At 10:45 PM 12/31/2001 -0800, you wrote:
>CONGRATS!!! Do they mellow out if they are domesticated? Burke
Hey Burke,
I just want to make this clear so no one is confused. It takes a lot of
selective breeding to create an animal that is truly domesticated. The only
animals I can think of that are truly domesticated are sheep, cattle,
goats, dogs, ferrets, cats, pigs, and chickens. Rabbits and maybe some
rodents, and some quail species (Coturnix) could possibly be considered
domestic also.
Most if not all of the exotic animals we keep as pets, are not considered
domestic. These animals may have been captive bred for many years, but they
are still considered non domesticated. They can be quite tame, but they
will still react like wild animals in certain situations. This is why many
animals like big cats, bears, wolves (inc. wolf x dog), and even parrots
can be so dangerous.
Now to answer your question. ;> I will say that with a bit of work, even
wild caught Tokay geckos can tame down. I think they really have a bad
reputation that I do not feel they deserve. When an animal is scared, it
bites. A Tokay is no different, it just has the advantage in that when it
bites it really hurts. Right now I have 2 trios of wild caught Tokays. I do
not feel that any of my animals are aggressive. In fact some of them would
prefer to run and hide rather than have a conflict with me. If I go slow
with these animals I can service the cage and not have to move the animals.
I can even touch some of these animals without them opening their mouths at
me.
I also do have a baby that I have kept and am working with. So far it
seems to be calming down. Just like some other reptile babies, it was a bit
nippy at first. It is still a bit shy about being handled, but it now does
not bite anymore. It will still open its mouth if it becomes scared, but
this animal has not been worked with on a steady basis. I need to be better
about working with it. It could be the new poster child for Tokays
everywhere. :>
Catriona
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