Lepidodactylus lugubris
Mourning gecko
A planted vertical box. These geckos are parthenogenetic: a group of females can lay fertile eggs without a male.
Legal status
- Check local rules
Lepidodactylus lugubris is not recorded here as listed in the CITES Appendices. No EU wildlife-trade annex was verified for this species, so the annex field is empty. It is not marked on the EU list of invasive alien species and it is not marked as venomous. National and regional rules can still restrict keeping. Check local rules before you keep, move, or rehome an animal. This record is not a permit and not legal advice.
Official sourceNot legal advice. Rules differ by country, and sometimes by region. Check the law that applies to you.
- Temperature
- 22–27°C
- UVB
- Ferguson zone 1. About 0.1–0.7
- Humidity
- 60–80%
- Minimum enclosure
- About 30 × 30 × 45 cm for a small group
- Adult size
- About 8–10 cm.
- Lifespan
- Often around 10 years is reported. Records vary.
- Difficulty
- beginner
Diet and feeding
A fruit-based gecko diet and very small insects. Fresh diet most nights. Dusted insects a few times a week.
Substrate
Soil in a planted cage, or paper while you set one up.
Health
Overcrowding from unplanned eggs, and dehydration if the cage dries out.
Handling
Too small and too fast to handle for pleasure. Move them in a tub.
Husbandry ranges are general guidance for captive care, not a veterinary prescription or a permit. Confirm the gradient with your own thermometers. UV zones follow Baines et al., Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 4(1), 2016, https://www.jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150. Legal fields use the source link on this species and stay empty when an annex was not verified.