Capture a Pet Lizard from the Wild

You see this amazing lizard on display in the store. You want it, but it's pricey at 100 dollars. You might be able to capture your own lizard free and raise it to be every bit as amazing. Here are some tips for finding your own lizard.

Steps

  1. Pick out a lizard that lives wild in your area.
  2. Research care and local laws on the internet or in books. Once you are sure you have the proper permits for capturing a wild reptile, you can focus on its habitat for now.
  3. Create as large of a home as you can for your pet, making sure that you provide temperatures and hiding places. Remember some animals never adapt to captivity. Ask around, many experienced animal keepers (usually not pet stores) can advise you on what is "easy" to care for.
  4. Catch one out in the wild:
    • Look in local forest areas, desert areas, fields etc. for lizards.
    • Use the knowledge you have gained from researching to know where to look.
    • Catch it near home:
    • To catch a lizard that hangs out around your house, get a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} aquarium, or some other rather large and clear box. It is recommended you use a clear box, so the lizards (and yourself) can see into /through the box.
    • Make a lizard-friendly backyard. If you don't know exactly what to look for, go in your backyard and lay out boards, plants, old mats, etc. in the dirt. Wait about 5 months.
  5. Make an inviting trap for your lizard:
    • Take some cardboard, poster board, or foam core and cut it at least as big as the opening of the tank or box.
    • Tape this to the tank as if it were hinged on, with the 'hinges' at the bottom of the tank.
    • Take some string or thread, and tie or tape it to the top portion of the foam core.
  6. Make a meal for your lizard:
    • Get a food that is appropriate for the lizard's size, like a cricket or something to that effect.
    • Place a few live crickets into the tank, and place the tank on its side (long ways) so there is a big opening.
  7. When the lizard comes to get the food, drop the box or aquarium on it and you've got your pet. Never release it back into the wild. You can disrupt social order, introduce at the wrong season, and even spread disease.

Tips

  • Always be ready if your pet escapes.
  • If you can't catch an adult, try catching a baby lizard—they can be easier to capture.
  • Be prepared. Take nets, a temporary case, or a box to catch it in.
  • Cut the cover before you try to set everything up; the cover should work like a hinged box setup.
  • Keep your eye on the lizard if you're catching it with your bare hands. Don't be scared to touch it!
  • To attract lizards, put old rusty dish rags in your backyard and wait about 2-5 days. You'll see lizards hiding under them!
  • To find Carolina Anoles/Green Anoles, make a wooden wall with cracks; wait about 5 days. After a while, some type of lizard will be hiding in a crack, so just use a stick, and gently poke it. Have a net handy. Alternatively, if a porch or deck has stairs that are open on the sides, check there; there may be lizards hiding under them or on the back of the stairs.
  • The lizard is going to pitch a fit about being locked up. Use a blanket to cover the fish tank during transport. This will calm the lizard down because it cannot see you, and therefore will not be afraid.
  • Obtain all your new pet lizard supplies before you capture it.
  • Spiny lizards are omnivores. They eat plants and insects. Large lizards (such as the Gila Monster) are carnivores; they eat animals and even other lizards. Lizards such as the Carolina Anole/Green Anole are insectivores; they eat bugs such as crickets.
  • Taking a wild animal out of its natural habitat and locking it in a receptacle should rather be avoided. There are just too many things to consider: The animal might be infested with parasites, it needs a certain temperature and humidity, it needs appropriate food, it needs places to hide or bury itself. Also, all animals need a partner at least at one point of the year (mating season). If you need an animal for studying purposes, keep it for about a month (if you can provide the necessities) and then release it.

Warnings

  • Do not feed Carolina Anoles/Green Anoles mealworms. They do not provide any nutrition or energy and pass through undigested.
  • Be sure you know how to identify your reptiles; don't take home a venomous snake or other venomous creature.
  • Turtles, lizards, and various other reptiles are known to carry Salmonella bacteria; beware of your own risk.
  • Make sure the species is not endangered or venomous.
  • Some lizards do not do well in captivity - the stress can too be great, and therefore bad for the lizard. If the lizard seems to have extremely decreased activity inside his new home, think about letting him go in the same place it was captured.
  • Wild reptiles can carry parasites that could spread to the rest of your collection. Often, the stress of capture is enough to weaken the immune system enough to make them ill. If you insist on taking an animal from the wild and caring for it properly, you'll have to take it to see a veterinarian, which is costly. It's a much better bet to visit local pet stores, look up local reptile expos and purchase a captive-bred specimen. These are already acclimated to captivity, are already good feeders, and are healthy.
  • You are going to have to work to keep your reptile healthy and happy. You may have no luck. If this is the case, it's better off just saving up your dollars for that lizard, or getting along without it.
  • Remember, it is illegal to remove many species of reptiles from the wild and keep them as pets. Don't do it. Know the regulations before attempting to capture your lizard.

Things You'll Need

  • Fish tank for home
  • Box for trap
  • Food for lizard
  • Books/internet for researching
  • Substrate
  • Hiding spots
  • Patience

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