Lizard Invasion–Help!!!

By 13 commentsCategory: Personal Life

This morning I woke up to not one, not two, but three gecko-esque critters hanging out on the magazine basket in the living room. Little lizards are an inescapable part of Florida (and luckily I don’t have a gecko phobia or anything, despite having suffered through an over abundance of Geico commercials) but this spring I am chasing the stupid critters outside several times a day–when I can catch them. Aargh!! Most of my neighbors just shrug and suffer in silence, but not me. Oh no, not me.

One of the lizards’ favorite guerrilla tactics is to camouflage themselves on the steps in front of my door, so that when I arrive at home–especially at night, when it’s too shadowy to tell–they can dart past my feet into my house. Why, lizard gods, why?!

HELP! How do I keep the little buggers from coming inside? And once inside, how do I get them out??

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13 comments

  1. Phyllis - Reply

    I know this sounds silly, but why do you care? Lizards in my house don’t bother me — I think it’s just part of the ambiance of living in Florida (cockroaches, of course, are another matter altogether, shudder). Of course, the lizards don’t hang around long once they see my dog.

    That’s it — get a lizard-hunting dog. (Or I could send mine over for a visit.)

  2. Erica Ridley - Reply

    TBH, I *didn’t* care, until my cousin came to visit, freaked out when he saw the lizards (he was afraid they’d snuggle him in his sleep), and asked me whether he should be concerned about lizard droppings in his bed/clothes/etc.

    And my answer was: Uhhh… I don’t know. Maybe?

  3. CM - Reply

    Cats.

    Worked for me when I lived in Florida.

    Of course, then you have to pick up the lizard tails that find themselves strewn about, but ….

  4. Bill Clark - Reply

    How do I keep the little buggers from coming inside?

    You already know my answer: Move to Greenwich, where we have recycling bins on every corner and no lizards (other than the human variety). 🙂

  5. keri mikulski :) - Reply

    That would freak me out.. Yuck! How do they make it inside?

    My husband is always bringing home gecko toys for our toddler.. Can you guess what company my hubby works for?? 🙂

  6. Jessica Burkhart - Reply

    I second the cats suggestion. I’ve never had one inside, but I love to stalk them on my porch. 🙂

  7. La Belle Americaine - Reply

    Do you keep windows or doors open? Or lots of shrubbery and greenery growing close to your house? Or water? That’s my only reaction to lizards entering a home.

  9. BernardL - Reply

    Remember lizards are part of nature and earth day, Erica. Invite them in for snacks and live in peace and harmony with all creatures of the earth… gagging now… I hear they taste just like chicken. 🙂

  10. Carrie Ryan - Reply

    yep, cats.

    We had a lizard inside over the weekend. I didn’t realize it until our dog was antsy and whiny. I swear that dog is a wimp! Totally freaked out by a little lizard!

  11. Karen Lingefelt - Reply

    I’m scared of spiders and snakes, and my day is totally ruined anytime I see roaches or ants, yet I don’t mind the occasional lizard. How weird is that?

    We used to have a cat that would chase them down, and one morning, I woke up to find half a lizard in the middle of the kitchen floor.

    We had to give away the cat because a family member is allergic. Now we have dogs, and I haven’t seen a lizard since.

    How about that lady in the news recently, who found the alligator in her kitchen?

  12. lacey kaye - Reply

    Lizards are like spiders. They’re all welcome in my house. What else would eat the other bugs? Lizards = no roaches! (In FL. Luckily, in WA we don’t have roaches. Yet another reason to love the NW.)

  13. JulieLeto - Reply

    You know, I can count the times I’ve had the lizards in the house…but then, I have a dog who loves to chase them.

    The lizards are everywhere down here, people. I mean…honestly, everywhere. They aren’t big and they don’t bite (though they will clamp onto a finger if you’re not careful…they’ll also clamp on to earlobes…yes, the kids around here do like to “wear” them and freak out the adults, who forget they used to do that when they were kids.)

    I highly suggest a cat. But they don’t live long indoors…if I find them, I scoop them up into a plastic cup and toss them outside.

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