Help, gecko in the house!

[Lpierleo]

Not used to these creatures as we are from up north. Somehow, a gecko got in the house. :eek:We thought we had him, but unfortunately my husband only got some of his tail. :22yikes:We have closed the door to the spare bedroom, stuffed a towel under the door and have tried searching for him about every hour to no avail. We have tried daytime, nighttime searches and he can't be found. :shrug::shrug: What do we do? It's really giving me the creeps.:cryin2: thanks in advance

[redwitch]

1. They're harmless.
2. Odds are it will either find a way out (they don't need much room to squeeze out) or it will die in there. (If they die, they don't stink and can be easily vacuumed up.
3. They're really, truly harmless.
4. This is Florida. Hate to say it, but you may as well get used to it -- they will, on occasion, get in the house.
5. They're harmless.

[mac9]

When I had one in my guest room, I turned on the lamp and closed the door. After about an hour, I went in and found the little bugger on the bulb (I guess that they like the warmth).. Kind of looked like a scene from Jurassic Park. Picked up a washcloth and grabbed the anole (they're really not geckos) and carried it outside. As RW said, they are really harmless. The tail that came off is a defense mechanism that they have. They "throw" their tails to fool you.
May I recommend a cat. Mine catches them and puts them in the guest bathtub. For some reason, they can't seem to climb out of there. I check it every so often and now use a paper towel instead of a washcloth to remove it to the outdoors.

[mixsonci]

They also will eat mosquitos, a cat will have fun with them, they are harmless. I have lived overseas for many years and have had geckos many times in different countries, they usually stay up high near the ceiling and they are harmless.

[jebartle]

your little gecko will be history!

[kittygilchrist]

Poor little guy. Try to humanely catch and release...please.

[Bryan]

First, it is an Anole, not a Gecko. No big deal, both are harmless.

Second, seeing one around is a really good sign. Snakes eat them. This is Florida so if there are none around your home, you have a snake nearby. If they are around, you are probably near - snake-free. Name your poison!

[quirky3]

I use a toy fishing net on a pole to catch and release outdoors.

[graciegirl]

I can't warm up to them. The boys sit on my front porch railing and inflate the front of themselves in a lewd and lascivious way. When I am not looking they poop on my porch rails and probably on my porch cushions.

I wouldn't harm them, but Mikey would if he could get out on the front porch. I don't see any on the screened in back lanai where our two cats are allowed to be.

I don't wish the geckos any harm, but I can't feel all cozy about them.

[TVMayor]

For Villages home self-defense I recommend.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTC8ME5L7cvocMhO-qsap4vSu6WCuH9DRIz2ZETMe9JdT_oG1o2

Get the whole thing not just the tail.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Leave it alone. You'll probably find it's little skeleton behind the sofa some day.

[Lpierleo]

Thank you all for your sage advise. :bowdown: Our "hunts" have ceased. He is nowhere to be found.:shrug: Perhaps he found a way out on his own accord. (at least that is what I keep telling myself). If we did find him, we would just catch and release the little creature. I don't mind them on the screens outside, just startled :shocked:me in the bedroom. No wonder he didn't try to sell us insurance, he isn't even a gecko!:MOJE_whot:Many thanks.

[George Bieniaszek]

Never had any that I saw inside my home. They freak my wife out and after 3.5 years living here, she still is scared of them. Quite a show outside when she sees one :) Most of them live on the side of our CYV near or under the HVAC Unit. We have affectionately called that area GeckoLand and my wife doesn't go near there to weed or garden!! HA HA HA

[DonH57]

It will leave if it don't find any potato chips soon.

[marianne237]

Our terrier catches them on occasion and loves to chase them in the lanai. As said earlier, they eat mosquitos and keep our lanai small insect free. Nothing to fear, actually entertaining when you get used to them.

[FLSun]

Sleep with the sheet pulled over your head.

[graciegirl]

:22yikes:Sleep with the sheet pulled over your head.

Yeah. But what did I just feel against the side of my leg...........:22yikes:[

[Bonnevie]

my son was my official catcher. I try to get them out because they die in the house.

[DaleMN]

Anyone mention that they are harmless. :doh:

[MikeV]

We had two on our Lanai. I tried to catch one of them and inadvertently killed it. I felt really bad about it. So we decided to just leave the other one alone. We figure if they found their way in they will find a way out.

[Bogie Shooter]

:22yikes:

Yeah. But what did I just feel against the side of my leg...........:22yikes:[

Sweetie............?

[Russ_Boston]

I use a toy fishing net on a pole to catch and release outdoors.


I use a regular fish net (the kind for plucking goldfish in a tank) and a flexible cutting board. First you place the net over the anole on a wall or screen or wherever. Then you slide the cutting board on the wall to cover the net opening. Just carry outside and release. I've done dozens like this (most I catch near the pool area on the screen. Mrs. Boston insists on an anole free area.

[skyguy79]

Our cat likes to catch them and bring them in from the birdcage. When she does bring one in, we just put another place setting at the dinner table so it can join us for dinner. Why do we do that you ask? Well... it's because we live in America's friendliest home town of course! :throwtomatoes:

[clekr]

There are no geckos in Fl. They are anoles.

[DougB]

I had a little chameleon on my lanai that couldn't change colors. I think it has reptile dysfunction.

[CFrance]

I had a little chameleon on my lanai that couldn't change colors. I think it has reptile dysfunction.

I see you're home from school...

[CFrance]

There are no geckos in Fl. They are anoles.

Floridians are all anoles?

[DonH57]

I had a little chameleon on my lanai that couldn't change colors. I think it has reptile dysfunction.

LOL. Good one Doug.

[skyguy79]

I had a little chameleon on my lanai that couldn't change colors. I think it has reptile dysfunction.:1rotfl::clap2:

[springfield]

Those little guys are too fast! Take a wet rag which will drop fast on them, and carefully scoop up and return them to not your house

[Carl in Tampa]

I had a little chameleon on my lanai that couldn't change colors. I think it has reptile dysfunction.

:1rotfl::clap2::clap2::a040::a040::MOJE_whot:

[murray607]

Not used to these creatures as we are from up north. Somehow, a gecko got in the house. :eek:We thought we had him, but unfortunately my husband only got some of his tail. :22yikes:We have closed the door to the spare bedroom, stuffed a towel under the door and have tried searching for him about every hour to no avail. We have tried daytime, nighttime searches and he can't be found. :shrug::shrug: What do we do? It's really giving me the creeps.:cryin2: thanks in advance

He is just trying to sell you insurance.

Sign the paperwork and he'll leave

[CFrance]

He is just trying to sell you insurance.

Sign the paperwork and he'll leave

Another good one! You and DougB should team up! :1rotfl:

[Carl in Tampa]

They are not only harmless, they are beneficial.

They eat spiders, cockroaches and other bugs.

Personally, I tolerate them and am not disturbed by their presence. They are distantly related to iguanas which are kept by some people as pets.......don't ask me why.

When my wife noticed one and insisted that it be removed, the technique that I used was to throw a bath towel over it, gather the towel up around it and take it out into the yard.

Occasionally, I find an entire skeleton of one in the house. If it died from hunger it must indicate my house is pretty much bug free.

:thumbup:

[DougB]

Another good one! You and DougB should team up! :1rotfl:

I love teamwork - it allows me to blame someone else.

[Rango]

They taste just like chicken.

[kittygilchrist]

They are not only harmless, they are beneficial.

They eat spiders, cockroaches and other bugs.

Personally, I tolerate them and am not disturbed by their presence. They are distantly related to iguanas which are kept by some people as pets.......don't ask me why.

When my wife noticed one and insisted that it be removed, the technique that I used was to throw a bath towel over it, gather the towel up around it and take it out into the yard.

Occasionally, I find an entire skeleton of one in the house. If it died from hunger it must indicate my house is pretty much bug free.

:thumbup:

that's pretty much my m.o. for house critters. I know they can't live in the house but they don't. Try to escort them to the nearest grass. Frog skeletons make me sad.

[DougB]

They taste just like chicken.

We could host Florida's first anole (no geckos in Fl) leg festival. Serve 'em buffaloed, fried, barbecued.

[Lpierleo]

We have not seen him again! We didn't need anymore insurance, so perhaps he moved on?

[murray607]

I love teamwork - it allows me to blame someone else.

"That's another fine mess.........."

Hmmm, Doug and Jim......not quite like Stan and Ollie....

[murray607]

There are no geckos in Fl. They are anoles.

Well, after an extensive 3 minute search on google.com I can say there are infact geckos in Florida. They are not native, but are introduced as, according to the article, are the brown anoles. Only the green anole is native.

Florida Lizards Guide - Florida eco traveler guide (http://www.wildflorida.com/florida_lizards.php)

[IADCathy]

For Villages home self-defense I recommend.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTC8ME5L7cvocMhO-qsap4vSu6WCuH9DRIz2ZETMe9JdT_oG1o2

Get the whole thing not just the tail.

Oh no!!! Poor little things. They have beating hearts--a towel is better to capture and release and you get some exercise thrown in!

[Matzy]

It is right, Anole's are around. We have a cat and the first meeting with an Anole ended that our cat ate it. Not very successfully! She throw up two times and did not eat any food for almost two days. Now she is just playing with this little creatures, mostly they disappear through a little opening in the Lanai.

[graciegirl]

Floridians are all anoles?

Just some villagers. Have you tried speech therapy, C? ;)

[coconutmama]

Not used to these creatures as we are from up north. Somehow, a gecko got in the house. :eek:We thought we had him, but unfortunately my husband only got some of his tail. :22yikes:We have closed the door to the spare bedroom, stuffed a towel under the door and have tried searching for him about every hour to no avail. We have tried daytime, nighttime searches and he can't be found. :shrug::shrug: What do we do? It's really giving me the creeps.:cryin2: thanks in advance

We had one in the house recently. Was hiding under the sofa. So we opened the sliders to the lania and he (?) went out into the sun. Husband caught him in a cup & put him outside. Cute, but don't care to have him die (or poop) in the house. Let him go eat some bugs & do something useful.

[CFrance]

Just some villagers. Have you tried speech therapy, C? ;)

:a20::a20:

[Bavarian]

We have Gekkos in MD. When we see them we ask for an insurance quote and they leave. Have seen some here crawling up the outside wall, same technique gets rid of them.

[perrjojo]

Just grab the anole with your hand. He won't hurt you. Just don't squeeze too tight.

[travelguy]

they are harmless. and if/when our cat finds one it quickly disappears. she must think that they are hairless mice!

[casita37]

Anoles, geckos, lizards....and even iguanas were just part of everyday life when we lived in the Caribbean. Nobody even bats an eye at them. Every once in a while my neighbor will get a bit excited and point out what she calls a gecko and try to get away from it. It always takes me aback a little (like..yeah, so?), then I remember I'm not in the islands anymore.