Mourning Gecko Care Sheet: The Full Reference
| Enclosure minimum | 12"x12"x18" |
| Humidity | 60–80% |
| Heat source | Usually not needed |
| Lifespan | 5–8 years |
Housing
12"x12"x18" minimum, taller and more vertical space favoured over floor space, well ventilated, packed with cork bark and climbing branches.
Temperature
Normal room temperature (75–82°F) works for most homes — no basking bulb or heat mat usually needed. Watch for heat stress above ~82°F.
Humidity
60–80%, maintained through misting once or twice daily, with good ventilation to prevent stagnant dampness.
Diet
A complete MRP powder mixed with water, offered 3–4 nights a week, is nutritionally sufficient alone. Insects are optional enrichment.
UVB
Not strictly mandatory, but low-level (2–5%) increasingly recommended as good practice.
Common beginner mistakes
Undersized or too-wide enclosures, unnecessary heat lamps causing heat stress, running too dry, and reaching for standard-sized feeder insects instead of fruit flies or pinhead crickets, which are too large for this tiny species.
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A single adult mourning gecko needs a minimum 12"x12"x18" front-opening, well-ventilated enclosure — taller matters more than wider since this species is highly arboreal — furnished with cork bark, branches, and dense foliage for climbing.
A complete mourning gecko setup needs a tall 18"+ front-opening enclosure, cork bark and branches for climbing, coco fibre/moss substrate, a misting routine to hold 60–80% humidity, and complete MRP powder — no heat lamp is required in most homes.
Hatchlings can start in a small (roughly 5"x5"x8") enclosure to make food easier to find, juveniles move up around a few months old, and adults need a minimum 12"x12"x18" vertical enclosure.
Mourning geckos generally do best at normal room temperature, roughly 75–82°F, and can suffer heat stress above about 82°F. Most homes need no basking bulb or heat mat at all — just monitoring during hot weather.
Low-level UVB (roughly 5–6% output) is increasingly recommended as good practice, though it isn't strictly mandatory for mourning geckos the way it is for a strongly basking desert species — their diet's built-in D3 from MRP covers much of the gap.
Mourning geckos need roughly 60–80% humidity, achieved through misting once or twice daily, with good ventilation to prevent the dampness from turning stagnant.