Are Lizards Considered Pests?

Lizards are almost everywhere. They stick to the wall and sometimes comes out to eat food. They help us in many ways but can also annoy us in many ways.

But are lizards considered pests? Yes, lizards are considered as pests, but they are not harmful to humans in general. In moderation, lizards can get rid of unwanted insects from your house, and on the other hand, they can also cause a nuisance. Some people are even superstitious and welcome them to their home for good luck.

Many indigenous cultures around the world wrongly believe that they are highly poisonous, lizards are among the most harmless. Many would like to hang around with humans. Eradicating the insect population in your garden with pesticides is a good idea because you can only stop lizard when you cut off the lizards “food source. If they don’t get food, they will not stay in the garden for long.

While some love the gecko and regard it as the part of nature, others think them as pests and despise it.  Some people find lizards creepy. But they can drive away mosquitoes and other insects. Some people consider the lizard as purely useful, as it kills any insects that might get inside.    

The Problems With Lizards

Although harmless, the lizards can eat disease-carrying insects and can have viruses. They eject these infected insects through their feces so their feces can be poisonous. It is also known that lizards eat fruit, and a lizard carries bacteria on their skin that can cause salmonella and food poisoning to humans.  

If your house is heavily infested with lizards, it would be a good idea to store fruit in the fridge to avoid them contaminating the fruit. If your house has a secondary pest infestation of crawling insects, these lizards can get into your home.

The only solution to stop them from entering your house is to get rid of insect infestation. If you have significantly reduced the insect population, then the lizard will automatically leave your home. Reducing the number of insects in your area is a great way to stop lizards from going into your garden. Get rid of mosquitoes and moths.

People Who Don’t Consider Lizard A Pest

Some homeowners welcome lizards into their homes to keep other insects away. Lizards will eat insects and will keep them out. The main effect of lizards on humans is positive, as they are the main predators.

There is actually only one species that is dangerous to humans: the Komodo dragon. Komodo dragon can be aggressive, and you should always keep your distance from them. The Tokay gecko (Gecko geckos) is also known as a large, loud lizard, which is native to Southeast Asia and now has a self-preserving and growing population in Florida. 

They are common gecko in Southeast Asia and Florida, but they don’t harm humans unless you try to catch them with your hands. If you try to catch them, then they can bite you, and that bite can be painful. 

Most species are harmless to humans, and some species can be kept as pets, including iguanas, bearded dragons, geckos and anoles. Only a few lizards are poisonous. Only three lizard species in the United States have ever been clinically toxic.

How To Deal With Lizard

How to deal with a lizard problem depends on whether you have one or two lizards and whether you have had an infestation or not. Lizards don’t usually seek attention, so if you see a single lizard, then there will be more around.

Since lizards come from all over the world, it is important to know what kind of lizard you are dealing with so that you understand which dietary habits are ultimately responsible for getting rid of them. If there are enough insects in a particular place, then the lizard won’t go away from that place.

You need to use chemicals to get rid of them. Use the chemical in a way that doesn’t harm you while you are using the chemicals indoor. Organic chemicals are the best because they have the least side effects and can effectively be used on lizards.

Are Lizards Aggressive?

The lizards that you see inside your house are in general, not aggressive. They don’t want to harm humans. That said you should not tease them because some species can indeed defend themselves and can scratch or bite humans.    

Many people keep lizards as pets, and they are more popular than frogs and turtles. There are many different lizard species that are kept as pets. The famous Komodo dragon can be found on several islands.

Their bodies are of different sizes, so some of them are suitable for pets, and some of them are not. The Komodo dragon and monitor lizards have aggressive tendencies. If pets like dog or cats attack them, they can defend themselves aggressively.

Fear Can Trigger Aggression

A lizard can get aggressive when they are scared. If your lizard is nervous biter, you might want to use a towel or wear thick gloves when catching the lizard. Otherwise, they can bite you, and that can be painful. 

Usually, small lizards can release their entire tail when a predator grabs them. Big lizards like Komodo dragon or monitor lizards cannot leave their tail behind to escape, so they defend themselves aggressively. 

A reptile that feels fear may show similar actions like aggression, but it may simply try to get away. This is an instinct. Many owners believe that while taming their lizards, a lizard can show a sign of aggression, it’s because they are scared. 

After a few days, this sign of aggression goes away. If your lizards show aggression when you pick it up, then don’t put down your pet lizard immediately. Because then the lizard will think that it has won and will always behave like that. Instead, keep the lizard in your hand and eventually, the lizard will get comfortable and will not act aggressively.

Some Lizards Are More Aggressive Than Others

Lizards like a collared lizard can be aggressive because they see everything as a threat to their existence. Because of that, they can attack humans.To tame your lizard, you need to keep your lizard in a good environment and give them a sufficient amount of food so that they don’t become aggressive. Abusing a lizard can make them aggressive.     

Some people keep tegus as pets, and mostly all of them are good pets. Still, Colombian tegus are not recommended as a good pet lizard. They can be aggressive and can bite their owners. It is also not a good idea to keep monitor lizards as pets as they can be aggressive. The aggression comes out of fear, and monitor lizards are probably more afraid than you are. 

They see everything as a potential predator, because of this reason they can attack. It isn’t easy to tame a monitor lizard. The monitor lizard is venomous, and they can bite their owners. Owners who are bitten by monitor have to go to doctors. 

Nile monitor lizard, in particular, will not hesitate to bite their keepers, so be sure to keep a firm grip and make sure you don’t get in the way of a monitor. Some species of lizard seem to have a greater tendency to tame. In contrast, others seem to be naturally more nervous or even aggressive. 

When lizards are young and small, they are often more aggressive and less confident. This makes sense, as they have more natural enemies when they are small, but as they grow, they become confident and less aggressive.    

Chameleons can be wonderful and fascinating pets and thrive in captivity. But they need a little more care than other lizards and are best kept with more advanced keepers. They can be divided into small groups, which keeps them tame and manageable. Consistent and gentle handling is necessary to tame most lizards. 

Mostly all lizards are suitable for beginners, but it is important to note that all reptiles, even the simplest species, have special requirements and they need the right care to live a long and healthy life.