Mourning Gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris) Care Sheet
The Mourning Gecko is a tiny, primarily nocturnal gecko with one of the most unusual reproductive strategies found among commonly kept reptiles.
Most populations consist almost entirely of females and reproduce through parthenogenesis, meaning females can produce viable offspring without mating with a male. This makes Mourning Geckos fascinating animals to observe but also means a small group can rapidly become a much larger colony.
Their small size should not be mistaken for simplicity. Mourning Geckos are exceptionally quick, excellent climbers and capable of escaping through extremely small openings. Successful husbandry requires a secure, vertically orientated enclosure with appropriate warmth, humidity, UVB, live food and abundant vegetation.
Quick Facts
Scientific name: Lepidodactylus lugubris
Common name: Mourning Gecko
Family: Gekkonidae
Distribution: Widespread across tropical regions of the Pacific, Asia and beyond
Adult size: Approximately 8–10 cm (3–4 in) total length
Lifespan: Approximately 8–10+ years with appropriate care
Activity: Primarily nocturnal/crepuscular
Lifestyle: Arboreal
Diet: Omnivorous
Temperament: Extremely quick and generally unsuitable for routine handling
Experience level: Beginner to intermediate
Natural History
Mourning Geckos have an exceptionally broad tropical distribution.
They occur naturally or as introduced populations across numerous islands and coastal regions and are highly adaptable.
They can inhabit:
- Tropical forest
- Coastal vegetation
- Rocky areas
- Human settlements
- Buildings
- Gardens
- Plantations
They are primarily arboreal and spend much of their time climbing vegetation, bark, rock and artificial structures.
During the evening and night they emerge to forage for insects, nectar, fruit and other foods.
Their adaptability has contributed to their success across an unusually wide geographical range.
Parthenogenesis
One of the defining characteristics of Mourning Geckos is their ability to reproduce through parthenogenesis.
Most captive animals are female.
A female can produce viable eggs without mating with a male, and her daughters can subsequently reproduce in the same way.
This means:
A single female can potentially establish an entire colony.
Different parthenogenetic lineages or clones occur within the species.
Rare males have been documented, but males are not required for routine reproduction.
Prospective keepers must consider this before acquiring Mourning Geckos because population growth can be extremely rapid.
Enclosure
Mourning Geckos are small but highly active arboreal animals.
A vertically orientated enclosure is recommended.
For a small group, approximately:
45 × 45 × 60 cm (18 × 18 × 24 in)
provides a useful starting point, with larger accommodation strongly encouraged for expanding colonies.
Usable space is particularly important because a well-designed enclosure should provide a complex network of surfaces at different heights.
Include:
- Cork bark
- Thin branches
- Bamboo
- Vines
- Live plants
- Artificial foliage
- Narrow hiding places
- Elevated feeding ledges
Dense planting provides security and greatly increases usable surface area.
Escape Prevention
Enclosure security is critical.
Adult Mourning Geckos can squeeze through surprisingly small openings, and hatchlings are extraordinarily tiny.
Check carefully around:
- Doors
- Hinges
- Cable openings
- Ventilation
- Mesh
- Backgrounds
- Sliding-door gaps
Any gap large enough for a hatchling’s head may allow an escape.
Enclosures designed for larger reptiles may contain ventilation or cable openings that are unsuitable for Mourning Geckos.
Care should also be taken whenever the enclosure is opened because individuals can move extremely quickly.
Group Housing
Unlike many gecko species, Mourning Geckos can often be maintained successfully in groups.
However, communal housing does not guarantee complete harmony.
Individuals can establish dominance relationships and may compete over:
- Food
- Preferred resting sites
- Egg-laying locations
- Warm areas
Provide numerous feeding locations, hiding places and visual barriers.
Monitor for:
- Persistent chasing
- Bite injuries
- Weight loss
- Animals being excluded from feeding
- Tail damage
Population density must also be controlled.
An enclosure suitable for a few adults can become overcrowded surprisingly quickly once offspring begin appearing.
Temperature & Heating
Mourning Geckos prefer warm tropical conditions.
Suitable temperatures are approximately:
Daytime ambient: 23–27°C
Warm/basking area: approximately 28–30°C
Night: approximately 20–23°C
A temperature gradient should be available rather than heating the entire enclosure uniformly.
Depending upon room temperature, additional heating may not always be required.
Where heat is necessary, gentle overhead heating is preferred.
All heat sources must be controlled by an appropriate thermostat.
Internally mounted heat sources must be safely guarded.
Temperatures should be monitored with reliable digital thermometers.
Lighting & UVB
Provide approximately:
10–12 hours of light per day
to maintain a consistent day/night cycle.
Although Mourning Geckos are primarily nocturnal, providing low-level UVB is recommended.
A suitable target is approximately:
UVI 0.5–1.0 in accessible exposed areas
with foliage and hides creating areas where UV exposure approaches zero.
This allows the geckos to regulate their exposure naturally.
Because Mourning Geckos reproduce frequently and require substantial calcium for egg production, access to UVB can be particularly beneficial.
UV intensity depends upon:
- Lamp strength
- Reflector
- Mesh
- Distance
- Plant cover
Follow manufacturer recommendations and ideally verify exposure using an appropriate UV meter.
The enclosure should be dark at night.
Humidity
Mourning Geckos require moderate to high humidity with a daily humidity cycle.
A useful general range is approximately:
60–80% relative humidity
with temporary increases following misting and some drying between misting periods.
Humidity should not remain at maximum levels continuously.
A typical routine involves misting in the evening, allowing droplets to form on:
- Leaves
- Glass
- Branches
- Cork bark
The enclosure should then gradually dry.
Good ventilation is essential.
Constantly wet, stagnant conditions encourage bacterial and fungal growth.
Water
Mourning Geckos commonly drink water droplets from enclosure surfaces.
Regular misting therefore contributes significantly to hydration.
However, a small clean water dish should also be available.
The dish should be shallow and positioned so that tiny hatchlings cannot become trapped.
Water should be changed regularly and immediately whenever contaminated.
Only appropriately treated water should be used where tap-water quality makes treatment necessary.
Substrate
Suitable substrates include:
- Reptile-safe tropical soil
- Coconut fibre
- Orchid bark mixtures
- Bioactive tropical substrate
- Soil/bark combinations
Leaf litter can provide additional ground cover.
Good drainage is important because the enclosure should not remain permanently waterlogged.
A drainage layer can be particularly useful in heavily planted bioactive setups.
Avoid:
- Cedar
- Pine
- Calcium sand
- Artificial fertilisers
- Pesticide-treated soil
Paper towel can be useful during quarantine, although naturalistic substrates are preferable for established display colonies.
Bioactive Husbandry
Mourning Geckos are particularly well suited to bioactive vivariums.
Suitable clean-up crew organisms can include:
- Springtails
- Small tropical isopods
Live plants help provide:
- Cover
- Climbing surfaces
- Humidity regulation
- Egg-laying sites
- Visual barriers
A bioactive enclosure still requires regular maintenance.
Keepers must continue to monitor:
- Waste
- Population density
- Water
- Humidity
- Temperature
- Plant condition
- Animal health
Bioactive does not mean maintenance-free.
Diet
Mourning Geckos are omnivorous.
Their diet should include both suitable prepared fruit-based gecko food and live invertebrates.
A nutritionally complete commercial diet formulated for Crested Geckos and similar omnivorous geckos can form an important component of the captive diet.
Offer prepared food in very small elevated feeding containers.
Live foods can include:
- Flightless fruit flies
- Pinhead crickets
- Small roach nymphs
- Bean weevils
- Small black soldier fly larvae
- Other appropriately sized captive-produced insects
Prey must be extremely small, particularly for juveniles.
Feeding Frequency
Prepared gecko diet can generally be offered several times per week.
Live insects should also be offered regularly.
Juveniles and reproductive females require particularly reliable access to nutrition.
Because several animals may share an enclosure, provide multiple feeding locations.
This reduces competition and helps subordinate animals obtain sufficient food.
Prepared food should be removed and replaced before it spoils.
Calcium & Supplementation
Calcium provision is extremely important because females can produce eggs repeatedly.
Live feeder insects should be appropriately gut-loaded and lightly dusted with calcium.
Supplementation requirements depend upon:
- Prepared diet
- UVB exposure
- Age
- Reproductive activity
A suitable multivitamin can also be incorporated into the feeding programme.
A small dish containing plain calcium may sometimes be provided for reproductive females, although it should complement rather than replace a balanced diet and correct UVB provision.
Do not routinely add extra supplements directly to a nutritionally complete commercial gecko diet unless recommended by its manufacturer.
Handling
Mourning Geckos are display animals rather than handling pets.
They are:
- Tiny
- Extremely fast
- Delicate
- Excellent climbers
- Capable of jumping
Routine handling creates unnecessary escape and injury risks.
If an individual must be moved, guiding it into a small container is often safer than attempting to catch it by hand.
Never grab a gecko by the tail.
Like many geckos, Mourning Geckos can drop their tails as a defensive response.
Shedding
Healthy Mourning Geckos normally shed without assistance and commonly consume the shed skin.
Problems are most likely around:
- Toes
- Tail
- Limbs
Repeated retained shed can indicate:
- Inadequate hydration
- Incorrect humidity
- Nutritional problems
- Illness
Appropriate humidity cycles and access to textured surfaces usually support normal shedding.
Egg Laying
Females typically produce two small eggs at a time, although single eggs can occur.
Eggs are hard-shelled and are commonly glued firmly to surfaces such as:
- Cork bark
- Bamboo
- Glass
- Plants
- Enclosure decoration
Once attached, eggs should generally not be forcibly removed, as attempting to detach them can easily break them.
Where eggs are laid in a safe location, they can often remain in place until hatching.
Controlling Reproduction
Population management is one of the most important aspects of Mourning Gecko husbandry.
A colony can expand rapidly because:
- Mating is unnecessary
- Females reproduce repeatedly
- Female offspring can themselves reproduce
Keepers should have a population plan before establishing a colony.
Eggs can sometimes be managed by providing removable laying sites such as small tubes or pieces of cork.
Where population control is required, eggs can be removed or humanely rendered non-viable before development progresses.
Allowing every egg to hatch indefinitely will eventually result in overcrowding.
Hatchlings
Hatchling Mourning Geckos are extremely small.
They require:
- Escape-proof accommodation
- Very small live food
- Appropriate humidity
- Low-level UVB
- Numerous hiding places
- Tiny droplets of drinking water
- Appropriate prepared gecko food
Hatchlings can sometimes remain within established colonies where enclosure size and population dynamics permit, but adults may compete with or occasionally injure smaller animals.
Separating hatchlings provides much greater control over feeding and monitoring.
Extreme care is required when opening juvenile enclosures.
Health
Potential health concerns include:
- Calcium deficiency
- Metabolic bone disease
- Egg-binding
- Retained shed
- Dehydration
- Parasites
- Injury from other geckos
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Obesity
Warning signs include:
- Weakness
- Tremors
- Abnormal jaw shape
- Difficulty climbing
- Persistent retained shed
- Significant weight loss
- Swelling
- Abnormal posture
- Repeated unsuccessful egg laying
- Persistent lethargy
Because Mourning Geckos are so small, deterioration can occur rapidly and changes in body condition can be difficult to recognise.
A suitably experienced reptile/exotic veterinarian should assess animals showing significant or persistent symptoms.
Quarantine
New Mourning Geckos should be quarantined before introduction to an established colony.
Quarantine allows monitoring for:
- Parasites
- Feeding problems
- Abnormal faeces
- Skin conditions
- Poor body condition
- Other illness
Equipment should be kept separate where practical.
Introducing an apparently healthy animal directly into an established bioactive colony can make subsequent disease treatment considerably more difficult.
Responsible Ownership
Mourning Geckos are unusual because responsible ownership involves managing not only individual animals but potentially a rapidly expanding population.
Before acquiring them, consider:
- Where offspring will be housed
- How population growth will be controlled
- Availability of appropriately tiny live food
- Escape-proof enclosure requirements
- Long-term colony management
Never deliberately release unwanted Mourning Geckos into the wild.
Their ability to reproduce without mating makes release particularly environmentally irresponsible because even a single animal could potentially establish a population in a suitable climate.
Captive animals, eggs, substrate and enclosure contents should be disposed of responsibly.
Summary
The Mourning Gecko is a fascinating miniature gecko whose parthenogenetic reproduction and active social behaviour make it an exceptional display species.
Successful husbandry depends upon providing a highly secure vertical enclosure, abundant vegetation and climbing surfaces, moderate tropical temperatures, a daily humidity cycle, low-level UVB and a varied omnivorous diet with careful calcium provision.
Their ability to reproduce without males means population management is an essential part of their care.
When maintained in a well-planted enclosure with appropriate environmental conditions, Lepidodactylus lugubris can form an active and fascinating captive colony.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
This care sheet provides general husbandry guidance and does not replace species-specific research or veterinary advice. Individual requirements may vary.
If you have concerns about an animal’s health or care, consult a suitably experienced exotic or reptile veterinarian.
Information correct at the date of publication.
reptilecommunity.com | Revised: August 2026