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tony_pman

Lizards

tony_pman
18 years ago

My Sister-in-Law is over run with lizards. She wants them gone. She has had her yard man try to find a way to get rid of them, No luck. She called me. I have tried the internet, lots of books, ect. I can not find any way to get rid of them.

I always left mine along, I like them.

Can any one help.

Tony

Comments (48)

  • tsmith2579
    18 years ago

    Hey, Tony. What kind of lizards are they? Are they the anoles which most of us call chameleons becasue they chnage color? Are they the blue tailed skinks, the striped ones with a bright blue tail and runs really fast? Or, are they the spotted salamanders?

    The best way to get rid of the anoles is to clean up the piles of leaves, lumber and vines around the house. BTW, I had an anole on the greehouse last Sunday and he had a split tail with two tips. I have a metal shed cover laying on the patio and the anoles just love to plat in and around it.

    The skinks like rocky, dry areas. If there are rock piles around, remove them. If the house is made of fields stone, I don't have a suggestion.

    The salamanders like cool, damp shade. So remove the piles of damp leaves and trash.

    Good luck, buddy. - Terry

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    18 years ago

    She won't find any reasonable methods to get rid of lizards because there aren't any. They are considered highly beneficial, and totally harmless. However, as Terry suggested, if she makes her yard an environmental desert, she won't have any lizards.

    Do you know what her reasons are for wanting to get rid of them?

  • scandia
    18 years ago

    Mothballs will get rid of them. Remember mothballs are poison so children and pets should stay clear of them. Do not use mothballs if there is a chance a child or someones pet will get near them.

    Cats are also a good way to keep lizards at bay.

    Some birds eat lizards...Maybe a few bird feeders will attract lizard eaters to the yard.

  • pfllh
    18 years ago

    Hi, Tony. You can get you a net, box them up and send them to me or bring to the swap!!!! :O)
    Just had to do that as haven't picked on you lately. Hope you are doing OK
    Lynn

  • tony_pman
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Thanks all. My sister-in-law lives in one of them neat Town Houses. Very few plants and is very neat.
    I have told her they help keep bugs away. She said she had rather have the bugs. She is afraid of them.
    Lynn, if I go and get them, I am going to turn them lose in my over run garden. They will fit right in with my cats, snakes, lizards, frogs, ect.

    Tony

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    18 years ago

    Bless you, mother earth ;-) for making the comment on the moth balls. They are so hazardous. What a wonderful photograph of my favorite lizard of all time, the green anole. Looks like it is just finishing up with a skin shedding.

    I don't see them up here in Northern Alabama, but they were everywhere when I lived in Coastal SC. I used to catch them and 'clip' them on my ear lobes, something I learned from a Eudora Welty short story. They hung on and munched until they got bored or tired! Sigh, can't imagine anyone being afraid of them.

  • kumquat12
    18 years ago

    Lizards eat lots and lots of bugs. Apparently there are enough bugs around your place to support a large population of lizards. Get rid of the lizards and you will be sorry, or you will be trying to find out what kind of poison is the least poisonous to you and your pets. I had a little lizard on my front porch last year, and Saturday I saw two very fat lizards (anole type) climbing up a vine streamer, and it made me verrrry happy.

  • scandia
    18 years ago

    Moth balls are made of cedar..They are a natural deterant. Many natural things are poison...Mothballs can be used to chase things away that SOME people are afraid of, without killing them. They also work to chase poisonous snakes away.

    It is true lizards are beneficial but if the lady is AFRAID of them she can easily deter them by interfering with their sense of smell by using mothballs..

    Some people may choose not to use such an item. I have used mothballs to chase a NEST of copper heads out of my yard. It was that or kill them. Mothballs interfer with the snakes sense of smell so they go away..

    Catching the lizaeds is not going to keep them out of her yard..

  • Frog_hollow_lady
    18 years ago

    Please..please send me your lizards.. I have 100's of little friends for them to play with...frogs are #1 in my book, but the little lizards are running neck and neck with my wonderful frogs...

    I have to agree... you will be sorry if you dont have them around

  • casadelgatos
    18 years ago

    Sorry Scandia - mothballs are not made of cedar, they are made of either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene. Both of these ingredients can produce harmful effects when they enter your system through inhalation.

    Please read more at the following link.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Here is mothball info!

  • terramadre
    18 years ago

    .......and as to cedar:

    "Cedar oils, at concentrations present in cedar chests and scented wood blocks, have almost no value as moth repellents. The value of a cedar chest is that the chest is tightly closed, thus preventing entry of moths or beetles. So enjoy the aroma of your cedar chest but don't expect it to chase away any bugs!"

  • Josh
    18 years ago

    I think Scandia was referring to balls of cedar wood, proably formed of cedar shavings, which are sold by some of those closet organizer folks to put in closets or drawers to deter moths. Not sure if it works on moths and doubt it would work on lizards or snakes. But safer to use than the other "mothballs" for sure!

    I too love the green lizards and, Rhizo, I remember you telling about the ear decorations! When I bring in my tropicals each fall a lizard often hitches a ride. Wouldn't mind them inside but afraid they might starve so I try and catch them to return to outdoors.

    Tony,sure hope you can continue to reassure your sister that anoles are harmless and beneficial..but I understand. I'm freaked out by spiders and had a difficult time even looking at photos long enough to identify the poisonous types. Still don't care for them but not so afraid as before. josh

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    18 years ago

    Okay, Scandia....let's get down to some facts. Moth balls, those little white things that are called moth balls, are highly toxic.....deadly poisonous. Period. They should be yanked off every shelf in the world because people continue to use them in highly inappropropriate situations. They should ONLY be used in a sealed container....so that their toxic fumes can kill insect larvae.

    Little wooden balls made of cedar are a marketer's scam. They do little to repel anything, and don't keep their pleasant fragrance very long.

    When you speak of moth balls, are you talking about the little wooden ones, or the white ones?

  • scandia
    18 years ago

    If you notice in the first message I put on this topic I SAID "MOTHBALLS ARE POISON"..It is the sister-in-laws choice whether she wants to try mothballs or not. I suggested them BECAUSE.....

    #1 SHE IS AFRAID OF THE LIZARDS..Which means she is NOT going to catch them for you. Even if someone else catches them that will not keep other lizards out of her yard.
    #2 SHE WANTS THEM TO GO AWAY.

    The odor of mothballs interferes with the sense of smell of lizards and snakes the mothballs WILL CHASE the lizards away..

    From what I have read it appears that her yard is small so 1 or 2 mothballs WILL DO IT.

    If she is concerned about a animal or child ingesting them she can wrap the mothballs in screening and wire and secure them near the ground. The scent from the mothballs will chase the lizards away. Since the mothballs are outside her family is not going to be exposed to concentrated fumes from the mothballs..

    Mothballs are a by-product of CEDAR...YES those by-products are poison.

    Although the suggestion may not be what some of you think is NATURAL it DOES WORK.

    This is about solving the lizard problem for a person who is afraid of lizards.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    18 years ago

    Mothballs are not a cedar by-product. And our motto in this forum should be....'first, do no harm'. One should not suggest a highly toxic (not natural) agent as a solution and then say : "it's your choice....use it or not".

    Mothballs should never be part of the toxic crap that we continue to overload our soils and atmosphere with. The real answer to this lizard dilemna is: over come your fear of these totally harmless animals. Or, live in fear, but do not poison my environment.

    I'm sure that you are simply mistaking the insect repelling qualities of cedar wood with these chemical agents. I can understand that. (?)

  • scandia
    18 years ago

    Nope the ingredients on a box of mothballs says CEDAR and cedar by-products.

    A solution is a solution...Natural or not....This is not "the alabama organic gardening forum" It is an open forum in which people may make suggestions and give advice and or ideas.... Although all input is good...rambling on and on for the express and obvious goal of insult is not needed. And does not serve the goal of the topic, which is help a lady who is afraid of lizards chase them away.

    Again it is the lady's choice wheather she wants to learn to love them or chase them away.

    Of course it would be nice if the lady would learn to love lizards, as they are beneficial, and completely harmless.

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    18 years ago

    Before Rhizo takes her turn, I just wanted to say I was taking a nap & you guys woke me up. I have no lizards lurking or skulking about, so you can be assured that whatever I say MUST be sage.

    First, I think it makes perfectly good sense for Mr. Tony Pman's SIL to want the neighborhood free of frightening fauna. After all, one might go mad worrying about it, and we surely must know that presently, there is an adequate population of mad people. So, to be rid of the scary beasties is really a preemptive strike at things possibly causal of a glut in the local mad people supply. Cheers on you Mr. Tony Pman, for trying to come to SIL's aid.

    Now Scandia. You have some really good ideas that might work, but I looked this stuff up. Moth balls are different - made of 2 chemicals it says. I found out that for one kind: "The name naphthalene is derived from the Latin word of Iranian origin naphtha". So that settles that. You can't use it in AL. That paradichlorobenzene stuff is some baad sh.., er, stuff too. When those little crawlies get a whiff of them mothballs, it says they'll be vomiting and spreading diarrhea all 'round the yard. Not sure how Mr. Tony Pman's SIL feels about toadstools, but I'm pretty sure she ain't gonna like no lizard stools and such. Them critters are goin' to have a burnin' mouth, trouble breathing, yellow skin for God's sake (can you see it?). When the slurred speech takes hold, they can't warn the others off, so you could end up with more'n when you started. Plus, now think about this, when they get dizzy and weak, they'll be disoriented & likely to run right up on Mr. Tony Pman's SIL. Now wouldn't THAT be a sight; and wouldn't it just throw Mr. Pman into immediate disfavor for following your considered advice?

    Now, I read your contention, that "a solution is a solution". I like that because they use something similar in math proofs and call it "by identity" I think. Anyway, I think that part makes sense. However, all solutions are not good solutions. Flame throwers would work, but they're expensive and hard to find. Irradiation would sterilize them, but it takes too long and the lead you have to carry around to protect you from the radiation is heavy. I know you see where I'm headed.

    Dear Rhizo. I'm hoping you don't think that "... first, do no harm" is part of the Hippocratic oath. It's a great phrase for this thread though - even cooler in Latin, "Primum non nocere". See? I pretty much side with you on this one. Some problems just don't have appropriate solutions, so we live with them. I'm sure some guy in L.A. is musing that he'd like to clear the freeway so he can make happy hour at 6, but who'll spend a ton of time thinking up a solution? Not me. I'm going back to my nap. Keep it down - will you? And you're much better looking when you smile. ;o) YPA

    Al

  • pfllh
    18 years ago

    Rhizo and Scandia, enough is enough. You want to argue and snatch each other bald do it through email to each other.
    If you do not know Tony, then here's a little info. He's a very giving and caring person and shares his plants abundantly. He will not hurt your feelings or stir things up.
    Out of respect, quit turning his ask for help into a controversy PLEASE.
    Lynn

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    18 years ago

    I need to sincerely apologize to this forum. I thought I could inject some humor into the thread. After reading my post again, I realize that what I wrote is not funny. I wrote it believing it was, and to reinforce the position that my friend Rhizo had taken and to support her. There was nothing malicious in my heart when I wrote it, even though it may sound like it, and I even managed to come off like I was making fun of her. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I have great respect for Rhizo and I need to learn more respect for the other participants on this thread. Please consider this my most humble apology. I am sorry for my words and poor judgment.

    Al

  • scandia
    18 years ago

    My Box of mothballs says that the ingredients are cedar and cedar by-products..I did not make that up...There would be no purpose for doing that.
    Not sure where your chemical composition information is coming from maybe there are different formulas for mothballs..for all the research you did re the chemical composition of mothballs you could have tried to find some alternative solutions for Tony and his Sister-in-Law.

    Now..to try to help TONY resolve the problem...

    I found an article that says lizards do not like the smell of onions...So Onions may work.

    I also found an article that suggests figuring out what is attracting the lizards to the yard and eliminating that..

    Also I found a site claiming to have a cruelity and chemical free solution for chasing lizards and other misc pests out of your yard...www.Critter-Repellent.com

    Tony: My intention was to try to help...Not to instigate a giant debate "to use mothballs or not to use mothballs"
    I am sorry that the focus of others was not to make suggestions to help you but to focus on argument..I hope these other suggestions will make up for the LACK of anybody else making any HELPFUL suggestions.

    Really this is the second time this kind of behavior has happened...1st when I communicated that Praying Mantis' kill humming birds...I then had to prove this by providing links to pictures and articles about praying mantis' that what I said was in fact true..

    Now the thang with the mothballs...I do not appreciate the crazy inference... And I do not appreciate being called a liar..

    So see Ya all...I would appreciate no additional rude responses to the subject of mothballs...

    HELP TONY not your own egos please..

    I hope My suggestions help you TONY. God Bless

  • debbido
    18 years ago

    Hi Dad! Try a cat! They love lizards... We could always bring over the great lizard hunter, Dae. You should see that child stalk the lizards! It is like watching Crocodile Hunter or something! There is no fear whatsoever!

    On a less flip note, I apologize to Scandia for any comments that were made to you from anyone in this forum that were inappropriate. Please do not think that the views of one or two are the views of all. I appreciate you trying to offer a solution for the problem. I think everyone should remember that this forum should be a friendly environment and not one of insults regardless to whether one agrees or disagrees with someone's views.

    Beyond that, I hope to see everyone at the plant swap coming up at Oak Mountain on May 20. Lets all swap plants and be friends!

    Deb

  • tony_pman
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Hi Friends, I have enjoyed each and every one of the post.
    I have used Moth Ice Crystals all the time for years. I have never hurt any of my cats as for as I know. I put them in my pots and in newly planted beds to keep cats out. It works. I still have birds cats, snakes,and lizards. I don't try to get rid of them.
    My container says the active ingredient is 99.94% Paradichlorobenzene.

    I am going to tell my SIL to think about getting a cat and start feeding her birds. I am allso going to tell her to put some moth Balls on her inclosed deck. She has no one living with her that could be efected by the moth balls.
    There is no problem with weeds, leaves, trash of any kind and very few plants. I don't know what is drawing the lizards.
    Thanks,

    Tony

  • alabamajan
    18 years ago

    I have worked in the garden center at Homw Depot for the last few years. And this Lizard question is one I get frequently.(at least once a day in warm weather),second only to snakes.

    As to moth balls. There are cedar moth balls, but we don't sell them...The ones we sell are made of Naphthalene. A VERY toxic chemical. And the general public uses it for EVERYTHING!!!! It is down-right scary what the general public is doing in their yards, all for fear. Fear of snakes, frogs, lizards, squirrels,etc.

    There is an entire population dusting their entire yards with lime and sulfur thinking it will kill everything.

    But back to getting rid of lizards. There is no real good way to get rid of lizards. And keep them away. Actually Debbie had the best suggestion with the cat.

    But I do know that 'Critter Ridder' and similar stuff like that will not work with lizards....BTW, there is a product called 'Snake Away' that we sell huge amounts of. The active ingredient in this is 'Naphthalene' and 'Capsicum' aka pepper. So it's basically moth-balls with pepper. For ALOT of money...Lord,have mercy.

    Good-Luck with you SIL. Maybe she'll get over her fear.
    And, BTW, if you DO find a good lizard remedy, make sure you post it here......thanks janet

  • scandia
    18 years ago

    Paradichlorobenzene is also found in those solid toilet bowl deodorizers, diaper deodorizers, and room deodorizers.

    Really ya all I am not mad about the comments I am mad about the attempts to insult that were not needed and the complete lack of focus on the ISSUE...Finding a solution for the lizard problem. AND IT WAS NOT JUST RHIZO. Some of the people who made rude comments never comment on this forum unless they can interject negativity. Some people feed off insult for ego sake and that is what happened.

    If this Alabama Gardening community wants to grow the attitudes toward confrontation needs to be stopped. Insult and ego have no place in a community that is SUPPOSE to be trying to help each other. You all need to open up and welcome new people..New people means more people to trade with and more ideas.

    Rhizo is an active contributor to this forum at least she comments and tries to help on other topics too.

  • jeff_al
    18 years ago

    i thought your post was quite appropriate and humorous, al !

    it is not necessarily ego and insult, scandia.
    there is a lot of disinformation in these forums, too, and dorie and terramadre were likely trying to head that off. it appears that most people consider moth balls to be paradichlorobenzene rather than "cedar" (which might even be juniper instead) and there is nothing wrong with posts addressing that issue as it relates to the cure (sigh) for lizard populations.
    organic forum or not, people deserve to be warned about potential hazardous chemical effects to themselves and the environment (which belongs to all of us, not just the ones spreading the chemicals about) if they are advised to use them.

    good luck, i guess, with your quest, tony. after saturating the areas with paradichlorobenzene, tell her to be on the lookout for mutant lizards. this may cause them to grow another head and extra pairs of legs and they will be even harder to catch after that. ;-)

  • scandia
    18 years ago

    Well if you throw the lizards in a enclosed box with the mothballs they will become sick..

    Lizards smell mothballs and run in the opposite direction. They are not going to eat them and they are not going to roll one into their nest..GEEZ. On and on and on...

    Humor by way of insulting someone else, calling them a liar and infering that they are crazy is DEFINATELY EGO and completely RUDE and uncalled for. Agreeing with such behavior just makes you the same. That kind of behavior shows deep insecurity.

    Again detracting from the ultimate goal of this forum..Which is to help each other. Not play insecure childish games.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    18 years ago

    Scandia, you and I absolutely have to meet sometime! I think that we have a lot in common, and I totally appreciate the way you've stuck up for yourself here! See, you've taught us something....I've never seen the cedar moth balls.

    I'm still laughing at your last post....how funny.

  • brenda_near_eno
    18 years ago

    Wow, I am so glad I came lurking into the Alabama Forum - the Carolina Forum rarely has this much drama! I got a great laugh from most of the posts, especially Al's and Scandia's. "When the slurred speech takes hold, they can't warn the others off, so you could end up with more'n when you started." I was cracking up. What fun. All about lizards! I'm wondering how many lizards constitutes a lot? I'm not being sarcastic - you would have to have really a lot to notice having a lot. I have a koi pond that sports a gigantic bullfrog who eats lizards - very cool to watch, though disturbing at the same time that I think it's so cool. My cat takes care of the rest of the small reptile population now, I'm afraid - which means that my really big hairy spider population has boomed, since we got a kitten to replace our long-retired-and-now-gone-to-the-happy-cat-place 23-year-old Maine coon cat. The new cat eats the lizards and skinks, and so no one eats the spiders and the spiders flourish. Lucy also eats voles, so I guess I forgive her. The spiders' webs are unnerving to walk through - and never mind the little dance I do when I find one in my hair on on my shoulder. I dance around like Freddie Kreuger was after me, but I know nice Mr. Spider eats the bugs that might eat my plants. Still. Good luck to your SIL, Tony. We all have our irrational fears. I have some experience with snakes, and snakes are unaffected by moth balls, but maybe lizards are different that way. Just be sure and caution her that the mothballs are toxic to HER. We tend to believe stuff we buy at Walmart or Home Depot is benign, but very scary chemicals, mostly pesticides and herbicides, are for sale there. They differ only in concentration from the same chemicals you would need a license and permit to buy and use.

  • scandia
    18 years ago

    Brenda I am glad a simple thing such as people insulting each other and arguing about mothballs has made your day. Still I think trying to be clever in the process of insulting is NOT NEEDED and RUDE.

    By the way I got the idea to use mothballs from an old neighbor who suggested I use them to chase away a nest of Copperheads. She said she used them to chase lizards and snakes away. So I tried it and they did make the copperheads go away, never to return. That is the one and only time I used mothballs for anything.

  • ourhighlandhome
    18 years ago

    Tony,

    I love you to death, but this thread has declined to the point that it should come with a barf-bag already.

    If I held a mothball close enough to my computer would it make this thread go away, never to return?!

  • scandia
    18 years ago

    Wouldn't that be nice if mothballs would work on negativity. hummmmmmm...Yes I am aware that I have contributed to the chaos myself. And I apologize for that. Funny; few of the other whiners and complainers apologized. Hopefully in the future other threads will not take on a life other then it's goal.

    Tony maybe have your sister in law try onions. That might work instead.

    Be NICE

  • tedp2
    18 years ago

    Oh come now! Y'all will never make me believe that moths have balls.
    I have seen many recommendations for using them to repell dogs and cats from shrubery so they don't really harm them, they stay away as do the snakes asnd lizards aparently

  • bcb77
    18 years ago

    alabamajan - Do you know if that Snake Away and Critter Ridder stuff works? I have met Dr. T himself (of Dr. T's Nature Products- the makers of Snake Away).

    I always wondered if his products worked. I used some of his Mosquito repellents for my outdoor lakeside wedding in October of 04. Seemed to work just fine, although it might have been the cool temperatures that took care of the skeeters for us.

    Just being nosy! :)

  • radjam
    15 years ago

    I do have concern for health issues. However, besides the egg-shell suggestion (which was refuted in a later post), the mothball tip seems to be the only other. Asthma can be triggered by animal fir, so cats are out of the pic. Anyone ever heard of burning a sulphur candle? I find this lizzy in my room croaking from 5:45 -6:00 am quite annoying, and intimidating -invasions of privacy- dont care whether he/she is issuing mating call or feeding, etc...

  • rayfalcon
    13 years ago

    alabamajan
    "The active ingredient in this is 'Naphthalene' and 'Capsicum' aka pepper. So it's basically moth-balls with pepper. For ALOT of money...Lord,have mercy."

    ok here is a known and tried alternative and it is natural and safe and less expensive i will list the ingredients first

    1-garden or bug sprayer (pump up kind)
    1-5 cups of flour (any kind) (optional use only to kill lizards as they will try to eat it if this is used)
    2-5 cups of pepper(s) (extract will work, or fresh habanero or cayenne peppers) more or less for bigger or smaller areas
    1 gallon of water (more or less based on the size of sprayer and the size you are treating)

    If you are using this without the flour then take and heat your water (this will insure the maximum potency of pepper mixture) make sure that you take appropiate safety precautions while heating water, handling peppers, and while transferring mixture!
    The peppers being used here can cause severe reactions to those with sensitive skin i.e easy bruised, easy sunburned, and allergic to peppers.
    Use goggles and rubber gloves if you think that you will need them....Use goggles irregardless because the steam comming off of the hot (boiling water ) and peppers will act like a mace or pepper spray when and if it gets in your eyes. i have tried it both way goggles are alot easier than the er or doctor.
    with that being said either let steep for 15 - 30 minutes or longer if so desired and then strain mixture and pour into sprayer(s) or You can take and grind up the peppers into a powder like chili powder (really really fine powder) and then you dont have to strain it but it still needs to be hot hot water, spray over infected / affected area(s) and while i will drive away or kill the lizzards depending on the mixture it will also get rid of a few other pests too, and then at the next rain it will be gone and will be washed into the soil and will be harmless. DO NOT SPRAY into anyones eyes mouth or other parts of anyones body as it can be harmful, blinding and to some even fatal.
    I use this once a month and the only problem I have is a blue tailed skink, ants (scorpion kinds) and a few occasional skunks
    Use at your own risk, by using this you assume all responsibility and agree that I can not be held responsible in any legal or binding way.

    Here is a link that might be useful: instructables for a recipe pesticide soup like mine but a bit differant

  • catbird
    13 years ago

    My mother was a medical missionary in Nigeria years ago. There were no screens on her windows and she was not a happy camper when she first saw lizards (big ones) climbing up the walls in the house and across the ceilings. She soon realized how many mosquitoes they consumed, though, and was delighted to have them around! Later, when she was recovering from a bad heart attack, she was entertained by a pair of lizards playing on the ceiling above her hospital bed. Guess a lot depends on your perspective. ;-)

  • organic_kitten
    13 years ago

    There have been an awful lot of lizards around this year. Many more than I have ever seen before. Do you suppose this hot dry weather is appealing to them?

    kay

  • jcalhoun
    13 years ago

    I have also noticed an increase in the amount of lizards this year.

    I have even seen several of the gray spotted ones.

  • cretiam1
    8 years ago

    I found one of the little lizards today in my closet. It was on my makeup table which has fieldstone at the back of it. It was black with a gold stripe...is it poisonous? As kids we were always told they were. But around my pool deck I have the blue striped ones. Do they bite or are they poisonous? Please send me an answer...after all these years I'd love to finally know for sure. Thanks

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    You are referring to five-lined skinks. They are perfectly harmless but have long been rumored to be venomous....that's an old husband's tale.

    Any lizard can bite, and will do so if forced to.

  • ourhighlandhome
    8 years ago

    An "old husbands's tale" huh, rhizo? Well, well, well....I guess the "old wives" have finally earned that right! ;-D (I am sure, however, that you are NOT an "old" wife).

    I started out with 12 adopted cats and virtually zero lizards, frogs, etc. Now that I'm down to 4 seniors, the population of anoles has increased and five-lined skinks are showing up in large numbers. The water garden attracts spring peepers, tree, leopard & bull frogs. All of the above has brought in rat, king and corn snakes, and just last week I spotted (briefly) a black racer in the back yard. But in 17+ years of living here, I have spotted a total of TWO toads, probably my favorite amphibian. That is very puzzling. Oh well, I'll just have to be content with the rest of "Ellie Mae's critters".

    Hope everyone is having a great summer. In 55 years I've never seen it this hot & dry. I hope we get some relief soon. The armadillos have noticed the moist soil in my yard and have shown back up, destroying everything in their path. On a lighter note...

    First-year-cutting of brugmansia 'Dolas Rosenresli' from Jesse, a GW trader from Californ-I-A

  • cretiam1
    8 years ago

    I hate frogs but do like lizards...used to have 5 iguanas but had to get rid of them...1 of them used to get in the pool and swim with me and it laid in the sun with me...live in NC..no armadillos. But we do have turkeys and deer etc. Have a great summer!



  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    8 years ago

    Managed to catch a skink a couple years ago. IDK what kind, but it was a beautiful & tiny creature. Definitely didn't try to bite me or my son.


  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    8 years ago

    Would you look at those tiny 'fingers and toes'?

  • Carol Boyd
    7 years ago

    Hello, my advice would be to identify the lizard and discover what it eats and get rid of it's food source.

  • Michelle Henson
    3 years ago

    I know I'm a few years late to the party but stumbled on this searching for lizard deterrents. Not to kill. I love seeing them. There is one, however, that has decided the space in between my front door and storm door is his domain. I'm afraid to open the door because of my indoor only cats. He's a dead lizard if he gets in. Just needed ideas of something he/she that would find the smell repelling. BTW the storm door stays locked, so no danger of anyone from outside getting into whatever I use for Lizzy.

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    3 years ago

    Naptha/ moth balls?


    Al