I need a domestic lizard...

[MonsterBoy]

Hi-ho, all!

I was big into herps a decade ormore ago, but have drifted away. My interest in them is now more practical in nature: my building has recently suffered a cockroach infestation, and I need something to eat them. Since I'm a bit arachniphobic, the best thing I can think of to control them is a lizard.

In a nutshell, I need, a species that's small, mild-mannered, temperate, insectivorous -- and reasonably cheap. Temperate is the trouble spot; I'd love to have a house gecko, but NYC lacks the proper climate. It's usually pretty warm in my apartment -- mid 70s to 80s, it feels like -- and I'll of course have a 10-gallon for cold snaps.

Any suggestions?

- Sean

[Dani33]

I would be cautious of allowing any animal to eat those roaches. They have been known to eat insecticides and live. It is very possible that you would just kill your gecko.

[Bartman]

You should also never just let your lizard roam free...I highly doubt he'll even stay in your apartment...he'll be gone the second he gets the chance. It would never work, get an exterminator man............

[MonsterBoy]

Bartman worte:

> It would never work, get an exterminator man............

If the exterminor had been effective, I wouldn't need the lizards. Besides, this is largely motivated by my distrust of the health -- and, frankly, karmic -- ramifications of regularly spraying the house with toxins in an attempt to commit genocide.

Hmm. Maybe I just had some good lizard, but I let them roam when I was in high school. The anoles, anyway, were always easy to spot, as they were usually high up on the walls (white) or hanging out in the houseplants.

As for insecticides, I'm not cruel. I've still got to find out what my buiding's exterminator uses (Imiprothrin, I'm pretty sure I recall, has barely any toxic effects in reptiles except in huge doses, though I'd have to check up). In any event, I wouldn't let him into my apartment if I had a lizard in it. I'm well aware, too, of apartment crossover, so if the exterminator's using anything damaging to herps in other aparments, I wouldn't get one.

Bartman, you do have a point about staying in the apartment though, when it comes to open windows (there's little other way out that anything bigger than a bug ould use). Thanks, I'll have to rethink.

- Sean

[lostwithin]

Hi man, from what I just read you already tried an exterminator, and you also mentioned you are aware of exterminators being used else where in the building, which means you are aware of the fact that those little bugs crawling around have been exposed too and possibly are still being exposed too pesticides. It would be crewel too allow an animal too eat those even if you think it would take allot too kill the lizard, that fact that it could kill the lizard and that you plan on making it part of its regular diet if not all, is horrible.

Secondly you shouldn’t house animals freely, there’s no way you could keep the temperatures and humidity and any other requirements up for your whole apartment, that doesn’t mean they wont survive, but they probably wont be surviving happily, or very healthy. Just because you did it in high school doesn’t mean you should have. Maybe you should consider some sort of bug trap form a local store rather then an animal whos health you would be disregarding.
Devon

P.S. you said and i quote

"Besides, this is largely motivated by my distrust of the health -- and, frankly, karmic -- ramifications of regularly spraying the house with toxins in an attempt to commit genocide."

But yet you dont seem too mind exposing the lizard too these, what are the Karmic ramifications too that ??

[WingedWolf]

If it's too cold for a house gecko, it's too cold for pretty much any other type of gecko that would fit your criteria, too.

[Katt]

We kept a day gecko free roaming in our herp room. He had access to light and water. We fed him by taping a delicup to the wall and putting insects in it. He was also trained to come to a pair of tongs with red tips to eat, usually a fuzz and a pink. The door was always closed and the window never opened. He never got out.

This is him hanging around the window. He was originally vertical, but he's easier to see horizontal.
<img src=http://img48.photobucket.com/albums/v147/Kattia/fluffy.jpg>

Fluffy is still with us, over a year now. He has a proper cage now. He was a WC adult, and survived a cat attack. The cat attack occurred when we kept him in a tank in the living room, which is why we put him in the herp room to free roam.

[K1LOS]

Katt: what made you choose to house him in a cage again after the free roaming?

MOnster: I have heard of many instances of people using house gecko's to deal with roach problems. Most of these cases were from NYC. So if they are succesful doing it, you likely will be too. I'm not sure if it is the right thing to do or not morally, but i don't think i'd say it's outright cruel.

You're biggest obstacle to overcome in that situation would be making sure your gecko got enough water. Not sure how you would do that.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

Geoff

[Katt]

We moved out of our aparment and bought a house. Unfortunately none of the rooms are secure enough.

Plus there's the whole squeeging the walls cuz of the poop!