I am the hand of god...

June 12, 2007 9:01 AM

Should I move a lizard found in my bathroom to the outside world?

Ok, so I've seen this lizard in my shower for a couple of days. He's actually the cool, pale-looking kind that has sticky feet so he can crawl up walls easily.

On one hand, I consider the possibility that he may be there by choice... But what if he just got lost and can't find his way out?

I don't see many (actually, any) ants or bugs in the bathroom area, so I'm worried that he may starve to death.

Do I leave him there and hope he knows what he's doing? Or do I take him outside where there are plenty of things for him to eat? I don't want to make (or fail to make) a decision that may affect his survival.

Thanks!

posted by eas98 to pets & animals (13 comments total)

Is there an egress? Can you provide a means of escape for him? Like a two-by-four he can climb to an open window? Then he can decide for himself.
posted by mds35 at 9:03 AM on June 12, 2007

Actually, no, there's no way out of the house that I know of. The windows are security-screened, and there are no doors to the outside anywhere nearby. I'm not sure how he got there in the first place, but I imagine he found a hole somewhere.
posted by eas98 at 9:07 AM on June 12, 2007

You should put it outside.
posted by IronLizard at 9:12 AM on June 12, 2007

A lizard has no idea what a house or bathroom is. please set him loose.
posted by damn dirty ape at 9:14 AM on June 12, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Actually, no, there's no way out of the house that I know of.

That pretty much answers the question of whether or not he's there by choice. He's probably in the bathroom because it's one fo the few places in the house that he can get a drink.
posted by 517 at 9:19 AM on June 12, 2007

Put him outside and maybe put an old saucer with water outside too if you are concerned.
posted by gomichild at 9:20 AM on June 12, 2007

A lizard has no idea what a house or bathroom is. please set him loose.

Oy! No! Or, it depends.

Grew up in Hawaii, home to lots of (indoor) geckos. We liked having them inside, because they eat mosquitos,giant flying roaches, spiders, etc. If he got in, he can get out, if he wants to. Leave him in your bathroom (ours used to like the bathroom a lot too - it was popular with moths and mosquitos), and count your blessings.

And unless you're the size of a gecko, then you'll have no idea if there are gecko-sized holes/cracks to the outside. There probably are.
posted by rtha at 9:22 AM on June 12, 2007

Seconding rtha's comment. Gecko's in your bathroom can be a good thing if you have an indoor mosquito problem.

Looking at your profile, however, it looks like you're in a pretty urban area in Miami, so I should hope that indoor mosquitos, flies, and other bugs aren't a problem for you. If that's the case, it may be best to try to catch and release the little guy, but be forewarned, those geckos can really book it when they have a mind to!

They do tend to leave disgusting excrement stuck to random parts of the wall, floor, etc, so that's another thing to consider.
posted by i less than three nsima at 9:47 AM on June 12, 2007

I had a "pet" lizard for a while. His name was Bob. He did a great job at pest control, until I accidentally squished him in the door. :-(
posted by clh at 10:35 AM on June 12, 2007

Let him out, if you don't have an adequate insect populaton to feed him. My parents (who live just north of LA in a desert climate) had a lizard in the house; they saw him once and then again several weeks later. The first time, he was fine...the second, they thought he was dead. He was either so dehydrated or so starved that he could barely move. We put him outside in the rosebushes (which had just been watered) and when we looked for him a few hours later he was gone...either he revived, or maybe something ate him. In any case, he couldn't find what he needed to live in our house and we all felt pretty sad about the whole thing.
posted by crinklebat at 10:48 AM on June 12, 2007

Oh yeah - if you try to catch him, and he drops his tail, don't worry. They're designed to do that. It's weird to have an un-gecko'ed tail wiggling in your hand, though.
posted by rtha at 11:00 AM on June 12, 2007

Thanks everyone. I will release the gecko into the wild.
posted by eas98 at 3:00 PM on June 12, 2007

Geckos tend to jump when frightened, so it can be easiest to catch them with a box to catch them when they fall. It's fun when you startle them walking through a door, so they jump, and land in your hair :-)) My house has more geckos than your above-average reptile store. Sometimes I catch the little ones (especially on cold days) and let them get warm on my hand. They like it, once they realize they aren't being attacked. Frequently babies turn up on my monitor, doubtless drawn by the warmth.
posted by Goofyy at 1:31 AM on June 13, 2007