Mourning Gecko Growth Stages Explained
| Hatchling | 0–2 months |
| Juvenile | 2–6 months |
| Adult | 10+ months |
Hatchling (0–2 months)
Tiny (well under half a gram at hatching) and needs fresh MRP every night, offered in a small, densely furnished enclosure that makes food easy to find, alongside optional flightless fruit flies.
Juvenile (2–6 months)
Steady growth continues, moving to every-other-night MRP feedings and, if offered, more regular fruit flies as a supplement.
Sub-adult (6–10 months)
Growth slows, feeding frequency settles into a few nights a week, and the gecko typically reaches close to full adult size and confidence.
Adult (10+ months)
Full size reached, generally 2–4g. Feeding settles into a steady few-nights-a-week MRP routine, adjusted to individual appetite and colony size — and an adult female colony will begin laying eggs regularly.
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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.