Mourning Gecko Care Guide/They Won't Stop Multiplying!
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- Опубліковано 7 жов 2024
- Hi guys!
Have you already got geckos or are you looking to get some?
These guys make for amazing pets. Entertaining and very educational. Just be prepared for them to multiply like rabbits! Really is like having a jungle in your own home!
As always, if you've any questions about anything, feel free to give me an ask! I'll always help if I can :)
Otherwise, hope this helped and let me know if you enjoyed it. Happy keeping!
Just had my mourning geckos (3) delivered this morning :D Rewatching this for a refresh again haha!
Ayy I started off with 3 🤣 Thanks for watching and hope it all goes well!
Yea....this is a good video tbh
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Thanks man I just got mourning geckos and this video is a big help :D
Its best to use a tub with a tiny hole as a dripper for water they will not drink standing water and will just create a place for bacteria
loved the narration, You made it clear of what you will be getting into with these little guys. I got a crested last week then decided to get another little guy the following weekend 😂
Thank you! I'm considering doing an updated version of this now that they've seen their upgrade 🤔 I love cresties! Never had one myself but I've heard nothing but good things
Great video! By any chance do you know how I could differentiate a mourning gecko from a house gecko? Also could the two species live in the same enclosure? I only ask because I found a little lizard in a box from overseas and I’m not quite sure if she’s a house gecko or a mourning gecko. Another thing i heard is that if they’re female they do better with company and I’m almost certain she’s a female. The only thing though is that if she is a house gecko there’s nowhere I could pick up a few more buddies for her as no shops sell them (seemingly in my country) but I do believe there are shops that sell mourning geckos, so I just want to know if a Mourning gecko would be acceptable company for a house gecko or if that would cause issues. Thanks 😊
Hi! Good question, this might sound odd but search up pics of their toes. House geckos tend to have much much smaller first toe digits, profound claws on each toe also. Their general body patterns vary but are reasonably different and house geckos have more cylindrical tails, mourning geckos have flatter tails in comparison. Feel free to send me a pic on my Instagram account, I might be able to say for certain 😄
Most geckos are solitary and tolerate groups but don't necessarily thrive or benefit from each others company, I typically don't recommend mixing species given 101 things can and usually do go wrong so if uncertain on whether they're the same specie or not I'd definitely leave her on her own, she should do absolutely fine! Hope that helps!
i’m hoping to get some of these delightful little creatures soon,
You absolutely should! It's been years and they still fascinate me!
This is such a good video I recently got a
Mourning gecko and named him Stewie
Nice! Hope you enjoy, they're brilliant little animals. Thanks for watching :)
Not to be annoying but (her)
@@kylesanimaladventures7747not to be annoying but in rare situations they can be male
Great video, keep up the most excellent work!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :) Move sorted so will be back to uploading tomorrow!
I plan to get a few and let em breed, once I’m happy with the amount I have I’m going to have to start scraping off eggs.
Good plan! They do hide the eggs well though, I've not had much luck finding the hiding spots!
Im using baby banded crickets and they love it
Those are brilliant! I struggle to get my hands on any, any boxes that're still alive at least...
I love geckos
Amazing arent they! Fascinating little things
How often should I feed fruit flys and repashy?
Hi! I normally feed fruit flies twice a week and keep a constant supply of repashy, strangely, they quite enjoy repashy even when it's not fresh, maybe more so... So I replace it once every 2-3 days. Hope this helps! :)
sg_animals i’ve noticed that, they dont touch it until it’s 12-24 hours normally.... or i’ve just missed them eating it haha only had a trio for about a month, already have eggs they’re such underrated animals
@@HazardNP I think in the wild they don't often find food fresh as can be, so they've grown to enjoy it somewhat aged, maybe it's fermenting 😂 Agree though, incredible specie!! Love em
question: do the adults eat the babies? also, how many geckos do i need for them to start breeding?
Super helpful!
Great video 💜
How long should I keep the babies away from the mother
Solid content i subbed!
Good to hear! Thank you :)
I have a 12x12x20 is that a good size for 2 geckos and
Temporarily yes, I started off with a similar size, slightly taller. But they will quickly outgrow it, especially with the rate they produce offspring. They're very active and also slightly territorial so the more space the better. You'll likely get a year or two out of an enclosure that size but definitely upgrade, the bigger the better!
Great video! Do you leave the babies inside the enclosure? I was told to separate when they’re born and have an extra enclosure ready
I currently leave them in the enclosure, the adults leave them alone for the most part but that's probably a result of the amount I feed and all the obstacles breaking the line of sight.
But yeah it would be best to separate where possible and I think I may start doing the same soon!
Thank you for this information! I am hoping to get one or a pair for Christmas, would you recommend getting one or a pair? Or would one be unsuitable.
One would be absolutely fine, these guys work communal but aren't necessarily social. However it is believed having multiple geckos can encourage the females to produce eggs (helps expand the colony just be wary of how fast they reproduce). They're awesome though I'm sure you'll love em! 😄
Like this ! Thinking about getting a pair or trio , reckon a 20x20x30 will be decent or should go bigger ?
Hey!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :)
If those measurements are in inches, that'd be brilliant for a pair or trio, just bear in mind you might need to upgrade within a year or two if they breed heavily (unless you remove the babies and house them elsewhere). If cm, definitely go bigger, it wouldn't be worth setting up given how fast you'd have to upgrade. If they don't have enough space then they'll start getting aggy with each other causing stress and potentially leading to fights.
I've had mine for 2 years in a 30cmx30cmx90cm. I already regret not getting bigger!
sg_animals that’s a great reply ! Thanks for your helps and advice ! 👍🏻
What do you think about keeping them alone? I would love to keep them but I don't want to get overrun lol. I would be keeping them/it in a 8x8x12 exo Terra just over 5 gallons Thanks😀
They're fine alone. They're good in a group but not considered social. A few together normally prompts egg production but there's nothing stopping a lone female from producing eggs anyways so you'll end up with eggs either way!
And that's far too small an enclosure I'm afraid. Mine is the smallest you should ever go for these guys at 30cmx30cmx90cm. They absolutely need height to climb and are quite an active species so the more space the better. If you plan to upgrade then that's fine but in the long run it just won't do. Hope this helps!!
Can they do well with a 13W UVB bulb and a overall temperature of 19 Celsius?? Thank you
If 19 Celcius is the highest then I'm afraid its a big no. As keepers we should try to reach peak care for the animals and if we can't maintain that for any reason then it just isn't fair on them. Low temps could cause digestion issues, these guys thermoregulate and use external heat to warm their bodies aiding digestion. Without a proper temp to do that they risk things like impaction. It may or may not happen at 19 Degrees C but it's not worth the risk in my opinion. 19 is more of a night time temp than a peak day temp.
Hope this helps! :) Thanks for watching!
I’m setting my tank up (exo terra 45x45x60cm) - I just wanted to know if this is going to be an okay size or will I eventually need bigger?
Also, the background in the tank to the mesh lid (I believe this is the same with all exo terras) has a small enough gap, would I be okay to use the same kind of foam the backing is made up of to wedge between or would something like burlap work if I used gorilla glue say to keep it secured?
Loved the video! So many tips thank you :)
You'll definitely need bigger in the long run. height mainly. I've currently got mine in a 30x30x90cm. Started off with 3 females and a year later have around 30-40 geckos.
I regret not starting with something larger to save me the hassle I've got now of setting up a new viv and somehow catching all the adults and babies 😂 I'm not looking forward to it. Yours will be fine for now just food for thought!
You could use aquarium sealant (it's non toxic) to cover the gap, just whack some sphagnum moss on it before it dries to make it look nicer. Or if it's quite a large gap, you can use expanding foam, then once it's dried, coat it in the aquarium silicone.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Thank you!
I’m thinking of starting with 2/3, but I’m gutted it won’t be big enough haha, but it does mean I’ll get to do another tank lol!!
I’ve just set two up, same size tanks one for a crested gecko one for a mourning, but I might do another. I have a spare tank that it 4ft by 4ft so that could eventually be used🤔🤔
4ft by 4ft is much better! That'd last em a good long while and give you plenty of room for population growth. There's nothing wrong with starting off smaller and upgrading, it's just because these guys breed so much, it's easier to start off big.
Love to hear it though! Sure they'll be some happy geckos! :D
sg animals I wish I seen your video a week before I did and I’d have just done the bigger tank😂😂 But I’d have to modify that and I can’t complain I got this tank for a steal of a price (£35quid with new lid and background) - I might just put that tank in the 4ft by 4ft and build around it😂
Sorry for the late reply bud, been a busy week! That putting the tank inside the other tank is a tempting idea 😂 Think I'll have too many branches in the new build for that though 😂
£35 is a steal nice find! Have to let me know how it all goes!
What would i do if i dont want an army of gekos, would it be ok to just throw way the eggs or is there some way to euthanize the eggs
You'd need to crush any eggs you find, if you just throw em they may hatch in the bin.. The challenge would be finding them early on before they've developed too much inside too!
I've been trying to think of natural control methods but there doesn't seem to be many options other than finding and crushing eggs unfortunately
My mourning gecko is about 1 inch or smaller and the guy I bought it from said its about a month old how big will it be in 2-3 months
That's hard to say to be honest, depends on a few factors and genetics. I'd expect her to be double the size she currently is, but as I say, it's hard to say for definite :)
What is a good brand of enclosure to house them in without them escaping or easiest to escape proof?
Honestly commercial vivs are very hit and miss to be honest. The glass versions are decent for the adults but not overly escape proof in terms of the babies. I had mine custom made to suit!
do you need to feed fruit flies or would just rap ashy be okay
Hey!
I'd definitely feed fruit flies. Great source of protein and other nutrients, don't want to risk missing part of their diet! You can also feed things like bean weevils and micro crickets, but fruit flies are generally the easiest to deal with.
How hard are they to breed? Been planning in breeding them for some side cash
Incredibly easy I've found, little over a year, 3 have turned into 30ish. I wouldn't count on that too much though, given how common they are and how easily they breed, they aren't always the easiest to sell, especially if you're trying to find responsible owners.
@@sg_animals. well thank you very much for the tips!
I have seen other youtubers suggest that using UV lighting on mourning geckos in combination with food that contains vitamin D3, could lead to an overdose in vitamin D3. Do you think thats a likely possibility?
Sorry for the late reply, I've been away from the channel for a bit. It's a bit of a tough question really because it depends on each and every situation. It very much is possible to overdose on vitamin D3 especially when using it alongside UVB but this tends to be more of a hazard when the supplement's present in every day foods. Once or twice a week though (used conservatively not caked on) creates a good balance. I always like to go the natural route, in the wild while being classed as mainly nocturnal animals, they do tend to be more cathemeral, active at random times and seeing a few hours of the morning sun. So mourning geckos for one and many others will be awake to receive and utilise at least some of the UVB present. Myself I've found that providing UVB and dusting live foods once or twice a week provides the perfect amount. My geckos produce very healthy eggs, have never shown any signs of MBD and have healthy but not engorged calcium sacs. So as with everything it's mainly a case of using in moderation, UVB is very beneficial in a number of ways, so as long as the supplements aren't overused then everything should balance out nicely. Hope this helps! 😄
@@sg_animals. ty for the info man! Very interesting stuff!
My question is is there any type of diversity inside a colony of mourning geckos even though they're clones
Good question and surprisingly the answer is yes. It's like twins, the DNA is the same, they are genetically exactly alike. But physically not necessarily, it all depends on the development and form the body takes while it grows so there is a fair amount of variation within my colony itself, some geckos are quite dark, some are lighter, none of their patterns match, they all seem like perfect individuals, genetic clones of their respective mothers but they look nothing alike!
@@sg_animals. so if someone was able to use like Christopher for example to alter the genetics of the mourning gecko embryo theoretically it would pass down the edited DNA the same through clones?
Very curious?
@@DWSP101 sorry "to use like Christopher" I'm guessing autocorrect has got ya there, I don't understand aha
@@DWSP101 but yes my understanding is that the DNA is replicated so if the DNA is alter then in theory to some extent that alteration would be replicated. Potentially not identical dependant on scenario but it's likely it would still be repeated
I have a 12 deep, 15 high and 24 long encosure, are those acceptable dimensions for a larger colony
That is on the smaller size I'm afraid, these geckos love to climb and are quite active. They happily live in a communal setting but that's on the condition they each have their own space to inhabit, if there isn't enough room then they'll likely start fighting.
@@sg_animals. i take it it would be too narrow if i turned it on its side and made a hinged lid out of plexiglass
@@stumpyguy8856 It'd work for a period of time but personally I made the mistake of starting off too small. 12 wide, 12 deep, 36 tall, 3 adult females turned into around 40 geckos in a year. In hindsight I should've made life easier by starting off bigger in the beginning aha.
Lucky I've been able to shift a few to new homes but if that hadn't panned out then it would've been a nightmare
Do they eat their own babies 100% of the time? Or do some babies survive kept in the same enclosure with the adults?
They sometimes eat some of them but if fed enough and there's plenty of space to go around then they typically leave them alone. The majority of my babies make it to adulthood (and need to be rehomed due to overpopulation aha)
@@sg_animals. What do the bioactive enclosures smell like? I'd like to get some of these reptiles the next time I'm not broke (if my mom will allow lizards in the apartment) - but I'm worried I might be allergic to sphagnum moss & if there's any mildew or mold I'd be allergic to that too...
@@wcdeich4 Honestly I never recognise a smell whatsoever, unless I stick my head inside the enclosure, then it smells like a woodland!
That's understandable, the moss isn't a big necessity to be honest, can easily be replaced with leaf litter. A healthy colony of springtails, soil mites and dwarf woodlice will keep all and any mould in check but if you're worried about allergies then there's no harm in avoiding it.
@@sg_animals. Do you know any place to buy soil mites? I once bought some potting soil that had soil mites in it & the plants grew better in it than anything else, but I gave those plants away & moved so I don't have any now.
@@wcdeich4 I've no idea I'm afraid no, I've never had to buy them. They always just find their way in somehow whether from outside, hitching on plants/substrate, they find a way aha
Could you not get a tegu or skink and feed the eggs to the other herp?
I could potentially feed them to my chinese water dragon, bosc monitor lizard or roach colony (if it was suitable and safe to do so). But my main issue is finding the eggs. My enclosure is for the most part fixed in position so taking everything apart every week to find eggs would be a bit of a nightmare sadly :(
@@sg_animals. ohh I'm just finishing up an epiweb build in a 90x45x45 with waterfall, misting fogger etc. I didn't think honestly they'd hide the eggs which is pretty obvious honestly.
So these would not be a good option if you dont want to have to deal with lots of babies?
Hey! :) Realistically no, if they're happy and healthy, they'll lay eggs and constantly have babies. There's not really any stopping them unless you find and destroy each egg yourself. Given how well they hide them though, I wouldn't count on that!
Are you considering getting your first gecko?
@@sg_animals. This would be my first gecko but iv owned other amphibians and reptiles in the past.
@@sg_animals. Do you have any recommendations for a different species of small gecko that eats primarily crested gecko mix?
@@flyguy9092 Other than crested geckos, not sure there's any I'd recommend. Peacock day geckos can be housed individually but benefit heavily from a diet with plenty of insects. They can also be temperamental so wouldn't recommend them as your first gecko. Even crested geckos need inverts in their diet often to be as healthy as possible.
@@sg_animals. Got it. Thanks for the help!!
I' ve had my mouning geckos for 8 months now and before they showed up frequently. I observed them hunting for little crickets, licking water or moulting. But for the last couple of weeks I hardly see them. Although insectcs are dissapearing (I do not know if they are being eaten or just dieing), repashy is being left untouched. What is happening? I would be grateful for any help or giveaway.
All I can really say is maybe have a root around the enclosure, back when I only had the 3 females there were occasions that I wouldn't see them for over a week. There's no possibility they might've escaped is there? No openings in the enclosure
@@sg_animals. Thank you for your answer. No, there is no chance thay might have escaped. Fortunately, yesterday night I saw one (of 5) eating repashy! :)
@@pawedzilinski7358 Great news! Glad to hear it, the rest are probably kicking around in there somewhere, keeping these guys is like a constant game of where's Wally 😂
@@sg_animals. is that like a british accustom because i thought it was called where's waldo?
What else can you put them in with in a big viv without conflict?
The only thing I've come across that'd be suitable (and has been done successfully by many keepers) is dart frogs. But they do need to be in a large enclosure (minimum 3ft wide by 4ft tall) to avoid conflict over space and food! :)
@@sg_animals. Great, thanks for the advice 👍
@@ricardosmythe2548 Always welcome!
How often do they lay eggs and do you need to do anything for them
They tend to lay eggs every month or two when happy! And no I don't do anything to stimulate them, just the correct environment and diet :)
Ok and is there anything to do if you don’t want babies and can you recommend any websites for vivariums and live food
Not really no. The only way would be to find and destroy all eggs, but that'd be impossible in a proper setup, they're good at hiding them. So if you want to give them a proper set up and proper life then babies are something you'll 100% have to be prepared for! Not sure where you're from but I use ''reptilecentre.com'' for most of my stuff, always had good quality stuff from them!
Ok and can you sell the babies?
If you find buyers then yeah. But since they breed so incredibly easy, they're very common in the hobby so I wouldn't count on it. Most reptile shops can easily source them for their customers so most won't go for private sellers I imagine. I also get very picky when rehoming animals as to if the next owner is up to task.
And do I need declorinate water
I just use standard tap water with mine, if your tap water is good quality then they'll be absolutely fine with it. If you're concerned then you can use bottled spring water, still gives them the minerals they need and you know it's clean!
Do I need uvb uva and uvc for a mourning gecko
Hey!
You'll need a UVB bulb, people argue for and against UVB. But with UVB you'll be avoiding a load of potential illnesses, so better safe than sorry! :)
Aku pelihara jenis yg ini ada 15 ekor
Mereka brilian bukan, berkembang biak dengan sangat cepat!
@@sg_animals. iya mereka berkembang biak sangat cepat, masih kecil tapi udh bertelur dan ukuranya nggak bisa besar"
Another small gecko is the chameleon gecko, not parthogenetic
Hey
Good shout, especially for keepers in England as they're not as demanding heat wise, less tropical. I've never come across any in the trade though, unless I'm looking in the wrong places. They're just not too easy to come by here. Have you ever kept any?
@@sg_animals. I think global geckos has two species of chameleon geckos for sale right now
@@greensapling342 You know global geckos? That used to be one of my locals till I moved away! I don't think they ever had the chameleon geckos when I visited unfortunately, thanks though :)
@@sg_animals. yeah they're around 20-30 minutes away so I visit them every once in a while, one of the best local reptile stores in my area! You should take a look at their website every once in a while, they have some cool rarer stuff for sale (saw they have chameleon geckos, keel bellied lizards, northern blue tongues, dimorphic false chameleons to name a few)
www.globalgeckos.co.uk/livestock/
Did they come with parasites I am thinking of housing them with my gecko they have the same requirements, they would be in a 48x24x48 inches so they could run away when mine tries to snack on them “he probably will get a few” but I think I should put in 4 and they can repopulate and mine will decrease the population:)
Purely depends on where you get them from, a good, responsible supplier, no parasites. I wouldn't recommend that to be honest, depending on the lizard you keep, it probably isn't a natural part of their diet. It'd also be an incredible stressful life for the mourning geckos. If the enclosure was the size of a whole room them it might work. But in that size enclosure it's pretty much border line animal abuse, I wouldn't recommend mixing lizard species like that.
sg animals leachianus they naturally eat geckos -.-
sg animals 5-4 foot long and 4 foot high is pretty big
For some reason when you wrote inches, I managed to read it as centimeters 😂 Hence the concern. That's a very nice sized enclosure then! If there's tonnes of hiding spots and you provide loads of feeding stations for the mourning geckos then in theory it could work. To be honest I don't know how much leachianus should depend on geckos as part of their diet, obviously don't want him hunting and feeding every night if it's only meant to be a treat. I guess my main concern would be the life the mourning geckos live. The more hidey holes and coverage they have, the more comfortable they'll be. Plus it'd be quite a fast dispatch if any were caught, not a long drawn out suffering.
It's similar to the live feeding rodents to snakes debate. Weighing up the enrichment to the suffering for each animal and determining an outcome which regardless, people are always going to disagree on. And this is a strange one because on one hand I like the thought of the enrichment both animals would experience living together, but I am concerned for the mourning geckos that may be over hunted and constantly stressed and struggle to get to their food source depending on the reaction of the other gecko. I'm not actually sure where I stand on this one 😂
sg animals yes he is already 10.5 inches in length I suspect he will get to 14 inches but all he does is hide in the cork all day I heard that mourning geckos come out at night and day and I would only put 3 in and if they disappear then I guess I won’t ever put morning geckos in the again I was debating on putting brown anoles or morning geckos in and there was no straight forward answer I want something that can live in there and can run away from my leachie I am spending over 300 pounds in plants so there will be lots of hides but I don’t suppose I put in 2 morning geckos and 1 brown anole?
They don't "breed" they clone. They are all female. The title is misleading.
It's more along the lines of getting the point across and I do mention they're a parthenogenic species in the vid, but I see your point, I've changed the title 😉
I got 2 today, I am hoping to get a colony eventually, if they decide to lay eggs for me xD
Knowing what these guys are like, you won't have much problem getting them to lay eggs 😂 Thanks for watching!
@@sg_animals. So it's been just over a year, and I now have 8. Had some issues with them eating eggs(usually 1, then leaving 1) - my first "hatchling" will be 1 year old the end of November. She hasn't started laying her own eggs yet.