Reptiles · Geckos
Mourning Gecko
Lepidodactylus lugubris
Tiny, chatty, all-female gecko that lives in groupsBeginner
- Lifespan
- 8-12 years
- Size
- 8-10cm including tail
- Social needs
- Unusually social; small all-female groups thrive
- Time
- Low-Medium (daily misting, feeds)
- Cost
- Low-Medium
- Diet
- Fruit-gecko diet powder + tiny insects
Overview
What is this animal?
- The mourning gecko is a tiny tropical gecko with a remarkable trait: the species is parthenogenetic, so virtually all individuals are females that lay viable eggs without a male.
- Every animal in the hobby is effectively part of one extended clone line.
- Unlike almost every other pet reptile, mourning geckos genuinely do well in small groups, squeaking and chirping to each other after dark.
- Their size, hardiness, and social behaviour make them a superb first arboreal gecko — as long as escape-proofing is taken seriously.
Temperament
- These are watch-and-listen pets, active mostly after dark and far too small and fast for handling.
- The trade-off is genuinely engaging group behaviour: chirping, tail-waving, and squabbles over the best feeding ledge.
- A pecking order is normal in groups; provide multiple feeding stations and visual barriers so lower-ranked animals eat and rest in peace.
A good fit for
- First-time gecko keepers wanting something hands-off
- Fans of planted, bioactive display terrariums
- Keepers who want rare-for-reptiles social behaviour
- Small spaces: a nano terrarium houses a group
Common mistakes to avoid
- Escapes: hatchlings fit through ventilation gaps
- Letting the enclosure dry out for days
- Unplanned population growth from constant eggs
- Expecting a handleable pet — they are display animals
Enclosure
Minimum 900 cm² of floor (140 sq in) — for a group of 3 · 30 × 30 × 45 cm
Cannot be kept alone. The minimum is 3, and the space above is for that group.
- A planted, vertically oriented terrarium of at least 30×30×45cm suits a group of two to four; bigger is better and live plants double as cover and humidity buffers.
- Cork bark, bamboo, and broad leaves give climbing routes and egg-laying sites.
- Keep the enclosure at 24-28C with a mild ambient drop at night and humidity around 60-80%, misting daily.
- These geckos are tiny and quick, so every gap, wire pass-through, and door seam must be escape-proofed.
Supplies
Setup
- Enclosure
- Heating and thermostat
- Low-output UVB fixture and bulb
- Thermometers and hygrometer
- Substrate, hides including a humid hide, decor
Ongoing
- Complete powdered fruit-gecko diet (for cresteds, gargoyles, chahouas, mourning geckos)
- Live crickets, dubia roaches or black soldier fly larvae
- Plain calcium powder without D3
- Calcium with D3 plus a reptile multivitamin
- Feeder gut-load and a ventilated feeder tub
- Shallow ledge-mounted feeding cups
- Blunt-tipped feeding tongs
- Shallow water dish
Safe substrate: Topsoil and play sand mix for arid geckos · Coco fibre and orchid bark for tropical geckos · Paper towel
Care routine
Daily
- Check temperatures and humidity
- Fresh water bowl
- Look the animal over
- Mist the enclosure
- Spot-clean waste and uneaten food
Weekly
- Feed insects or prepared dietevery 2 days
- Check toes, tail tip and eyes after a shedevery 3 days
- Short handling session, species permittingevery 3 days
- Re-damp the humid hide
Monthly
- Weigh-inevery 2 weeks
- Deep-clean the enclosure
- Test thermostats, lamps and guards
Less often
- Refresh the substrateevery 3 months
- Replace the UVB lampevery 6 months
Vet: Annual exam and faecal check — every 12 months (every 6 months from 10 years old)
Top resources for more info
Independent creators and organisations we would send a friend to. We have no affiliation with any of them, and nothing here is sponsored. Links checked 2026-09-19.
YouTubers
Leopard GeckoLeopard and crested gecko care, setups and healthReptiles and ResearchEvidence-led husbandry: enclosure size, UVB, thermal gradients, enrichmentClint's ReptilesWhich reptile suits you, with honest care and handling verdicts
Sites
Go deeper
Diet
- A commercial fruit-gecko meal-replacement powder (the same products used for crested geckos) can form the staple, offered fresh two to three times a week in small cups.
- It covers vitamins and calcium when prepared correctly.
- Supplement with tiny live insects such as fruit flies, bean beetles, or pinhead crickets once or twice a week, dusted with calcium.
- Remove uneaten wet food before it sours in the humid enclosure.
Health
- Mourning geckos are hardy when humidity and temperature are right; problems usually trace back to dehydration, stuck sheds on toes, or calcium deficiency in heavily laying females.
- A fine misting routine and dusted insects prevent most of it.
- Expect eggs: females glue pairs of eggs to glass and plants year-round, and hatchlings are mosquito-sized escape artists.
- Plan for population growth or remove eggs, and rehome surplus responsibly.
Is your enclosure big enough?
Minimum floor area900 cm² (140 sq in) of continuous, unbroken floor
As dimensions30 x 30 x 45 cm
Height45 cm minimum. This species climbs, so height is not optional.
CompanyCannot be kept alone. The minimum is 3, and the space above is for that group.
Is this urgent?
Small geckos dehydrate and lose condition quickly, and the tail is the fuel gauge.
Go now
Tremors, weak grip, or a jaw that will not close properlyGo now. Calcium and D3 deficiency.
NowToday
Tail visibly thinning in a species that stores fat thereWeigh, then call with the trend. The fat store goes before the body condition does.
TodayStuck shed around the toes or over the eyesRaise humidity, offer a damp hide, and call if it is not clear within a day. Constricting shed rings cost toes. This is the most common avoidable injury in geckos.
TodayRefusing food with weight lossCheck the cool-end and warm-end temperatures, then call. A gecko that cannot reach its preferred temperature cannot digest.
TodayThis is general guidance for a healthy adult, not a diagnosis. An exotics vet who knows your animal always overrides it — and the time to find one is before you need one.
Can a mourning gecko eat that?
Geckos split into two diets that share almost nothing: insectivores like the leopard gecko, and the fruit-and-insect species like the crested gecko. Check which one you have.
The full list
Never (13)
AlcoholNo safe amount at any body weight on this site.
neverAvocadoPersin.
neverCaffeineCoffee, tea and energy drinks. Cardiac and neurological toxicity at tiny doses for an animal this size.
neverChocolateTheobromine and caffeine. Small mammals and reptiles cannot clear either.
neverCitrusAcidic, and it blocks calcium absorption.
neverFirefliesLucibufagins. Fatal to geckos.
neverGarlicSame allium toxicity as onion, and more concentrated by weight.
neverInsects larger than the gap between the eyesA recognised cause of impaction and neurological injury in small geckos. Size the feeder to the animal, every time.
neverLeekAllium family. Same mechanism as onion and garlic.
neverOnionOrganosulphur compounds damage red blood cells. The whole allium family is out.
neverRhubarbVery high in soluble oxalate, high enough to cause acute kidney injury. The leaves are worse than the stalks.
neverSalty or seasoned human foodSalt, oil and seasoning. Crisps, chips, seasoned leftovers and processed meat are all out.
neverWild-caught insectsPesticides and parasites.
neverRare treats (1)
WaxwormsVery fatty and habit-forming. Useful to get weight on a thin animal. One or two, rarely.
rare treatOccasional (4)
HornwormsHigh water content; useful for a dehydrated animal. One occasionally.
occasionalMashed fruitFor crested and gargoyle geckos only, and only as a supplement to a complete diet. Never for a leopard gecko. A small amount, alongside the complete diet.
occasionalMealwormsHard chitin and a poor calcium ratio. A leopard gecko fed only mealworms is a leopard gecko heading for calcium problems. A few alongside better feeders.
occasionalSuperwormsFatty. One or two.
occasionalEveryday foods (4)
Black soldier fly larvaeHigh in calcium, and readily taken. Several per feed.
everyday foodComplete crested gecko diet powderFor crested, gargoyle and chahoua geckos only, mixed with water. A complete food and the simplest way to feed those species correctly. Fresh, every other day, for fruit-eating species.
everyday foodCricketsStandard feeder. Gut-load for 24 hours before offering. Sized to the eye gap.
everyday foodDubia roachesThe best routine feeder for insectivorous geckos. Sized no wider than the space between the eyes.
everyday foodThat food is not on our list. Check which kind of gecko you have first — the two diets barely overlap — then ask an exotics vet.
Dust feeders with calcium to the schedule in the species guide, and keep a small dish of plain calcium available for insectivorous species.
What it really costs
Setup, monthly, first year and across a whole life, itemised and with the electricity worked out from the actual wattage. Published figures for the same animal disagree by a factor of four, so the calculator shows ranges rather than picking one.
Bedding and substrate
Match the substrate to the species' humidity, and never let a small gecko stand on anything it can swallow whole.
Safe
Topsoil and play sand mix for arid geckosPacks firm, holds a burrow, and is what a leopard gecko would actually stand on.
safeCoco fibre and orchid bark for tropical geckosHolds the humidity a crested or day gecko needs.
safePaper towelCorrect for quarantine, for hatchlings, and for any animal whose output you are watching.
safeWith a caveat
Sphagnum mossExcellent in a humid hide, poor as a whole-floor substrate — it stays wet.
with a caveatNever
Calcium sandSold as digestible, which is exactly why it gets eaten. Implicated in impaction.
neverCrushed walnut shellSharp and indigestible.
neverLoose play sand alone for hatchlingsToo easy to swallow at that size.
neverA humid hide is not optional for most geckos, whatever the main substrate is. Most stuck-shed problems trace back to its absence.
Compare with other animals
The same axes for every animal, side by side — the way the guides are written makes that a fair comparison rather than two articles.
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Geckos, side by side
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