Can a Pet Lizard Help With Pest Control?
Do you have a pet lizard at home or thinking about getting one? Has the thought suddenly come to your mind about whether you can use it for pest control? But confused about what to do?
Lizards and reptiles can be wonderful as pets. They don’t make loud noises or have fur and are also pretty low maintenance compared to other animals. They’re fun to touch, they’re fun to watch and they’re quite unique.
But using a pet lizard as a bug control is a matter of debate as it can be either good or bad for your reptile. Learn all about using a pet lizard for pest control in this article.
Can You Keep Lizards as Pets?
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There are numerous subspecies of lizards throughout the world. There are far more than we could ever count. However, selecting the ideal one for you might be time-consuming.
Lizards can be found on practically every continent, which explains why they can adapt to a variety of climatic situations. Although not all of these reptiles make suitable pets, there are some that do not mind coexisting with people.
Not all lizards are suitable as pets for children. Leopard geckos, green anoles, and bearded dragons are among the most popular pets for children. Parents must provide close oversight in order to teach their kids about the many wants and desires of these reptiles.
Avoid making the mistake of taking home any little lizard for your children without first researching its nature and requirements. You rarely know how big the creature will grow up to be and need a living space that you may not be able to offer.
What Do Pet Lizards Eat?
The food of your pet lizard will differ depending on its species. Contact your local pet store specialist or veterinarian before purchasing food for your pet lizard. Your local pet store most likely carries specialist packaged feed mixtures for omnivores, parasitoid wasps, deadly lizards, and bugs like wax worms.
These concoctions may comprise both veggies and bugs, or they may include only insects such as mealworms, crickets, or flies. However, certain pet lizards do not survive on commercial diets and should instead consume live prey or fresh plants.
If you have a larger carnivorous pet lizard, you will need to supplement its food with more protein. This can be done with either living or frozen mice. Most importantly, monitor its eating to guarantee it is not harmed by animals brought as food.
What Do Lizards Eat in the Wild?
Lizards are a diverse group. The majority of smaller reptiles usually feed on insects and bugs. On the other hand, some lizard species can be herbivorous or omnivorous meaning they eat both meat and veggies. Some huge lizards are real predators, easily devouring larger creatures. Fortunately for the rest of the world, those aren’t commonly kept in captivity.
In the wild, many distinct lizard species feed on insects. The sort of bug varies according to the area. Since they are widespread in the open, crickets, flies, worms, grasshoppers, ants, spiders, and cockroaches are prominent diets for reptiles, including geckos.
Some reptiles, such as green iguanas, are exclusively herbivores and do not consume meat. Other lizards will consume insects and other forms of meat, but will also consume vegetables. Green iguanas, for example, live in the wild.
Can Pet Lizards Act as Bug Control?
Yes, pet lizards can help with bug control. In fact, the majority of reptile species do. The majority of a lizard’s diet consists of insects, particularly cockroaches. For instance, bearded dragons are natural roach predators. Moreover, leopard geckos also fit that description very well.
Leopard geckos are known as nocturnal reptiles, making them an even greater menace to cockroaches. Monitor lizards enjoy cockroaches, particularly those that grow to be four inches or longer in length.
Roaches are an economical, easy, and healthy supplement to the diet of households who maintain lizards as pets, such as geckos and iguanas. Still, a pet owner should understand that a lizard ought to feed on roaches the size of the distance between the lizard’s eyes. For instance, you will often spot baby roaches roaming around your house. They are easy prey for your pet lizard.
While it’s beneficial to understand that your pet reptile can stay on top of the occasional bug that gets into its enclosure, you’re unlikely to let a pet lizard roam throughout your home and be completely responsible for your pest control efforts.
Feeding pests to pet lizards can also cause issues to their health and overall well-being. This should be taken into account before using a pet lizard as pest control. There are a lot of other ways to get rid of pests than just lizards like certain herbs and eucalyptus oil etc.
Final Words
Lizards can make for great pets, especially because they are unique and relatively easy to take care of. It is natural to wonder if a pet lizard can help with pest control around the house.
Since the primary food of most lizards and reptiles are insects it’s pretty understandable to come to that conclusion.
But going forward with it can also result in a different outcome than you might expect. This could end up being disheartening to you.
FAQs
Do Lizards Eat Roaches?
Many lizards have been documented eating bugs, notably cockroaches. Cockroaches are naturally preyed upon by lizards such as bearded dragons, monitor lizards, and leopard geckos.
What Are the Benefits of Lizards?
To begin with, several lizard species consume plant parasites such as slugs and dangerous insects. More significantly, garden variety lizards are a good indicator of environmental health. Because lizards are susceptible to pollution, their mere presence in the garden suggests low pesticide and heavy metal levels.
Will Lizards Hurt You?
Generally, reptiles and tortoises are benign to people. Nevertheless, certain members of both species can murder, mutilate, make ill, or inflict at least modest amounts of agony on their unlucky human victims. Certain reptiles are poisonous, and some are highly hostile.
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