Our oldest son has a chameleon in a terrarium by the window. It's actually called a green anole; it isn't a true chameleon but a kind of lizard that lives in the Southern United States. A few weeks ago it got loose and I noticed that it stayed in the same window all the time, going back into its terrarium to rest. This morning there were four fat flies in the window, the first ones I'd seen in a long time. Out came the chameleon, and this afternoon he is fat and sleek and there are no flies in the house. I know lizards can carry salmonella, and we did move the napkin basket after we found he liked to hide in there, but anything that eats flies is welcome in my house! I may go out in the woods and try to find a few more of these little fellows, for the fly invasion we always have in the Spring, and that lasts until nearly Christmas.

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), March 23, 2002

Answers

When we lived in Mexico everyone, and I mean everyone had cuizas in their house (geckos). No one killed them or caught them and kicked them outside. Even the ultra rich had them scurrying up their walls. Cuizas are great for bug control. They not only eat flies but they munch down on mosquitos too.

-- Najia (najia274@ayhoo.com), March 23, 2002.

Also good for all kinds of little bugs and creepy crawleys that live in wall-to-wall carpeting.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), March 23, 2002.

Chances are your anaole isn't carrying salmonella, since they are insect eaters instead of meat eaters. Just remember that they need to drink too and are dew-lappers, so you have to mist the foliage in the enclosure so they can drink. They won't drink out of dishes.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), March 23, 2002.

Where do they poop?

-- Esther (realestatez@hotmail.com), March 23, 2002.

Same place a 500 lb. gorilla does...anywhere they want. Lil suckers are hard to housebreak like that....

-- Najia (najia274@yahoo.com), March 23, 2002.

I want one!!

-- Bren (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), March 23, 2002.

Best thing in the world to have around the house next to a snake or a frog.

I lived in Florida 37 years and always encouraged the lizards to hang around in the house, which was pretty much open to the outside year-round. I've seen brown anoles kill and carry off palmetto bugs (a Florida euphemism for "roaches") almost as big as they were.

Spent 30 minutes one day disassembling the P-trap on the kitchen sink to retrieve an anole that had falllen into it and couldn't get out.

But Julie is absolutely correct on the need for water and misting areas where the lizards can get it if they have no way to get outside. That's the worst threat to a house lizard -- dying of thirst and just drying up where it lies.

Never heard of a lizard carrying salmonella, but maybe they do. Doesn't bother me, but if anyone's concerned about it here's a website. Draw your own conclusions.

Reptiles and Salmonella



-- Hank in Oklahoma (hbaker@ipa.net), March 23, 2002.

Forgot to mention the second major threat to house lizards: Stepping on them. So if you've got a lizard on the loose inside the house, always watch where you walk.

-- Hank in Oklahoma (hbaker@ipa.net), March 23, 2002.

1st major threat to lizards is,,,cats!!! Had an uncle that lived in a southern venue and thought it neat to catch lizards for his cat...we aren't close....soo if you have a house cat, nix on the indoor free range lizards!

-- Bee White (bee@hereintown.net), March 23, 2002.

Glad you mentioned that, Bee, and you're absolutely right -- cats will hunt and kill every lizard they can find. Some dogs will, too. Never had cats or dogs so I forgot to mention that.

But I used to drive the herons out of my yard because I knew what they were looking for -- my lizards.

-- Hank in Oklahoma (hbaker@ipa.net), March 24, 2002.

Yep, outdoor lizards are big on snails and slugs - N..I..C..E lizards. Reptile excreta is dry, so it's not a big hassle to clean up if you need to. They don't produce urea, which needs to be dissolved - they produce uric acid, which is in fact not terribly soluble anyway (as in kidney stones), so moist droppings would be wasting water.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), March 24, 2002.

So,if we get a bigger one, say a monitor lizard, will he thin out the foxes and coyotes? Might be worth a shot if we can keep him out of the poultry! GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), March 24, 2002.

Ya'll want geckos? C'mon down to Texas. Tons of them are surrounding my living room window outside! They're kinda weird ~ you can see thru them, all their innards!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), March 24, 2002.

Can you mail me one, Rogo? :o) LOL

-- Bren (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), March 25, 2002.

You're funny, Bren. How long do you think it would live with our temperatures in the 70's and 80's??!! -LOL-

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), March 25, 2002.

I was just wondering if anyone has the fly problem that we do. Everytime the weather warms up the flies are horrible. The windows are full. Even in the winter the winter if the temp goes up a bit they go crazy. It is like Amityville Horror. I can deal with it okay, but when we have guests (all the people who couldn't understand why we moved to the country,but can,t stay away) I am a little embarrassed.What can I do? When we first looked at this place 5 years ago it had the same problem. Any suggestions?

-- Kathi in Mo. (rrubyacres@excite.com), March 30, 2002.