Mourning Gecko Tank Setup: A Small, Humid, Planted Display Vivarium

Mourning Gecko Tank Setup: A Small, Humid, Planted Display Vivarium

Mourning gecko setups look more like a miniature planted terrarium than a typical reptile tank, this is a display colony, not a single-animal enclosure. For the full care picture, see our complete Mourning Gecko care guide.

Enclosure Size

A 12x18x18 inch, tall, front-opening enclosure works for a pair or small group of up to about three to five. Since mourning geckos self-multiply, plan on eventually stepping up to something larger, an 18x18x24 inch enclosure comfortably houses a bigger group as your colony grows. Height matters more than floor space for this arboreal species.

Temperature

A gradient of roughly 80 to 85°F on the warm end down to 70 to 75°F on the cool end works well, with a night drop to 65 to 72°F. At normal room temperature, most homes need no dedicated heat source at all. Only add gentle supplemental heat if your room consistently runs cold.

Humidity

Target 60 to 70% ambient, with higher humidity pockets in the 80 to 90% range near foliage and hides. Achieve this by misting one side each evening and using a moisture-retentive substrate, then letting things partially dry out before the next misting to avoid mold.

Substrate

Coconut coir, or a coir and sphagnum moss blend, works well and supports a bioactive-style setup nicely. Keep it appropriately moist without becoming waterlogged.

Lighting

Low-output UVB (in the 5 to 6% range) is strongly recommended given how frequently females lay eggs and the resulting calcium demand, see our Mourning Gecko health issues guide for why that demand is higher in this species than in most beginner geckos. Run a standard 12-hour light cycle.

The Detail That Matters More Than Almost Anything Else: Escape-Proofing

Before adding any mourning geckos to a new enclosure, seal every gap you can find with aquarium-safe putty or a similar barrier. This single step prevents the most common and most frustrating mourning gecko keeping mistake, our Mourning Gecko handling guide covers why this species is so much more escape-prone than the average gecko in the first place.

Furnishings

Dense foliage, either live plants (pothos and similar low-light species work well) or artificial, plus cork bark and branches for climbing. Provide multiple feeding stations, a dominant female may guard a single food dish and prevent others from eating. Adult mourning geckos may eat hatchlings, so if intentionally breeding, plan for separating young animals as they appear.

Gargoyle geckos are commonly fed the same complete crested gecko diet powder as mourning geckos, so if you're setting up both, see our Gargoyle Gecko tank setup guide for how a very different-sized species furnishes a similar diet station.

Once this setup is dialed in, our Mourning Gecko cost guide breaks down exactly what all of this runs upfront and month to month, or browse the rest of our Geckos care guide category.

Sources & Further Reading