L. lugubrious, or "mourning geckos", are fascinating geckos endemic to coastal areas Asia and the Pacific Islands. They are highly invasive and can now be found in Australia, the Americas, and the Seychelles. Mourning geckos are an active, quirky species enjoyed by many keepers. Most individuals are female and reproduce via parthenogenesis. Occasional males arise but do not reproduce. They are a vocal species that thrives in groups when resources are not scarce. Several varieties, based on origin of location, are available in the trade. 

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Mourning geckos are easy to keep and prolific when in the proper enclosure and environment. Hatchlings are small and can easily escape through loose doors or small crevices. Mourning geckos are speedy, small, and do not enjoy being handled. Instead, these are an entertaining species to watch interact in a terrarium habitat.

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Interested in keeping mourning geckos? Below are general parameters for making your gecko comfortable. For more information, Extant Relatives recommends Reptifile's detailed care sheets.

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Life Span: 15 years

Cage Size: Minimum 12" x 12" x 18" (High rather than wide)

Animal Size: 3.5 - 4"

Day/Night Hours: 12/12 OR 14/10 (Summer) to 10/14 (Winter)

Active times: Both day and night

Day temps: 70-75F

Hot Spot: 85F

Night temps: 70F

Daytime humidity: 60%

Nighttime humidity: 80%

UVB: Low

Substrate: Organic topsoil or coconut fiber (or mix)

Diet: Meal Replacement Powders with insects for enrichment

Decor: Arboreal - branches, cork tubes, bamboo tubes, plants.

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Our setup: ExRe houses a sorority of mourning geckos in 25 gallon tank.  These arboreal reptiles spend most of their time exploring cork bark or bamboo tubes, branches, plants, or small nooks.Their enclosure floor consists of cocofiber substrate, a shallow water dish, and an isopod clean-up crew. Enclsoures are heavily misted 2-4 times per week, depending on the season, to maintain a general humidity of around 70%. Temperatures range from 70F at the bottom of the enclosure to 85F at the top. They use the full range of their enclosures to regulate their temperature and hydration. A single puck light provides enough light for their plants and their day/night cycle. Our mourning geckos do use UVB lighting. We have had success without UVB, but our sorority only began to thrive once it was introduced. ExRe's mourning geckos enjoy rotating flavors of Repashy MRP 2-3 times per week. Once every 2 weeks, they gets everyone's favorite flavor: Banana Cream Pie. 

Our morning geckos are housed in a multi-species terrarium with a Gold-Dust Day Gecko and several species of roaches.