How To Rid Your Home Of Gecko Lizards
Although geckos generally don’t cause direct harm to humans and will usually just avoid us, they can cause quite a scare as they scamper about in your home. They like to climb walls and can often be found “hanging out” near heat sources in the house such as heaters and light sources.
They might not bite, but geckos can contaminate food and surfaces they come into contact with as they move about making them a potential health hazard. Some of the bacteria geckos could spread include Salmonella and E. coli which can cause serious illnesses.
Signs of a gecko infestation
Some of the signs you’ll notice when you have a gecko problem in your home include:
- Strange noises at night. Geckos are mostly nocturnal and will, therefore, be most active during the night. If you hear scurrying around or chirping sounds inside you home at night, you might have a gecko problem. Some further investigations will, however, be required to ascertain that it is geckos inside your house and not other critters such as rodents.
- Seeing the gecko. Sometimes you will see the gecko when you flip on the light at night – a sure sign of a gecko problem.
- Shed tails. It may sound gross, but geckos do shed their tails from time to time. If you finda few of these scattered around the house, then you most likely have some gecko intruders on your hands.
- Trails and footprints.Ifunfortunatelygeckos manage to get into your dried food, you might notice trails of debris and strange footprints near the place where the food is stored. Although this could be a sign of a gecko infestation, be sure to look out for other signs to be sure that it is not another pest intruder.
How to prevent geckos from getting into your home
You can keep geckos out of your house by:
- Eliminating pest insects. Gecko lizards primarily feed on insects. Having an insect pest infestation in your home will most likely attract geckos into your home due to the readily available food. Control insect pests in your home to eliminate the root cause of your gecko problem.
- Avoid clutter. Similar to other pest intruders, geckos love clutter as it provides them with places to hide. Keep your house organised and dispose or donate things that you do not need to ensure geckos and other pests don’t find places to hide inside your home.
- Use extrusion. Inspect your house to find large gaps that geckos can use to get into your home and seal them. Install door sweeps on your exterior doors and screen vents and windows that geckos can use to get into your home.
- Get a cat.This is not a solution for everyone, but cats are pretty good at keeping geckos and several other pests out of your home. If you were considering getting a cat, then this is another reason why you should.
For geckos that are already inside your home, you can use repellers (either homemade or professional ones) to get them out of your house. Pepper based repellers are good for homemade solutions and can get geckos out of your home, but they’re not as effective as professional gecko repellers. Professional gecko repellers are also easier to use and will last longer to provide continuous long-term protection.