The mourning gecko is a widely distributed arboreal species that can be found across large areas of the globe, ranging from Sri Lanka, India, China, the Indochinese Peninsula, the Malay Archipelago, Australia and many islands in the Pacific. The species has also been introduced in Central and South America and Hawaii, where they are classed as an invasive species.
Appearance
The appearance of mourning geckos is highly variable, with background colouration ranging from a pale beige with a pinkish tinge to a deep brown depending upon whether the animal is 'fired up' or not, whilst the underside of the gecko tends to be a pale pinkish-cream. Each individual possesses a dictinctive dorsal pattern of chocolate brown spots / bars and pale cream markings which extends from the back of the animal's head to the tip of its tail. Narrow brown bands extend along both sides of the head, from the tip of the snout, through the eyes and terminate at the ears. A notable feature of the irises of the eye is that they are marked by a series of bronze-coloured bands. The tail, which seems to become broader with age, has a series of small 'serrations' along its edge. The underside of the feet of this species are covered in the lamellae that enable them to climb smooth surfaces. A further noticeable feature of a healthy mourning gecko are the large pale lumps that are apparent on either side of the neck; these are the gecko's calcium reserves and are essential for egg production. Although these reserves may be depleted while a gecko is gravid, they will soon be replenished by a healthy gecko once the eggs have been laid.
The top photograph shows an adult female mourning gecko. The image bottom left shows the distinctive eye markings of this species, while the photograph on the right shows the scalations apparent on the tail.
Size
Mourning geckos are small, arboreal geckos that measure up to about approximately 100mm - 110mm in length and usually weighing between 2g - 3g as adults.
Sexing
The sexing of mourning geckos is, largely, unnecessary as they are almost exclusively female. Reproduction in this species takes place by parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction where embryos develop without male fertilisation of the eggs. Although males do exist, they occur very rarely; some estimates are that only 1 in every 600 geckos is male.
Care requirements
Mourning geckos are a hardy species that is exceptionally easy to care.
Housing
Mourning geckos can be housed individually, though they seem a very social species and therefore do better in small colonies. Keeping these geckos in groups will enable the keeper to observe some of the complex interactions that can take place between members of this species; they will frequently vocalise, making repetitive 'tchik-tchik-tchik' noises at each other, often while similtaneously signalling with their tails. Although squabbling among individual members of the group may occur, actual fighting is relatively uncommon and injuries are very rare so long as adequate hiding places are available.
Enclosure
Arboreal-style vivaria are best used for this species, with a maximum of five or six adult geckos being housed in a 30cm x 30cm x 45cm vivarium, as long as plenty of climbing / hiding opportunites are provided.
Temperature
This species can be kept at room temperature if the ambient daytime temperature of the room in which they are housed falls between 21°C and 28°C (70°F and 82°F). If ambient temperature is lower than this, additional heating can be provided using a thermostat controlled heat mat.
Humidity
This species requires humidity levels of approximately 60% - 70%, so daily spraying of the vivarium is required. As a rule of thumb, the higher the temperature at which this species is kept, the higher the humidity level required. It may therefore be necessary to spray the vivarium more heavily or more than once a day during the summer months.
Lighting
No artificial lighting is necessary for this nocturnal species, as long as they can establish a day-night cycle by having exposure to light from a window.
Substrate
I have found eco earth to be an ideal substrate to use for this species, as it helps to retain the moisture required to maintain the elevated humidity levels they require.
Decor
As mourning geckos are an arboreal species, it is essential to provide them with ample opportunities for climbing and hiding. A vivarium that is to house mourning geckos should therefore contain abundant cork bark / branches, mopani wood, vines, foliage etc. Ensuring that plenty of this material is available will also allow the geckos to avoid each other, thereby reducing the number and seriousness of disputes within the group.
Feeding
Mourning geckos are omnivores, who will happily take a variety of small insects, including small (1st instar) crickets, hatchling roaches. They will also readily eat Crested Gecko Diet and puréed fruit.
Water
Although these geckos generally drink by lapping at the water that accumulates on foliage after their vivarium is sprayed, a small dish of water should also be available in the vivarium at all times.
Supplements
If CGD is used as a staple, then it is not necessary to supply additional vitamin D3 in the diet, as this will be contained within the CGD. However, all feeders should be dusted with a pure calcium powder whenever they are offered. Geckos should also always have access to a small dish of pure calcium in their vivarium; this is especially important in this species as they require sufficient calcium to avoid them from experiencing a 'calcium crash' during their frequent periods of gravidity.
Breeding
As stated earlier, even solitary female mourning geckos will regularly produce clutches of fertile eggs. Juvenile geckos will start to produce eggs when they are around seven to eight months old, though these are frequently infertile at first. From around ten to eleven months of age, mourning geckos will generally produce a clutch of two fertile eggs (although single egg clutches are by no means uncommon), at intervals of between three and six weeks on average. It is readily apparent when an animal is gravid as the white eggs can easily be seen through the translucent, pale underside of the gecko. For example, in the image to the right, a single egg can be seen in the abdomen of this gravid adult female. The egg will be laid after a gestation period of several weeks; in doing so, the female will attach it securely to a surface within the vivarium (items such as pieces of wood, foliage or even the glass of the vivarium itself will be used). Where geckos are housed in groups, they will frequently lay their eggs communally and all attach them to the same surface.
The eggs themselves are small, measuring barely 10mm in length and have a hard, brittle shelled. Assuming that I can remove them from the vivarium (they are exceptionally delicate and, being hard shelled, are prone to shatter if attempts are made to remove them from the glass etc. It is therefore easiest to simply remove the object that they have been attached to, if possible), I place the eggs in a separate faunarium for incubation. When removing eggs for incubation, care must be taken to keep them in the same orientation in which they were laid (unlike birds, reptile embryos attach themselves directly to a point on the interior wall of the egg; rotating the egg can cause relative movement between the embryo and its yolk, which can prove fatal to the embryo). To see if eggs are fertile or not, they can be 'candled', i.e. a bright light is shown through the egg: if the interior of the egg has a pinkish colouration (often red veins are also apparent), then it is fertile; however, if the interior appears a solid yellow, with no internal features being discernible (especially several weeks after it has been laid), then it is infertile. Fertile eggs are then incubated at room temperature (between approximately 21°C - 24°C (70°F - 75°F)) in my reptile room. The incubation period can take anything between 60 and 110 days; the lower the temperature, the longer the incubation period.
The mourning gecko egg in the left hand image is shown approximately two weeks after it has been laid. Candling reveals the pink interior colour of a fertile egg (the developing embryo can be seen to the left of the image). The photograph on the right shows the size of a typical mourning gecko egg; the hatchling had just emerged from the egg, resulting in the somewhat jagged hole to the right.
If a decision not to incubate any eggs is made, then they should be smashed before being discarded, in order to prevent 'accidental' hatching. Personally, I would place any broken eggs back in the vivarium with the adults; this species are true omnivores and will happily consume any eggs that are broken, either accidentally or deliberately, as they provide a healthy supplement to their diet and act to replenish any minerals lost during egg production.
Hatchling care
Mourning gecko hatchlings are absolutely tiny; they measure anywhere between 35mm and 40mm in length and weigh barely 0.2g. They are, however, extremely active immediately and care should be taken to prevent them from escaping; even a neonate can move extremely fast. I house my hatchlings in small plastic screw-topped storage jars measuring approximately 12cm high by 10cm in diameter. It is, obviously, necessary to bore small holes in the lid of the jar for ventilation, but care must be taken to ensure that the holes are not too large, as mourning geckos are true escape artists! As the geckos grow, they can be moved up to larger enclosures; small faunariums are ideal for use with young juveniles.
I use two or three layers of kitchen towel as a substrate in the hatchling tubs, as this makes it easier to maintain a high standard of hygiene and can be easily replaced. Additional decor is provided in the form of a few twigs and one or two leaves removed from the plastic plants sold for use with reptiles.
I keep my hatchlings and young juveniles at the same temperature range as my adults. Maintaining humidity levels is crucial for young geckos, especially neonates, as they can be prone to dehydration. It is therefore essential to ensure that the tubs are sprayed regularly.
Young geckos are unlikely to start eating until several days after hatching, as they continue to utilise the remains of their yolk sack. However, two to three days after hatching they will readily start to take the same types of food as adults; I offer mine a very small blob of CGD, together with micro-crickets and fruit flies (the feeders should be dusted with pure calcium powder). A very small amount (two or three drops only) of fresh water should also be offered; I've found the bottle tops from mineral water bottles make ideal miniature water bowls if they are reduced in height slightly.
The above photographs show hatchling mourning geckos; in the left hand image, the neonate gecko had emerged from the egg approximately 15 minutes earlier; the left hand photograph shows a hatchling that is approximately two days old. This individual measured approximately 38mm long and weighed 0.2g.
Further reading
Website
The Lepidodactylus website contains excellent information on this species and includes an extensive bibliography of the literature available.
