Mourning Gecko Quarantine: Why & How Long
| Minimum quarantine period | 60–90 days |
| Key early step | Vet fecal exam |
Why it matters
Parasites and some infections can be present without obvious symptoms and spread readily through shared equipment or misting tools. A new gecko, however healthy it looks, is an unknown quantity for the first several weeks.
Duration
60–90 days minimum is the widely recommended standard, in a completely separate space if possible, with no shared cork bark, dishes, or misting equipment.
Fecal exam
A vet-run fecal test in the first couple of weeks of quarantine catches common parasites early, before any risk of transfer to other reptiles in the household.
Handling order
During quarantine, always handle and care for existing, established reptiles first, then the new quarantined gecko last, washing hands between if practical.
See the full care guides guide, or browse all 299 info pages.
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.