with the princple, and I agree people have a lifetime responsibility to the animal and the enviroment, no question.
I just think an effort on the scale of one individual to be wasted, If you care about the enviroment that much, Then go out and educate people about conservation,
especially if you are fond of reptiles and want to be able to keep them in the future.
You beat that last big bill, but more, rewritten, will come.

Destroy one wild tokay and you make a small difference today, educate one pet owner and you make a big difference tomorrow!

Oh I know! I do make quite an effort to educate people and I often do presentations with my various animals at local universities. Mostly I talk about the pet trade and WC animals along with invasive species. This is usually to environmental sciences glass and conservation biology. I would like to think that I make a difference.

Edit: It occurred to me that if we had every cat OWNER keep a copy of the Birder's Bible on hand and actually use it, we would have a lot more indoor cats and less danger for bird species already in danger from people being in their territory. It would be a good thing. Besides, birding is super fun and you can easily do it in your own backyard! We have a very nice feeder in front of our kitchen window and we have seen an amazing number of birds over the years that you wouldn't expect.

 

[jojackson]

Yep, some nice birds here too on occasion, but like anything else, many are invading pest. Indian minors for instance. Nobody catches them though, or kills them. They have more enviromentally destructive potential than the gecko.
No only do they kill the chicks of native birds and take over nest, they compete for food,
they spread the seeds/spores of invasive flora too.
A tokay has less chance of survival and reproduction than something that can fly, or in the case of cats, roam anywhere unchecked.
I just feel that whilst ever non-native predators considered pets (cats/dogs/birds) and non native but just as damaging species that happen to be convenient to us (all domestic food/farm species) are permitted to continue to breed unchecked all over the world, not to mention the importation/exportation of non-native flora, and fish/marine species, we will not control their spread, halt the damage or reverse it.
In many cases, many countrys, nature has taken control and adapted, yet we still continue to beleive our meddling will fix it.
We cull, burn, poison, bulldoze at will, always with our own selfish agenda formost (human habitation/commercial zoning/urban spread/roads/industry) . Why cant we leave the hell alone?

To clarify, When a species is introduced where it dosent belong (dosent matter how), if it gets a foothold, it adapts! Thats what nature does best! Uncountable 'exotic' species in many countrys have now found a niche to exploit and become an intricate part of the local food chain.
Local species have also adapted and the invaders in many cases, are now crucial to the future survival of the natives, both for food and because they predate on the natives predators.
Wherever you impact an ecosystem, wherever you effect the food chain, it reverberates everywhere in ways you cant imagine. Feral behavious create homes for predators, they prey on the natives predators, then their prey increase in number, and they inturn, effect negatively the numbers of their own prey. Remove a feral and you stir the pot all over again. (*Ripples)
Scientist think they smart enough to put things right, but it was they, who were smart enough to *** it all up to begin with!
The more we meddle, the worse it gets.
The road into hell is paved with good intentions!
Nature balances itself out perfectly well without our help, the difference is, she dosent insist this species lives here or there. The desire for order and perfection, and 'how things should be' , is totally ours. Nature is like water in a bucket, if you drop a pebble in, you get ripples, but sooner or later, the ripples die down and the surface is calm again.
Species come and species go, but none has had the impact we do. It was only when we began adapting the enviroment, rather than adapting to, that we came unglued.
Time Humanity took its hands off!

 

[Chamgirl]

Your knowledge never fails to amaze me JoJackson! I totally agree with your last post.

 

[jojackson]

Thankyou Chamgirl. I have alot of time on my hands to study the world around me and learn insights that I am happy to pass on to others. (not to mention 30 years of Sir David Attenborough! ) A new perspective is always enlightening.

 

[kenya]

JoJackson, I pretty much totally agree with your last big post. I still think that it is important to catch or destroy that gecko, though, because they are very adaptive animals and ARE able to reproduce in Florida. Less invasive species= better for natives and the ecosystems they inhabit.

 

[jojackson]

Absolutely! If we can minimise our influence on the enviroment by prevention, this is always a better option than having to deal with it later.
The preventive efforts of individuals do add up.
Catch is better than destroy, responsible prevention is better still.