How to Safely Remove a Lizard from Your Room: Tips and Methods

Having a lizard in your room might seem alarming at first, but there are effective ways to safely and humanely remove it without causing distress. This guide outlines methods to support both you and the lizard, ensuring a stress-free experience for both.

Tips for Dealing with an Intrusive Lizard

Ignore It: Lucky Digit! The chances are high that this lizard is more scared of you than you are of it. It likely entered your room to escape from even worse pests or for some accidental reason. Ignoring its presence can encourage it to leave on its own. Just ensure it has a safe outdoor route to the garden or a nearby wooded area.

Ethical Removal Techniques

Peacock Feather Trick: If you're handy with a feather, or access to one, you can use this as a gentle tool to guide the lizard. Peacocks have naturally scary feathers for most creatures, including lizards. With slow, steady movements, you can coax the lizard to follow the feather out of your room and into a safer environment. This method respects the lizard's natural instincts and allows a calm escape.

Humanely Capturing and Releasing

Catch and Release: If you can catch the lizard safely, the best outcome is to release it back outdoors. Lizards are well-adapted to outdoor life, thriving in natural surroundings. They play a crucial role in pest control, eating insects that could be detrimental to indoor plants and structures. Relocating it to a suitable outdoor spot means it can continue its beneficial role.

Alternative Methods for Capture

Wadded Damp Towel: If direct capture is challenging, creating a makeshift trap can be effective. Place a wadded up, damp towel on the floor. Check in an hour, and the lizard is likely to have hidden underneath. Carefully lift the towel and gently release the lizard outside, where it can seek its natural habitat.

Caring for a Terrarium or Outdoor Habitat

If you decide to keep the lizard temporarily, a terrarium can offer a suitable temporary home. Ensure it has the right conditions, including food, water, and appropriate environmental features such as a basking light that heats only part of the area. However, if you do not wish to keep it as a pet, a temporary outdoor environment with proper food and water can be healthier for it in the long run.

Nighttime and Daytime Behavior

Nocturnal and Diurnal Lizards: Understanding the lizard's behavior can help in catching it more effectively. Nocturnal lizards prefer darkness, so turning off the lights and avoiding the area can encourage them to come out. Diurnal lizards, active during the day, may come out in the light. Use this knowledge to set up a trap or gently guide the lizard to the outdoor environment, using food as an incentive if needed, though getting a cricket or similar insects to the right spot may be challenging.

By following these tips and methods, you can ensure that any lizard you encounter in your room is removed without causing harm, promoting a peaceful resolution for both you and the lizard.