How to Capture a Pet Lizard From the Wild

Lizards are all around us. Sometimes, you may want to capture a wild lizard and make it your pet. It is important that you think about the long term commitment you are making to care for the wild lizard. Generally, wild lizards who are into pets are unable to survive if they are released back into the wild.

Instructions

1. Check with your local Animal Control office to find out if it is legal to have a wild caught lizard as a pet. In some locations, it is illegal to do so. In addition, some areas have laws against keeping certain species of lizard as pets. This may be because the lizard is endangered, is dangerous or carries disease.

2. Do your research. You need to find out if the lizard you hope to catch will do well in captivity if it is caught from the wild. Anoles, for example, usually die of starvation when they are taken into captivity from the wild because they refuse to eat.

3. Ask your parents if you can have a lizard. Some people are afraid of lizards and others find them creepy. If you live with your parents, make sure that you can have a lizard because it will be impossible to hide it from your parents and give it a good life. If your parents won't allow you to have a pet lizard, you should just leave it in the wild and watch it from a distance.

4. Set up an appropriate habitat for the lizard if you decide that it will do well in captivity. It will need a safe place to live, such as a reptile tank. It will also need food, water, light and heat.

5. Wash your hands before and after handling the lizard. This will help you and the lizard to stay healthy.

6. Catch the lizard by encouraging it to crawl into a container. Stressing the reptile out by chasing it will usually mean that it will die fairly soon after you catch it. It may be necessary to wait patiently for it to crawl into the container. Being patient will help you to ensure that the lizard stays calm. This is best, even if it takes a while to catch the lizard.

7. Take the lizard to the veterinarian. Some wild lizards can carry germs. Make sure that you tell the veterinarian that the lizard is wild caught so that she can test for all of the diseases that it may be carrying. If you are given medication for the lizard, make sure that you give it the medicine as directed.