Lizards in Florida

[jiacinto]

I saw one in my bathroom this morning. Do they kill the roaches and Palmetto bugs? Are they dangerous? The lizard seemed cute, so I didn't kill it.

[slackmaster]

1. Most lizards are carnivorous and like to eat bugs

How big was it?

The only dangerous lizard in North America is the venomous Gila monster, which lives in the Sonoran desert (Arizona and northern Mexico). Other lizards may bite if you try to handle them. They may draw blood but they aren't venomous.

[oneighty]

26. No Slackmaster

you are wrong. You gotta watch out for the dreaded blue

tailed lizard, they strike fear deep into the

bravests of hearts.

Beware Carlos, 'The Blue Tailed Lizard'.

180

[Cheswick2.0]

2. lizards are your friends

they eat the bugs and they are cute!

[jiacinto]

5. Ok

Then I will leave them alone! Do pet stores sell lizards?

[bicentennial_baby]

6. Yes

Pet stores do sell lizards. I myself am the proud mama to a 2 year old Iguana, 2 Leopard Geckoes from Afghanistan, and a Green Basilisk from Central America. Lizards rock!

[jiacinto]

7. How much

And if I let them loose on the floor they would kill my insects.

[Cheswick2.0]

8. You don't have to buy them

beleive me, you will have some living there already.

[jiacinto]

10. Ok

So what can I do to attract more lizards?

[Andy_Stephenson]

29. Attract more

roaches. This can be accomplished by making sure you drop lots of crumbs particles of food and grease all over your kitchen.

:hi:

[bicentennial_baby]

9. How much what?

Do lizards cost? It depends on the type of lizard. Same goes for the insect issue. My geckoes can only eat soft shelled crickets and worms, and my Iguana is an herbivore.

I would imagine that a carnivorous or omnivorous lizard indigenous to Florida would be able to eat the insects in your house. BUT if you did that, you could not use pesticides at any time, because a lizard that consumes insects that have been contaminated with pesticides will die, quickly.

[slackmaster]

23. Iguanas are carnivorous when young, then turn veggie as they mature

Best bet for a bug-killer is probably the Tokai Gecko. They're not friendly but they do the job. I don't know if those are even legal in Florida. Your friendly exotic pet store will know.

[bicentennial_baby]

27. No

Iguanas are not carnivorous by nature, while they may accidentally consume insects in the wild or if there is no other food available to them. Animal protein of any kind will wreck an iguana's kidneys and the lizard will die. Their bodies have no mechanism to process animal protein, at any time in their life cycle.

[FlaGranny]

12. Yes, they will kill your insects,

but, be careful. If you have sprayed the house with insecticide, it wouldn't be good for the lizards to eat the insects. Here's something interesting I found about lizards and roaches.

http://www.zetatalk.com/info/tinfo08h.htm

Do a google search with the search words lizard and roaches. There is a lot of interesting info.

[morningglory]

17. Our local pet stores sell skinks

that we called "racing lizards" when I was a little girl. Insecticides have about killed them off now, and I bought some to let loose in my yard. They are beautiful, with a bright blue underside. 5-lined skink is the one I am talking about.

[Birthmark]

3. Nah, they're not dangerous.

The eat insects, so I'm guessing that that includes Palmetto bugs. Anything that eats bugs in Florida is a *good* thing. I've got about 10 lizards that use my front porch as an all you can eat bugateria.

[Cheswick2.0]

11. an all you can eat bugateria , LOL

very funny, I like that

[BlueJazz]

4. Yes, They do like bugs and they're

great for pest control.

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. It's most likely an anole

Green anoles and cuban anoles are very common in Florida. They are harmless and eat bugs but they won't keep you bug free. Having plants and trees around your house will give them places to live and hide. Other than that it's best to leave them to their own devices.

If you are interested in keeping a lizard for a pet, a bearded dragon is a good choice. I just got a new one about 2 weeks ago. They actually have a little bit of personality and will respond to you. I've also kept iguanas but they are relatively useless and boring after awhile.

[1monster]

14. Repeat after me: Lizards are our friends...

In Florida we have skinks, blue tail lizards, green anoles, and the Cuban anoles (AKA brown anoles. The last two are often mistakenly called chameleons because the green anole will change colors.

They eat moquitoes! And roaches and palmetto bugs and many other irritating and/or dangerous insects.

They are not dangerous, and they can only out run cats about half the time in the house. :(

And yes, they sure are cute! I like to see them climbing up my walls, inside or out.

[FlaGranny]

25. What are the one's I call "the wobblies"?

They are brown and a little shorter and fatter than the other lizards and they are "wobbly" when they walk or run. They look like rubber toys. Are they the Cuban anoles? Also, what the the big one's called, the ones who curl up their tails?

[Don_G]

15. Just Watch Out For The Ones In The Bars

[slackmaster]

24. Ah, you mean lounge lizards

Another kind to avoid is the fender lizard. They latch onto people with cars.

[morningglory]

16. They eat baby roaches.

I am happy for you. Put a potted plant in the bathroom. They live on nothing but sound like a gorilla when they crash through the foliage. I have seen the common Carolina Anole eating ants off the shady sidewalk at lunch time. I bought some compost and ended up with my yard filled with little black bugs that do not bite, do not come in the house, or bother anyone. Then I noticed a toad frog, hadn't seen one around, and now there are 4 baby toads I saw. They are going to help me keep the bugs down.

[leftofthedial]

18. good lizard, nice lizard

pretty lizard

[soup]

19. Welcome to Florida!

:hi:

lizard pictures and some info here:
http://www.southalley.com/lizards.html

[peekaloo]

22. lol

Called Jesus Christ Lizard for its ability to run on surface of water.

[Crowdance]

20. They're dangerous to cats, who love to eat them

The chameleons contain an enzyme that causes either liver or kidney failure (I can't remember which) when cats catch and eat them. So, if you have cats, you might consider gently escorting them outside. It's one of the interesting aspects of life in South Florida (boy, do I miss it).

[peekaloo]

21. Life in the food chain

watch out for snakes since they find lizards to be a tasty snack! :scared:

My 5 year niece cracks up every time she sees a lizard doing the "lizard dance" or is it push-ups?

[Andy_Stephenson]

28. Poor Carlos....

Florida wildlife got you down? Don't dispair. It will only get worse as you discover the plethora of bugs, gators and other things that want to bite you. Suck up old boy...do as the locals do. Get an 8 ball of coke and relax...Just kidding.

:hi:

[Shakeydave]

30. Lizards are it!

My nephew can put them to sleep by rubbing their bellies. It used to freak my sister-in-law out! BTW, my cats have a kill pile started under a couch on my porch!