Wildlife that visits your home is not always the cute and furry sort. Sometimes you find yourself dealing with lizards and other less welcome guests. As fast as they are, you soon find yourself frustrated with trying to catch them. What should be done about reptiles in your walls?
How to Get Rid of Lizards Without Killing Them
If you find a single lizard indoors, it just made a mistake. Few lizards live indoors long-term. A clean home has too few insects and sources of water for them to eat.
The best thing to do is to catch the lizard and take it back outside. Which is difficult, given their speed. Several smaller lizards also have adhesive toe pads, enabling them to run straight up walls, out of reach.
A soft-bristled broom is all you need to knock a lizard free from the ceiling. At which point, a partner with a blanket or towel should throw it over the lizard, cutting off its escape. If you are fast and precise, you could try to grab the lizard bare-handed.
But be gentle as it’s easy to break the bones of a small lizard when reaching for it. You also have nothing to fear from a house lizard’s bite. Venomous lizards tend to be giants like the gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) and komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis).
How to Get Rid of House Lizards
If lizards are living indoors then there is a steady source of food and water somewhere. Dripping taps, leaky pipes, and condensation from cold metal are the main places to check.
Fix any leaks and mop up condensation several times per day. You could also set pest traps at these spots instead.
Indoor lizards eat small insects like roaches, flies, spiders, and centipedes. So trapping and killing enough insects will cause your lizard population to crash.
If your home is infested with insects then you should look at having an exterminator come over. Home fumigation will even kill termites, which may live in your walls and are a favorite lizard food.
Seal Entry Holes
Patching and caulking entry points along the exterior is the first step to getting rid of lizards in the house. Start with the most obvious entry points that are near brush. As well as the sun-facing side of the house as lizards will bask there first.
Lizards enter homes to find not just food but also shelter. If you live in the United States or a similar temperate country, lizards are often trying to escape the onset of fall and winter.
The insulation in your walls and interior heating of your home give these cold-blooded animals a respite from the cold. They may even intend to hibernate in a cool, protected spot.
But your home remains much warmer than the outdoors, even the inside of the walls. That allows lizards to remain active throughout the winter. Wasps, snakes, and other unwanted guests often become indoor pests for the same reason.
Last, think of setting up alternative hibernation places near the home. Wood piles, tool sheds, and other small shelters are ideal spots for small animals to overwinter.
They will choose these dark, human-free places whenever possible. You can even cover wood piles with a tarp for extra warmth and waterproofing.
How to Get Rid of Tegu Lizards
If you live in Florida, you may find the occasional tegu on your property. Tegus are invasive omnivores from South America.
Due to the pet trade, they have become established in the state and cause problems for local wildlife. They also damage home gardens, often when there are fruit and vegetables for them to eat.
These lizards grow up to 5 feet long and have powerful jaws, claws, and tails. Since tegus are very aggressive if provoked, a tegu removal service is your best option.
Benefits of Keeping Lizards Around
At first glance, lizards seem like pests. But they do a lot to control pests for you, both inside and outside of your home. Lizards eat several bugs per day. Spiders, millipedes, roaches, and house cricket are all on their menu.
What if you decide you want to know how to get rid of garden lizards? Well, you might succeed. But you will then have a plague of caterpillars, beetles, slugs, and other pests, eating your flowers and vegetables.
Conclusion
The occasional house lizard is a pest to be dealt with. Which is why I’ve recommended several ways for catching them via non-lethal means. As well as discouraging them from living inside your home.
But getting rid of all of your lizards is a mistake. They are one of the best free insect control services you could ever ask for.
