How long do Mourning Geckos live?
Mourning geckos live 10-15 years and stay small at 3-4 inches (7-10 cm), roughly 3-5 grams as adults. Females lay pairs of eggs every 4-6 weeks throughout the year.
What do Mourning Geckos eat?
Feed tiny prey: flightless fruit flies ( Drosophila ), pinhead crickets, and springtails, plus a dab of crested-gecko diet (CGD) or fruit-based gecko powder. Dust prey with calcium; a light D3 multivitamin every couple of weeks. They will not take large insects — prey must be smaller than their head. Avoid wild-caught insects and any vertebrate food.
Mourning Gecko enclosure setup
A small vertical terrarium (12x12x18 inches / 30x30x45 cm) houses a small colony of 3-5. Keep 72-80°F (22-27°C) with a gentle basking spot around 82°F (28°C), and humidity 60-80% via daily misting with a dry period between. A low 5% T5 UVB or LED is beneficial. Provide cork bark, leaves and tiny hides; a secure lid is mandatory because they are escape artists through any gap.
Common mistakes with Mourning Geckos
Usual errors: offering prey too large (they simply cannot eat it), letting the tank dry out (stuck sheds, starvation of hatchlings), overcrowding without enough hiding spots, and handling — they are too fragile and fast to hold.
Beginner mistakes to avoid
- Prey too large (crickets bigger than their head) — they starve rather than eat it.
- Tank too dry — hatchlings and adults fail sheds and dehydrate.
- No secure lid — they escape through finger-width gaps.
- Trying to handle them — too small and fast; stress and dropped tails.