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Help! Large reptile in my house

Doublete

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Oh boy... Az is where I want to retire but you're scaring me... I hate the critters being talked about...
 

Happynme

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Ive never seen a lizard pass up crickets! If they sing their hearts out in a trap (that bottle.trap works btw) lizard will go for those within 12hrs id say. Good luck.
I live here in tx and have had everything from a baby possum sharing side by side with my porch kittys meal. To a 12ft water moccison in the dog pen after my ducks eggs. We had 9 snakes come up in 3 months. We rehomed the ducks. I can handle anything except spiders and snakes. Most everything else runs hides or is big enough to throw a container over it and relocate it.
Nearly had a heart attack when one night i was sitting on the back porch and something cold touched my foot...thinking it was a dogs nose...reached down to pet it....upon touching.it i realised it was NOT a DOG. It was a 5 ft cotton mouth . I am not ashamed to admit i peed my pants right there. I had to slowly bring my hand back up. And sit there until it slithered the rest of the way over.my foot and far enough away that i felt safe to move. Ive never in my life been that scared before that or after. Im thankful it wasnt its head. My dog whose scared of the vacume cleaner Spots it and starts barking.at it and im screaming toby toby toby...he finally listened and ran to me. Thankfully that snake was more after duck.eggs or ???? Than to worry with biting. . The ducks were taken to a friend the next day. Cried the whole way as id raised them as ducklings but the 2 females would always lay and i was NOT going to temp anymore snakes. Im lucky none of my dogs or us were bitten.
 

CallmeSweetie

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this is what geckos get up to at my house no wonder there are so many! this was taken last year i was wondering the other day how long the average lifespan is will have to look it up

upload_2015-9-19_18-49-37.png
 

Macawnutz

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I going to admit many of you are much braver than I. I can't stand bugs let alone a giant reptile in my house, I would never move to Phoenix! We recently had a colony of camel crickets move into our basement. I found this article MOST helpful. It also helped to bring a bit of laughter to my dilemma as I was NOT having this.

Getting rid of camel crickets - Colin Purrington
 
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Hankmacaw

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Oh boy... Az is where I want to retire but you're scaring me... I hate the critters being talked about...
Aww - come on down - you'll get used to our critters. Up in the mountains where I live, we have bears and mountain lions and coyotes. There will be a rattlesnake now and then, but like others have said they stay away from humans and dogs.
 

rockybird

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Well, I found another dropping under the living room credenza last night, near where I found the first one. I left three mealworms out and they were not eaten. They were left on a lid, but I dont think that would deter a big lizard. I think that these droppings have to be from the large lizard I found last week or from a lizard that somehow found its way out of the house by now. I cleaned the living room floor last Monday, so I know the first dropping wasnt there at that time. It's possible it somehow got pushed out from under the credenza by a gecko, or maybe when I was frantically sweeping and vacuuming before my mother arrived 6 hours early and I somehow didnt notice it. But I cant see that I would have not noticed it. I had this house spotless. Anyway, I just dont think there is a lizard in the house anymore or I would have seen it. I'll leave three more mealworms out tonight though, just in case.

@Happynme Your brush with the water moccasin is SCAREY!!! Yikes! You are so lucky it didnt bite you! When I was 10, we lived in NC briefly, I found a baby copperhead that I thought was dead. I put it in my overalls pocket and forgot about it, playing all day. I pulled it out at dinnertime. I remember my mother dropping the dishes. It was definitely alive and thank goodness hadnt bitten me. It was probably quite happy and warm in my pocket.

Here's a pic of things I found in the pool one day last year, all dead unfortunately, wolf spider, scorpion, and camel spider/scorpion:
 

rockybird

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Oh my gosh! I just saw him!!! There IS a big lizard in the house! He's hanging on the rock wall behind the credenza. He's not as big as the one I found last week, but is still good size! I think it might be another desert spiny lizard. He's a good 8 inches long. Poor thing is hanging on the wall behind the credenza - very scared.

I put two mealworms out. Here I was laying in bed and I kept seeing movement along the slider window and I thought it was a bird outside. It was still there a few mins later and I looked up and it was the lizard!

Thank goodness because I thought I was crazy! I was sure I had cleaned under that credenza on Monday before my mother got here.
 
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Ankou

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I'm glad you found it! Now how to get it back outside I wonder?


You all make me want to stay in Alaska forever. :eek:
I'll take bears in the woods over snakes and scorpions in my house any day.

No large venomous bugs, no reptiles period, not even any rat problem, and roach/etc invasions are almost exclusive to apartments and very unclean living in my understanding. Lots of moose but those tend to not break into homes and the bears mostly stay away from urban areas... though you might get carried off by mosquitoes every once and a while.

We do have one species of frog, which can startle admittedly. I'll be cleaning up dog poop in the rain when suddenly one soggy turd will run for it's life.
I will never not jump when that happens. :laugh:
 

Happynme

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Well, I found another dropping under the living room credenza last night, near where I found the first one. I left three mealworms out and they were not eaten. They were left on a lid, but I dont think that would deter a big lizard. I think that these droppings have to be from the large lizard I found last week or from a lizard that somehow found its way out of the house by now. I cleaned the living room floor last Monday, so I know the first dropping wasnt there at that time. It's possible it somehow got pushed out from under the credenza by a gecko, or maybe when I was frantically sweeping and vacuuming before my mother arrived 6 hours early and I somehow didnt notice it. But I cant see that I would have not noticed it. I had this house spotless. Anyway, I just dont think there is a lizard in the house anymore or I would have seen it. I'll leave three more mealworms out tonight though, just in case.

@Happynme Your brush with the water moccasin is SCAREY!!! Yikes! You are so lucky it didnt bite you! When I was 10, we lived in NC briefly, I found a baby copperhead that I thought was dead. I put it in my overalls pocket and forgot about it, playing all day. I pulled it out at dinnertime. I remember my mother dropping the dishes. It was definitely alive and thank goodness hadnt bitten me. It was probably quite happy and warm in my pocket.

Here's a pic of things I found in the pool one day last year, all dead unfortunately, wolf spider, scorpion, and camel spider/scorpion:
Glad you found your lizzard. And that photo makes my skin crawl. I had a wolf spider crawl across my face as a child....ever since then....shudder.
Yes i was very very lucky that snake was likely full.of eggs and happy to just slither away. Omg a baby copperhead in your pocket ALL DAY? id have dropped dishes too?
 

Happynme

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I'm glad you found it! Now how to get it back outside I wonder?


You all make me want to stay in Alaska forever. :eek:
I'll take bears in the woods over snakes and scorpions in my house any day.

No large venomous bugs, no reptiles period, not even any rat problem, and roach/etc invasions are almost exclusive to apartments and very unclean living in my understanding. Lots of moose but those tend to not break into homes and the bears mostly stay away from urban areas... though you might get carried off by mosquitoes every once and a while.

We do have one species of frog, which can startle admittedly. I'll be cleaning up dog poop in the rain when suddenly one soggy turd will run for it's life.
I will never not jump when that happens. :laugh:
CAN I COME LIVE WITH YOU?
 

rockybird

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@Ankou I grew up in Anchorage! My father is still there along with my two brothers. I used to catch those frogs when I was little in the summer. LOL I always felt left out from the rest of the US because we didnt have snakes and lizards. When I came to AZ to visit my grandparents, they would always take me to the desert to see the wildlife.

I remember telling my grandfa. that I wanted to catch a lizard when I was 7. He laughed, took me to the desert, and said give it a try. Well, I thought I had one trapped under a bush, until I heard the rattler. It slithered out as I withdrew my hand and got ready to strike, tail rattling, coiled with it's head up high. I screamed for my grandpa. Luckily, he carried a pistol and shot it.

I just came home from running an errand. I think one mealworm is eaten (or it got away). The lizard is gone. I'll read up on lizard traps...might try that coke bottle one if it isnt too small.
 

rockybird

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@MandaExotics Thanks for the video! He's too big I to get through the bottle opening. I might try a box with plastic over the top and a slit for him to get in to get a bug in the box. I am a little afraid that he'll collapse the plastic but doesnt hurt to try.
 

MandaExotics

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@MandaExotics Thanks for the video! He's too big I to get through the bottle opening. I might try a box with plastic over the top and a slit for him to get in to get a bug in the box. I am a little afraid that he'll collapse the plastic but doesnt hurt to try.
Duct tape the plastic down. Or cut a hole through it. Just some ideas. It definitely doesn't hurt to try
 

rockybird

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@MandaExotics I used a cereal box with a flap that will close behind him. I taped it to the floor and put a few meal worms in. Do you think that will work? I am starting to stress because I think he is stressed and I dont want him to starve to death. I dont know how long he has been in the house. I dont know where he is either. :(
 

MandaExotics

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@MandaExotics I used a cereal box with a flap that will close behind him. I taped it to the floor and put a few meal worms in. Do you think that will work? I am starting to stress because I think he is stressed and I dont want him to starve to death. I dont know how long he has been in the house. I dont know where he is either. :(
I'm not sure if it'll work. Is your cereal box clear? So long as the lizard has an easy way to get in but not as easy to get out. Just keep trying, what will be will be. Wherever you've seen him or evidence of him I'd put traps around there. Lizards can be hardy animals sometimes. My friend's pet gecko went missing for over a year before she found it in the basement one night. Not a clue how the thing survived. It's always better if you can find them though.
 

rockybird

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@MandaExotics Thanks! He did not eat the mealworms I left on the bathroom floor or under the credenza. He did not go in the box. I am going to call a reptile store today when they open. I am really concerned he will starve to death. :(
 

MandaExotics

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@MandaExotics Thanks! He did not eat the mealworms I left on the bathroom floor or under the credenza. He did not go in the box. I am going to call a reptile store today when they open. I am really concerned he will starve to death. :(
Think about contacting your local pest control if that doesn't help. They may (or not) offer free advice on how to get it safely out. Some lizards are fast, makes catching them tricky sometimes.
 

rockybird

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The problem is he is very good at hiding and I have a huge house. I'll try to call a pest control co. though. It cant hurt. I havent seen him since yesterday early afternoon. :(
 

rockybird

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UPDATE!!! I CAUGHT HIM!!!!! I am so relieved!!!! I was on the phone with a reptile store. They were suggesting I look around anything warm - entertainment center or refrigerator- when I looked up and saw him looking out the window. He couldnt run very well on the slippery floor, so I covered him with a shirt. He went catatonic, but once outside for minute or two in the heat, he took off. I believe it is a male desert spiny lizard. I think he was about 10-12 inches long.




Look at his pretty back!
 
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Dartman

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Handsome little fellow, thanks for helping him out and letting him be what he is.
 
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