Garden

[cheriere]

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@BlueFinch wrote:

Love lizards. The little Fence Lizard is smart. He has found the perfect camouflage spot and he's hugging it tight. 

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You're right, he is a smart one, especially to be so young.  I guess he knows at his size he'd better find a good spot to get comfortable lol.😃❤️🦎

[Estellee]

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@cheriere wrote:

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@Estellee wrote:

This one is cute, where I live we have plenty of them all sizes and colors @cheriere 

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How cool!  We don't really have many different colored ones here.  Another I always see on my garden wall, I call "blue tails". They're a little different in color and have a long, bright cobalt blue tail.  The kids used to catch these and bring them into my science lab all the time.  My terrariums were always full of different things lol.😃❤️🦎

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@cheriere They also love to come in the house when I open the door. They seem to hide in the door jams. In recent years we have more iguanas. Some of them are pretty and others are not. I havn't noticed them trying to enter, yet 

[cheriere]

@Estellee 

Maybe that's another place they're hanging out.  Ruby lays where she can watch the door jam as well as the wall.   In fact, I've watched plenty coming from inside the garage running out to the flower wall and back.

I can't imagine what a hassle it must be though trying to keep them from coming in the house!  Ugh!  And IGUANAS....OH MY!!! 😱 

[Xivambala]

I have a different take on the lizards here in south Florida @cheriere! 

For some reason, maybe with all the rain lately, I keep getting them in the house. I've had 5 in the last couple of weeks. At first I thought they were getting in from my condo balcony. I have to be very stringent about keeping the sliding door closed to keep  ants out, so that's not where they're coming from.

A few nights ago, I came home from grocery shopping and a very small one jumped in the front door and I couldn't stop it. They are very quick. When I find them, I catch them and release them back outside. This one disappeared through the side door jamb, so I think that is how they are getting in. 

My cat is VERY good at finding and alerting me when unwanted critters are in the house. About 2 years ago, I found a gecko on my guest bathroom ceiling. I caught it and sent it packing outside. When inspecting for any openings, I found the installers of my new A/C system left a fairly large hole in the wall where the unit was housed. I made them close that up.

With the heavy rainy season, everyone want to come inside. Fortunately, the iguanas now go no further than the trees outside my balcony.

[cheriere]

@Xivambala 

I'm so glad you shared your story and experiences with various lizards.😃❤️. I've heard from many Florida residents (family included lol) that the lizard population is extremely large!  

I'd bet you're exactly right about the small ones getting in through the sliding door jamb.  Since you have a kitty, you're luckier than a lot, especially since he/she is so good at keeping an eye on THEIR indoor domain lol.😃

I'm hearing a lot about iguanas in particular though.  Do they get really large and just fall from the trees onto people all the time?  This is what my aunt and cousins are always telling us about lol.  I've never had it happen while visiting, so I've just gotta ask.

Also wanted to say how much I admire your capture and release philosophy.  Thank you for being that person too.😃❤️

I always even try to do the same with most bugs I find inside...spiders, not so much though, sorry.

[Puggywuggy]

The little ones are charming little creatures. As you can imagine, we have lots of lizards here in the Desert. I especially like our little geckos but I have to stay vigilant when they come out because my frenchie, Boomer thinks they are toys and he tries to play with them! I can't tell you how many of them I've had to rescue from him...

[cheriere]

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@Puggywuggy wrote:
The little ones are charming little creatures. As you can imagine, we have lots of lizards here in the Desert. I especially like our little geckos but I have to stay vigilant when they come out because my frenchie, Boomer thinks they are toys and he tries to play with them! I can't tell you how many of them I've had to rescue from him...

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❤️❤️❤️

Sounds JUST like Ruby lol.  I'm also afraid that she'll now think a snake is the same thing as a lizard should she ever encounter one.

I didn't know you had a Frenchie!  I love 💕 those...and Boomer, what an adorable name!🥰

[Xivambala]

@cheriere  I have seen some of the iguanas on our property about 5 feet long, including the tail. All colors here...orange, maroon, olive, bright green. These 2 were the closest that came to my balcony. If they see you on the ground, they run away.Our HOA did hire iguana hunters to eliminate many of them, but they still hang out in trees that border the condo property.

Even on the occasional cold days in the early part of the year (not lower than 49 degrees) I've never seen them fall from the trees here. If it's too cold for them, I think they hide in burrows in the ground or stay motionless in the trees. Maybe farther North in FL they fall. We've all seen those news reports.

About a year ago someone spread some form of poison in the area and I woke up one morning and found at least 50 dead iguanas laying on the ground by my condo. The vultures here (we have those too) were have a feeding frenzy and were seen circling in the sky. I often wonder if the birds were poisoned as well. I know I've heard of vulture poisoning in Africa which is a shame because those birds are needed as the 'clean-up' crews. The iguanas also hang out at the local Walgreens. The last time I picked up a RX, I drove past 4. I'm starting to wonder if the pharmacy staff is feeding them!

[cheriere]

@Xivambala 

❤️❤️❤️

I love these pictures you've posted!  Wow!  I can't imagine what my little dog, Ruby's reaction would be to seeing lizards or iguanas that size!  I'm certain she'd be scared, but curiosity would win and she'd have to ease up on one.  I've no doubt, she'd quickly be running back though lol.

I'll bet they do drive your cat crazy and am certain you'd be alerted to their presence lol.  I had to ask about the falling from trees stories I've heard.  Of course, I wondered if my cousin's kids were exaggerating or not.  I have family near Destin and others further south in Fort Myers.

I couldn't imagine waking up to all those dead iguanas though...and vultures too.  I'm sure the iguanas are a nuisance, but I hate the idea of poisoning them.  I suppose I don't know what I'd do if in charge of the task of getting rid of them.  Like you said, the vultures possibly being poisoned as well should definitely have made them consider alternative options.

In other countries, it's untelling what kinds of methods they use to rid themselves of unwanted creatures.  I'd think African countries would take the vultures role in the habitats very seriously, but sadly, I'm sure they don't. ❤️

That's too funny about WalGreens!😂

You might want to notice next time if the birds appeared lethargic or all hyped up.  

[Xivambala]

@cheriere  I have occasionally seen iguanas fall from the trees when they fight with each other, probably males fighting for dominance. I have seen that happening on the ground too. I am just outside of Fort Lauderdale so it rarely gets cold here. Further north where the temperatures can be nearer to freezing, I can see there being incidences of them falling out of trees if the temps are cold enough to temporarily affect their muscle control if they are in trees. 

The cat in the picture is mine. His name is Xivambala,  and he gets very noisy and excited when he sees them or one of the lizards.

For a few weeks after the poisoning outside my balcony, I noticed several areas near me with vultures circling when I was out driving. I surmised that someone took it upon themselves to eliminate as many iguanas as they could. It is legal to humanely kill them, but I don't know if poison qualifies. Mike Rowe did a segment on his 'Dirty Jobs' program with a Florida iguana hunter about 2 years ago. If I'm not mistaken, the iguanas were repurposed into chum...gross!