Lizards and Frogs In and Around Your Home

In Central Florida, we are very familiar with reptiles and amphibians. You don’t have to travel far from your front door to find them before you will run into one or the other. In fact, many people don’t have to leave their house at all. Frogs and especially lizards have a tendency to find their way indoors.

This may not seem like such a nuisance to a person never having dealt with it. But that is because they have never found a dead frog or lizard in their house covered with ants. Yes, that sounds like something from a nature show or horror movie, but in Florida it happens often.

The lizard or frog gets into your home and eventually dies from lack of water and lack of food. Also, no light/heat source is a problem for their survival. That is why you notice people who keep these animals as pets have a sun lamp inside their aquarium.

So, what can you do to prevent these pests form getting into your house? Three things:

• No standing water around the house. Amphibians need standing water in which to breed and lizards need it to quench their thirst.
• No unnecessary outdoor lighting. This attracts bugs and bugs are food for lizards and amphibians.
• Seal up any cracks or holes in your building. They get in the tiniest of cracks and this problem will reoccur. This includes spaces around doorways. Get new sealant put around doorways if you see light coming through.

Other than the three tips I mentioned above there isn’t much that can be done. Small lizards and frogs located in Florida are not harmful to humans and many actually think they are interesting creatures to have around. But, no matter what your feelings are, they can become a nuisance.

If you notice one get by you when opening the door, it is best to get it back outside as soon as possible or you will be finding its corpse eventually.