Mourning geckos make an excellent introduction to animal care for beginners as they require minimal upkeep. Being naturally omnivorous, mourning geckos require both high protein diets as well as plant-based foods.
Captive geckos typically consume flightless fruit flies along with a commercially produced, balanced powder diet such as Pangea Complete Gecko Diet or Repashy Crested Gecko Diet). Prior to being fed crickets, their gut should also be preloaded with calcium powder for best results.
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Feeder Insects
Mourning geckos are very fast and agile animals that tend to avoid human contact, as parthenogenetic reptiles should only be handled when necessary and kept in an appropriately decorated enclosure.
mourning geckos in the wild are omnivorous feeders, feeding on fruits, pollen and insects alike. Most keepers report that in captivity their mourning geckos thrive by offering fruit CGD and flightless fruit flies as meals each day, plus supplemented calcium powder dustings every other day.
Feeder insects recommended as black soldier fly larvae are beneficial due to their manageable level of chitin, high levels of proteins and fats and impressive tolerance of immature digestive systems.
As with all reptiles, proper nutrition is key. To provide your pet with all of the vitamins and minerals they require for good health, all feeder insects should be gut-loaded with Repashy Supercal NoD before feeding to ensure complete and balanced diets. This method ensures all vitamins and minerals required by their bodies are met.
Crested Gecko Diet (CGD)
Crested Gecko Diet (CGD) is a powdered diet intended to provide your crested gecko with the balanced and complete diet they require. Most commercial diets consist of 3/4 base fruits with some animal proteins such as whey. Furthermore, they often include vegetable ingredients such as kale, bee pollen and probiotics; different brands on the market provide different ratios of fruit/vegetable components and essential nutrients.
Diets for reptiles should be placed in a dish mounted to the wall of their enclosure and should be refreshed every 24-48 hours. Live feeder insects coated with calcium and vitamin D3 could also provide extra nutrition.
Mourning geckos may take some time to adjust to new foods, especially hatchlings and subadults that were fed inappropriate diets prior to sale. When purchasing such animals from a breeder rather than pet stores, make sure that you inquire as to their feeding habits before purchasing the animal.
Water
Mourning geckos are natural omnivores that eat both plants and high-protein insects. When kept as pets, however, they thrive on Pangea’s Crested Gecko Diet with Insects mixed with powdered fruit mix for maximum variety. You may also wish to include flightless fruit flies and pinhead crickets for an added burst of variety; don’t forget to dust all feeder insects with calcium/multivitamin supplements before providing food!
Mourning gecko enclosures should include absorbent substrates like sphagnum moss and reptile-safe soil, along with humidity-loving plants such as bromeliads. Ambient humidity should range between 60-70%; daily misting can increase this value up to 80-90%.
Cathemeral geckos love to hide, so providing them with suitable hiding spaces is essential. Additionally, providing some live decor such as cork bark or driftwood pieces will keep them active and prevent boredom within their terrarium environment.
Feeding Schedule
Mourning geckos are highly active creatures, so it’s crucial that they have ample climbing space. Grouping them as in the wild works best; some even grow as large as four inches long!
Feed mourning geckos a healthy diet consisting of both commercial crested gecko food (CGD) and live insects such as pinhead crickets, fruit flies, Calci-worms, and tiny roaches for optimal results. Make sure to gut-load feeder insects regularly with calcium powder (such as Repashy Supercal NoD).
Geckos do not enjoy being handled, though some keepers have managed to condition their geckos to tolerate short handling sessions when moving them between terrariums for cleaning purposes. It’s best not to overhandle geckos; frequent handling increases the risk of respiratory infections caused by bacteria, fungus or parasites which cause wheezing, eye and nasal discharge, lethargy and more severe symptoms than usual.
