Cohabitation for most gecko species is usually a big no-no. However, mourning geckos are known to be an exception. These social geckos love to stay in the company of other reptiles, including geckos. In fact, mourning geckos may feel depressed if they’re kept alone.
So, which are the best
The best
If you wish to know more about which
Table of Contents
Best Mourning Gecko Tank Mates
Mourning gecko cohabitation is usually safe if you find the right
However, it’s necessary to research the behavior and enclosure requirements of any
Tip: If you want to know how to set up a mourning gecko
tank correctly, read our article on that here.
For now, we have made a list of the five best
1. Dart Frogs
Mourning geckos and dart frogs are certainly the perfect
One of the main reasons why you can house mourning geckos and dart frogs is that the former is cathemeral (irregularly active throughout the day and night), whereas the latter is diurnal.
Therefore, these two species rarely encounter each other directly, even while living in the same enclosure.
Additionally, both mourning geckos and dart frogs require similar enclosure conditions. The table below compares the necessary temperature and humidity.
| Temperature Requirements | Humidity Requirements | |
| Dart Frogs | 75°F and 84°F | 70% to 80% |
| Mourning Geckos | 70°F to 80°F | 60% to 80% |
Note: Always take note of the dart frog’s size. You should avoid keeping thumbnail dart frogs and mourning geckos together. Thumbnail dart frogs are quite small, and can quickly become your mourning gecko’s prey.
2. Other Mourning Geckos
Among the reptile community, cohabitation is a huge taboo, especially in geckos.
Most geckos, including leopard geckos and crested geckos, are often territorial in nature. So, they may end up competing for everything, leading to immense stress or even injury.
However, as mentioned earlier, mourning geckos are an exception. These geckos are quite social and can survive in a group of two to three. Although you need to provide them with abundant space, so they don’t get stressed.
A colony of two to three mourning geckos requires an enclosure of dimensions 12 inches x 12 inches x 18 inches, to live comfortably.
Keep in mind that mourning geckos exhibit cannibalistic tendencies towards baby mourning geckos (including eggs, hatchlings, and juveniles). So, you should keep them in a separate area to prevent them from being eaten.
3. Crabs
You can keep certain crabs with your mourning geckos. It is because most crabs don’t feed on geckos. However, you need to keep one thing in mind. Mourning geckos aren’t aggressive, but crabs do tend to get territorial.
For instance, certain species such as hermit crabs aren’t a huge threat, but they love to pinch around other
Also, most crabs are also nocturnal, so there is a high possibility of contact between the crabs and the mourning geckos.
One of the most common crabs that people do keep with mourning geckos includes vampire crabs. Now, don’t be mistaken – vampire crabs are also pretty aggressive, but they won’t cause any danger to your mourning geckos.
Note: If you have any baby crabs in the
tank , you need to take special care as the mourning geckos may feed on them whenever they get a chance.
4. Shrimp
If you’re planning to build something like a paludarium, you can consider keeping shrimp inside the
But, note that if you’re planning to keep shrimp and mourning geckos together, the temperature needs to be well-adjusted.
Most shrimp require water temperature below 70°F. Hence, ensure that the overall temperature remains safe for all species in your paludarium.
5. Snails
Along with shrimp and crabs, you can also consider adding snails to your mourning geckos’
Now, a lot of gecko enthusiasts suggest not to keep snails with geckos, as both of them have separate
However, snails and mourning geckos make for a perfect fit as both require humidity between 70% to 90% and temperature between 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Additionally, mourning geckos are relatively small in size, so the risk of them feeding on adult snails is also minimal.
Caution: Keep in mind that you should avoid keeping baby snails with mourning geckos. The geckos might end up feeding on them.
Do Mourning Geckos Need to Live Together?
You can keep one mourning gecko if you don’t have the required space or resources to pet more.
However, according to some reptile owners, mourning geckos should be kept in a group of two to three. It is because mourning geckos are social reptiles. Due to this reason, they might get stressed, or even face problems if they’re housed alone.
If you’re planning to keep more than one mourning gecko in a
| Number of Mourning Geckos | Tank Size |
| 2-4 | 12x12x18 inch (30x30x45 cm) |
| 4-6 | 18x18x24 inch (45x45x60 cm) |
Also, don’t forget to provide enough climbing areas for your mourning geckos since they’re arboreal in nature!
Can Mourning Geckos Live With Other Geckos?
You may wonder if mourning geckos can live with other gecko species. Now, this isn’t possible for a variety of reasons.
Aggression
Most male geckos are aggressive in nature. Therefore, you cannot pair mourning geckos with a variety of gecko species including leopard geckos, crested geckos, and gargoyle geckos.
If you do keep your mourning geckos with other geckos, they may get stressed due to the constant aggression from the other geckos living in the same
Territorial Nature
Most gecko species are extremely territorial in nature. So, they will compete with the mourning geckos for everything such as –
Varying Tank Requirements
All gecko species have varying
Let’s take leopard geckos for example. Most Leos require minimum humidity between 30% to 40% as opposed to 60% to 80% humidity required by mourning geckos.
This large difference between the humidity requirements is enough to prove that you should not keep mourning geckos and Leos in the same
Final Thoughts
Mourning geckos are exciting pets to have! They’re social and compatible with various organisms, including other mourning geckos, as discussed in this article. Moreover, you can care for them easily as they’re not high-maintenance.
However, avoid keeping mourning geckos with other gecko species as that may lead to unhealthy competition and aggression.
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