Defining Characteristics:
Name: Lepidodactylus lugubris. Commonly called the mourning gecko or smooth scaled gecko. This is the form found on the Hawaiian islands, where it is an introduced species that has been firmly established for decades. These individuals have pronounced markings down their entire back and are highly sought after. Our normal Hawaiian mourning geckos have pronounced markings near their hind, fore, or both limbs making them a more affordable but still unique alternative.
Recommended Vivarium Size: Mourning geckos will thrive in an enclosure as small as 5 gallons, but 10 gallons or 12x12x12 exo-terras or larger are recommended for multiple animals. Many people successfully keep these geckos in naturalistic vivaria, housed with larger dart frogs. Mourning geckos are escape artists, and it's always important to fully secure their enclosure to prevent escapes! At Josh's Frogs, we secure Exo Terra enclosures by siliconing the lid and blocking the front vents with pond foam.
Temperature: Lepidodactylus lugubris prefer temps in the mid 70s, up to the low 80s. Mourning geckos will generally thrive at room temperature, but a low wattage basking light may be needed in cooler climates. Their ideal temperature range is 70F - 80F.
Humidity: Mourning geckos like it humid, and require a humidity of at least 50%. Lepidodactylus lugubris can do well at a humidity of up to 90%, as long as a drier area is provided. Ideal humidity range is 60%-80%.
Size: Adult Hawaiian mourning geckos get up to about 4" in length. When they hatch, Lepidodactylus lugubris measures about 1".
Age: Lepidodactylus lugubris is capable of living over 10 years in captivity, with reports of 15 years or more in the literature. All Hawaiian Mourning Geckos for sale at Josh's Frogs are well started juveniles, and are 2-3 months old.
Feeding: Being smaller geckos, mourning geckos prefer smaller foods. Lepidodactylus lugubris juveniles will readily eat pinhead crickets and 1/8 inch crickets. Adult mourning geckos will devour 1/4 inch crickets, as well as other insects that size. All feeder insects should be gutloaded and dusted with a vitamin/mineral supplement.
At all life stages, mourning geckos will feast on gecko diet mix. This can be fed as a complete diet to mourning geckos, but we prefer to offer them a variety of feeder insects, as well.
Sexing: Sexing Hawaiian mourning geckos is the easiest thing in the world - they're all female! Lepidodactylus lugubris is a parthenogenetic species - females lay fertilized eggs, and their offspring are little clones of the parent. Reportedly males exist, but we have not encountered any at Josh's Frogs.
Color/Pattern: Hawaiian mourning geckos have more contrasting patterns, than typical mourning geckos. These high expression mourning geckos have pronounced markings down their entire back, giving them an entirely unique look compared to normal mourning geckos. In comparison, our normal Hawaiian mourning geckos have pronounced markings near their hind, fore, or both limbs.
Social Behavior: Lepidodactylus lugubris is fine housed alone or in groups, as long as enough space and hiding places are provided. The geckos will develop a social hierarchy, with the dominant animal(s) breeding. Hawaiian mourning geckos can be very vocal when housed together, with the animals making various squeaks and creaks to communicate. Hawaiian mourning geckos will also display visually to each other, in the form of back arching or tail wiggling. Aggression can sometimes occur but generally does not result in the injury of an animal. Adults may eat offspring.
Breeding: Hawaiian mourning geckos are very easy to breed - they don't need any of our help! Lone females will still produce eggs but not as consistently as pairs or groups; as such, Lepidodactylus lugubris is best kept in pairs or groups for breeding; two females will stimulate each other via pseudocopulation, resulting in 2 gravid geckos. Hawaiian mourning geckos reach sexual maturity at 8-10 months of age, and will lay clutches of 2 eggs every 4-6 weeks. Eggs take about 3 months to hatch at room temperature.
Natural Range: Mourning geckos are found in the tropical coastal areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, including the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, Thailand, West Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, Fiji, the Australian islands of Cocos atoll, Western Samoa, and Guam. Hawaiian mourning geckos have been introduced into Hawaii, as you might guess by their name.
History in the Hobby: Hawaiian mourning geckos have never been common in the hobby, and when available demand a higher price then their duller cousins. Most animals in the trade descend from animals, field collected, in Hawaii by scientists or hobbyists.
Links of Interest:
Still not sure if High Expression Hawaiian Mourning Geckos (Lepidodactylus lugubris) from Josh's Frogs are the right geckos for you? Read the reviews below and see what other customers are saying!
After placing an order containing a live animal, you will receive a scheduling email containing our JotForm scheduling link to schedule your new pet's delivery date.
With this scheduling link, you will be able to schedule your order's delivery up to 30 days in advance. You will be able to choose a date of delivery for Tuesday-Saturday (Saturday arrival depends on the carrier's service availability) with the estimated time of arrival generally being 12pm, or 4:30pm for more rural areas. Overnight lows must be above 40°F to ship directly to you (or above 30°F for FedEx Ship Center/UPS Customer Center pickups) as well as below 90°F by estimated time of arrival.
If you require further assistance, or prefer to talk to one of our Customer Service agents, please feel free to reach out to our [email protected] email or our phone line 1-800-691-8178.
Based on 3 reviews
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First of all, these geckos are amazing! They have a very unique social hierarchy which makes them fun to watch. I have several of the normal variety and love them but I fell in love with the Hawaiian variety during a trip to the islands where I saw them in the wild. When I saw that Josh's Frogs breeds them I ordered one as soon as it was available. She was delivered a couple days ago and is in perfect health! I love her! She's a nice little reminder of my trip. My little piece of paradise, affectionately named Kauai. ;) Definitely recommend Josh's frogs for anyone looking for great products, animals, and customer service! You guys [and gals] rock!
She arrived happy and healthy. Beautiful girl and is thriving well in the terrarium with my darts and other 2 mourning geckos. Absolutely love them.
They arrived healthy! I worried about one who wouldn't move around at first, but I think she was just shy. They are very active after settling in. I love watching them interact, chirp, and change colors.
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