Readers connect with San Jose woman with an unwanted lizard
A recent column on getting a lizard out of a house resonated with several readers.
DEAR JOAN: I had to chuckle about this morning’s column, because it brought back memories of an incident that happened in our home years ago.
We had an elusive alligator lizard in our home, probably one that had escaped when I brought it in to show our girls. One day my wife stepped out of the shower, and the lizard simultaneously plopped out of the bathroom cabinet. My wife, who does not share my passion for herpetology, ran out of the house, wrapped only in a towel and screaming, just as a neighbor was arriving. The neighbor started screaming, too.
My wife finally calmed down enough to call me at work and report the incident, and ask what to do. My immediate response: “You didn’t break its tail, did you?” She has never let me forget it.
Your advice to the reader was good, but it would have helped to know what kind of lizard it was. We often find juvenile blue bellies that somehow enter our house from our yard. They are usually easy to sweep into a dustpan and evict. Alligator lizards? Well, they are clever devils who can get into small cracks and under bookcases and such. Who knows; we may still have our resident. We don’t have a cricket problem.
Vic Ryerson, Orinda
DEAR VIC: While I understand your wife wasn’t exactly sympathetic to the bathroom intruder, I can understand you inquiring about the alligator lizard’s tail. They are magnificent, and although they do grow back, they’re never quite as glorious as they once were.
DEAR JOAN: I thought it was a funny coincidence that after your recent column, I found a lizard in my house, too. Upstairs! Fortunately, I was able to capture him with a large, wide mouth plastic jar. I held it in front of him, and he ran inside. I released him into the ivy.
This is not the first time. A few years ago, I coaxed a lizard into an empty cracker box. He was cold and easy to capture. Again, into the ivy. Maybe I am a “lizard whisperer.”
Cheryl Valentine, Campbell
DEAR CHERYL: I bow to the master. Perhaps this could be a new career opportunity for you.
DEAR JOAN: I wanted to suggest another way of helping a lizard leave someone’s house.
We had an alligator lizard in our garage the other day — we suspect we scared it by doing yard work, and it ran into the garage. We couldn’t get it to leave that afternoon, because it ran under some cabinets. However, the next morning, we opened the side door to the garage to let the sun shine in. Sure enough, about an hour later, we peeked out, and the little dude was sitting in the sun (but still in the garage).
We gently nudged it with a broom to encourage it to leave. They are wonderful creatures to look at, but it needed to be outside! So, if others find sun-loving creatures in their homes, they might be able to entice them to leave in the same way.
Jill S., Aptos
DEAR JILL: That’s what I call an easy solution and great advice. The moral of the story is to always look for the sunniest patch. Thanks for sharing.
Contact Joan Morris at jmorris@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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