Mourning Gecko Setup Checklist: Everything Before Day One
| Setup run-in time | A few days before arrival |
| Priority item | Vertical climbing structure |
Buy in this order
Enclosure first, then substrate and climbing furniture (cork bark, branches, foliage), then a hygrometer and thermometer, then a spray bottle or misting system, then feeding supplies (a shallow MRP dish, mixing cup).
Run it before the gecko arrives
Set up and mist the full enclosure for a few days before bringing a gecko home to confirm humidity holds in the 60–80% range and ambient room temperature stays safely under 82°F.
The one non-negotiable
If you get one thing right before day one, make it climbing structure and vertical space — this species lives almost entirely off the ground, and a bare, floor-focused setup badly mismatches its natural behaviour from the very first day.
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.
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.
Mourning geckos commonly live 5–8 years in captivity with correct husbandry, occasionally more — a notably long lifespan for a small gecko and a genuine long-term commitment.