Mourning Gecko

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A mourning gecko is a lizard that never needs a mate to start a colony. Almost every wild and captive mourning gecko is female. Every egg she lays is a clone of herself.

That single fact explains almost everything else about this small, quiet member of the gecko family. It has spread across more of the world than any other gecko species. A single animal from a pet store can quietly end up with dozens of descendants within a year.

The species is Lepidodactylus lugubris, sometimes typed as lugubris gecko or, less accurately, morning gecko. Spanish speaking keepers often call it gecko de luto or gecko enlutado. Both names point to the same dusky, cryptic coloring that gave the mourning gecko its name, explored further in our mourning gecko species guide.

The Latin species name lugubris means dull, dusky, or mournful. It is a nod to the gecko’s plain tan and gray tones, not to anything sad about the animal itself.

Parthenogenesis, reproduction without fertilization, is genuinely rare among vertebrate animals. The mourning gecko is one of only a small number of thoroughly documented lizard species where it happens naturally. That rarity is a large part of why the species draws scientific attention as well as keeper interest.

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Mourning Gecko Care Overview

A mourning gecko has granular, dusky tan to gray skin. It often shows darker spots and faint brown markings across the face.

Like many nocturnal geckos, it has vertical pupils rather than the round pupils of daytime lizards. Its toes are webbed and lined with adhesive pads, which is what lets it walk straight up glass.

Mourning gecko care comes down to three things: warmth, humidity, and vertical climbing space. This is a small, tropical, nocturnal gecko from coastal forest habitat around the Indian and Pacific Ocean tropics. Its care mirrors that origin.

It does not need the dry heat of a desert setup. It does not need the intense basking spot that a bearded dragon or day gecko needs. A warm, humid, planted terrarium suits it far better.

Most keepers describe the species as low maintenance once the enclosure is dialed in. It rarely bites and does not need handling to thrive. It eats a simple diet that does not depend on constant live prey.

Because a single mourning gecko can start laying eggs on her own, the biggest care mistake is not neglect. It is overcrowding.

A tank that starts with one gecko can hold a small colony within a year. Plan for that early.

Enclosure Setup

Mourning geckos are arboreal. In the wild they live on tree bark, palm fronds, and leaf litter, and increasingly on buildings. Adhesive toe pads let them grip smooth surfaces and glass with ease.

This adaptability to human structures, combined with clonal reproduction, explains the wide spread along coastlines and through the plant trade. A gecko or a clutch of eggs hidden in a shipment of nursery plants can found a new population far from home. That is exactly how the species reached Hawaii, parts of the Americas, and many Pacific islands outside its original range.

An enclosure should offer height, not floor space. A vertically oriented terrarium with branches, cork bark, and dense plants suits it well.

It gives the gecko places to hide, bask in shade, and lay eggs out of sight. Our reptile housing guide covers how to size and plan a terrarium like this.

A single adult or a small group can live in a modestly sized bioactive terrarium. A substrate that holds some moisture works well, such as a coconut fiber and soil mix. Top it with leaf litter.

Leaf litter and bark crevices matter more than they might seem. Females glue their hard shelled eggs into hidden spots rather than burying them. A bare enclosure makes clutches easy to spot, but also easy to remove if more geckos are not wanted.

Ventilation matters alongside humidity. A screen top or mesh panel keeps air moving, so a damp substrate does not turn stagnant.

Heating and Lighting

Mourning geckos come from warm, humid, tropical latitudes. The enclosure should sit in a warm room temperature range, not a hot desert one.

A daytime gradient in roughly the mid 70s to low 80s Fahrenheit matches its coastal forest home, as detailed in our mourning gecko heating and lighting guide. Nights should drop slightly cooler.

Because it is small and nocturnal, it does not need an intense basking bulb. Low level UVB is still commonly offered for overall health, since even nocturnal geckos get some benefit from mild ultraviolet exposure.

A low output UVB tube across part of the enclosure is the standard approach. Pair it with a thermometer and a hygrometer, both covered in our reptile gear guide. Guessing at temperature and humidity is a common beginner mistake.

Humidity is the setting that matters most day to day. Daily misting, paired with cross ventilation, keeps humidity high enough for healthy shedding without leaving the enclosure waterlogged.

What Mourning Geckos Eat

In the wild, mourning geckos eat a genuinely mixed diet. They take small insects, spiders, amphipods, and pill bugs. They also eat nectar, pollen, and soft fruit, and have been documented eating eggs, including their own species’ eggs.

That omnivorous, partly nectar feeding diet is unusual among small geckos. It shapes how the species is fed in captivity.

Most captive mourning geckos are raised mainly on a commercial powdered gecko diet, such as Repashy Crested Gecko Diet (Complete/Original). It is the same style of meal replacement food widely used for crested geckos. Mixed with water into a paste, it covers protein, fruit sugars, and vitamins without live prey being strictly necessary.

Small feeder insects such as fruit flies, pinhead crickets, or springtails are commonly offered too. Size them to the gecko’s tiny mouth. Any live insects should be dusted with a calcium supplement.

A shallow water dish or regular misting should always be available. This gecko readily drinks water droplets off leaves and glass. See our feeding guide for more on gut loading and dusting schedules.

Health and Common Problems

Metabolic bone disease is one of the most consistently documented husbandry related conditions across reptiles. It is driven by too little calcium or vitamin D3 relative to a gecko’s needs. Small geckos raised without calcium or any UVB are at real risk.

Dusting feeder insects and adding a calcium and vitamin powder to the gecko diet paste is a simple, standard precaution.

Shedding problems are the other common issue for this species, and they trace straight back to humidity. A gecko kept too dry can retain shed skin around the toes and tail tip. Left alone, retained shed can eventually restrict blood flow.

Respiratory infections can appear in an enclosure that stays too cold or too wet without enough airflow. Signs include lethargy, gaping, or mucus around the nostrils.

A gecko that stops eating, loses weight, or breathes with effort is a reasonable case for a reptile experienced veterinarian. Our reptile health guide covers warning signs across species in more depth.

Behavior and Temperament

Mourning geckos are nocturnal. They spend the day tucked into bark crevices, leaf litter, or foliage, and become active after dark. They are occasionally seen out in daylight near cover.

They can noticeably lighten or darken their skin tone over the course of a day. This is a trait shared with several other nocturnal gecko species.

What sets the species apart is tolerance for its own clones. Because every individual in a colony is genetically identical, keepers commonly report far less territorial aggression than is typical among geckos. That tolerance is part of why the species suits small group housing in one planted terrarium.

That tolerance is not absolute. Overcrowding or too few hiding spots can still cause stress and competition over food. Colony size should be watched, not assumed to regulate itself.

Mourning geckos are not a handling focused pet. They are fast, small, and easily stressed by frequent handling. Their skin and tail can be damaged by rough contact, so most keepers treat them as a display animal to watch rather than hold.

Breeding and Parthenogenesis

This is the section that makes the mourning gecko genuinely unusual among pet lizards. The species is a complex of parthenogenetic, all female lineages that arose from hybridization between related gecko populations. A female mourning gecko does not need to mate to produce fertile eggs.

Her eggs are essentially clones of herself. They form through a process where the chromosomes duplicate before egg formation. That is different from sexual reproduction, where chromosomes are halved instead.

Males do exist in this species complex, but they are extremely rare. They are generally considered non functional. For almost every practical purpose, keeping mourning geckos means keeping only females.

Natural parthenogenesis in this species was documented in the Journal of Genetics as early as 1972. Researchers found only four animals with male characteristics among 673 examined. Later work showed that the chromosomes double before meiosis, which is why each egg carries a full copy of the mother’s genome.

A female typically glues one or two hard shelled eggs to a hidden surface. Bark, a leaf, or a corner of the enclosure all work.

She repeats this roughly every few weeks through the warm season. Across a year, she can produce well over a dozen eggs.

The eggs need no incubator. Left in a stable, warm, humid enclosure, they hatch on their own in a matter of weeks.

This ease of reproduction is exactly why the species has ridden the plant trade and shipping containers around the world, well beyond its native range. Wild populations now exist far outside the Indo Pacific, from Hawaii to parts of Mexico, Central America, and Brazil. Keepers who do not want a growing colony should be ready to remove eggs or separate geckos.

Lifespan and Size

Mourning geckos are one of the smaller geckos commonly kept as pets. Adults typically reach a snout to vent length of roughly 3.5 to 7 centimeters. Total length including the tail is commonly cited around 7.5 to 10 centimeters, about 3 to 4 inches.

Hatchlings are tiny, only a couple of centimeters long, and they grow quickly on a good diet.

Captive lifespan is not documented with the same precision as size. Small parthenogenetic geckos of this type are commonly reported by keepers to live several years under good care, with some individuals reaching into their teens. Consistent husbandry, especially calcium intake and stable humidity, does more for lifespan than any single factor.

Cost of a Mourning Gecko

Mourning geckos are among the least expensive pet geckos to buy. That reflects how easily they reproduce in captivity.

A single animal from a reptile specialty store or expo is typically inexpensive. Species that need a male and female pair to breed often cost more.

The larger cost is usually the enclosure, not the animal. A tall, well planted, bioactive terrarium adds up faster than the gecko itself.

Live plants and humidity holding substrate add to that cost. So do a low output UVB fixture, such as the Arcadia ProT5 Kit Forest 6%, and a misting routine.

Ongoing costs stay modest. The diet is mostly a powdered gecko food plus occasional small feeder insects, not a steady supply of large live prey.

Anyone weighing a mourning gecko against other small geckos can compare options in our guide to choosing a pet lizard. Two reasonable points of comparison are the gargoyle gecko and the gold dust day gecko.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a mourning gecko?

A mourning gecko is a small, nocturnal gecko, scientific name Lepidodactylus lugubris. It is native to coastal tropical Asia and the Pacific islands. It is unusual because every individual is female and reproduces by cloning herself.

Do mourning geckos need a male to lay eggs?

No. Mourning geckos reproduce through parthenogenesis, so females produce fertile eggs on their own. A single gecko bought alone can still start laying eggs within months.

Can you keep mourning geckos together?

Yes, small groups are commonly kept in one planted terrarium, since the geckos are genetically identical clones and generally tolerate each other well. Overcrowding and limited hiding spots can still cause stress, so group size should be watched.

How big do mourning geckos get?

Adults reach roughly 7.5 to 10 centimeters, about 3 to 4 inches, including the tail. That makes them one of the smaller commonly kept gecko species.

What do mourning geckos eat in captivity?

Most keepers rely on a commercial powdered gecko diet mixed into a paste. They supplement it with small feeder insects such as fruit flies or pinhead crickets dusted with calcium.

Are mourning geckos good for beginners?

They suit beginners who want a low maintenance, low handling display animal. Keepers should be prepared for the enclosure to hold more geckos than they started with, since breeding happens without any intervention.