Questions on mourning geckos

Animallover562

New member
Hello!
I’ve been looking into keeping mourning geckos and I have a couple questions.
1) Would a mourning gecko be happy by itself? I’m not interested in breeding them (although they do reproduce on their own), but I’ve heard that they’ll only lay eggs with other geckos present, is that true?
2) would 1-2 mourning geckos be happy in a 5 gallon tank or is 10 gallons the minimum for a group?
3) What supplements are needed for their live food? I would provide CGD at all times and supplement flightless fruit flies and small crickets maybe twice a week, do they need calcium with D3? Without? Multivitamins?
5) Is it common for them to escape? I don’t want to be afraid every time I open the cage that my gecko(s) will run out, is there anything I can do to prevent that?
Thanks for reading! Any input is appreciated :)
 

Herpin Man

Member
1) Would a mourning gecko be happy by itself? I’m not interested in breeding them (although they do reproduce on their own), but I’ve heard that they’ll only lay eggs with other geckos present, is that true?
Yes, they can be kept individually. Females do "pseudo-copulate" with each other, which is believed to stimulate egg production. Although I've never kept them singly, I suspect that they will lay eggs regardless.
2) would 1-2 mourning geckos be happy in a 5 gallon tank or is 10 gallons the minimum for a group?
Bigger is better, as these are active geckos. While one could survive in a five gallon, I would recommend going much bigger if possible.
3) What supplements are needed for their live food? I would provide CGD at all times and supplement flightless fruit flies and small crickets maybe twice a week, do they need calcium with D3? Without? Multivitamins?
I have raised many generations on insects dusted with Reptivite with D3, and Pangea.
5) Is it common for them to escape? I don’t want to be afraid every time I open the cage that my gecko(s) will run out, is there anything I can do to prevent that?
Yes, they are masters at escape, especially the little ones. The lid should be 100% escape proof. Use weather stripping if needed. And, yes, they will try to shoot out when you open the lid. Be ready to shoo them back in. Vigilance is the only escape prevention.
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Currently I have 1 mourning gecko who's being housed alone in a 10 gallon enclosure. She's laid 4 fertile eggs. She was never kept with any other mourning gecko.

FYI: Adult mourning geckos will eat their babies when given the opportunity! :( These geckos ARE territorial. They ARE escape artists!

Consider housing a small group in a 20 gallon with lots of cover. They'll need an enclosure with a fine mesh screen top like the type you'll find on Zilla's enclosures. I use primarily Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3 to lightly dust on her crickets at 1 feeding per week. Sometimes I feed her Pangea Complete Diets instead.

Here's a care sheet I wrote and have since updated.
You might be interested in Gold Dust (Phelsuma laticauda) day geckos instead.
 
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Mourning_Gecko

New member
Hi and welcome to the world of Micro Geckos :)

Def listen to the above posts with awesome insight from Elizabeth and Herpin!

Mourning Geckos can be kept solo [ not for long, haha...] as the others have said they are capable of it, but I've read a few article stating that they do prefer groups, also watching them communicate via tailwagging and chirps is a treat. A single Mourning Gecko will still happily produce viable eggs.]I've been successfully housing 3 adults, plus their egg clutches in a standard 10 gallon. however larger is always better for these active little ladies. they'd probably would enjoy the room of a 20 gallon tall, with a fine mesh top as Elizabeth suggested. As you said regarding feeding and supplements, i keep fresh CGD in the cage at all times, a small shallow water bowl and usually once or twice a week feedings with dusted pinhead crickets, occasionally i'll feed micro mealworms [they gobble those suckers up.], every now and then i'll mush up a very tiny bit of banana and they go nuts for it. Your concerns about escapes are valid as well! It's not a question of "if" they can escape, it's usually a question of "when", these geckos are lightening fast and can be difficult to catch, hatchings even more so and they can and will hide along the rim of standard aquarium tanks, i usually will run my fingers along the top of the tank to let them know i'm near it and 90 percent of the time they'll move back down to the plants i have set in the tank. using a front opening tank can also help deal with some stress regarding working inside the tank as the only way out would be past you and they'd usually rather hide then try to run by a big human who's right in front of them.

If you have anymore questions, please don't hesitate to ask! These are super rewarding geckos!
 
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