Wild lizard hanging out by dryer

[w***@gmail.com]

I almost stepped on a lizard yesterday while doing laundry. The
little guy was covered in lint, I think he'd been hanging out behind
the dryers to stay warm. I brought him into my apartment in the mean
time thinking he'd be safer, but after doing some research I've
decided I wouldn't be that great at taking care of a wild lizard, so
I'm planning to release him. I'm located in Colorado where it is
still pretty cold, should I put him back in the laundry area or
outside?

[Chris McMartin]

Post by w***@gmail.com
I almost stepped on a lizard yesterday while doing laundry. The
little guy was covered in lint, I think he'd been hanging out behind
the dryers to stay warm. I brought him into my apartment in the mean
time thinking he'd be safer, but after doing some research I've
decided I wouldn't be that great at taking care of a wild lizard, so
I'm planning to release him. I'm located in Colorado where it is
still pretty cold, should I put him back in the laundry area or
outside?

Put him in the laundry room; it's fairly warm and there are bugs in the
apartment complex (but not yours, I'm sure!). :)

It sounds like a Mediterranean gecko--not native but turning up in more and
more urban areas. They like hanging around human dwellings for the
perpetual warmth and insects. If you Google them, let me know if that's
what it is. If not, provide a brief description and I'll try to figure it
out.

Chris

[w***@gmail.com]

Post by Chris McMartin

Post by w***@gmail.com
I almost stepped on a lizard yesterday while doing laundry. The
little guy was covered in lint, I think he'd been hanging out behind
the dryers to stay warm. I brought him into my apartment in the mean
time thinking he'd be safer, but after doing some research I've
decided I wouldn't be that great at taking care of a wild lizard, so
I'm planning to release him. I'm located in Colorado where it is
still pretty cold, should I put him back in the laundry area or
outside?

Put him in the laundry room; it's fairly warm and there are bugs in the
apartment complex (but not yours, I'm sure!). :)
It sounds like a Mediterranean gecko--not native but turning up in more and
more urban areas. They like hanging around human dwellings for the
perpetual warmth and insects. If you Google them, let me know if that's
what it is. If not, provide a brief description and I'll try to figure it
out.
Chris
--
Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com

Thanks for the advice Chris, I'll be putting him or her back in the
laundry room later tonight. I don't think it was an Mediterranean
gecko, I looked at some pictures online and they don't really match.
I'm not so good with descriptions, so I upload a picture onto flickr:
Loading Image...
Looking online I thought he was a prairie lizard, but I could be
totally wrong. Thanks again,

Will

[The Ranger]

***@gmail.com wrote in message news:c803ce1b-46a3-4e72-b455-***@h11g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
[snip]

Post by w***@gmail.com
I'm not so good with descriptions, so I upload a
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/2356113005_4665708461_b.jpg
Looking online I thought he was a prairie lizard,
but I could be totally wrong. Thanks again,

Looks like a blue belly!

http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/s.o.taylori.html

The Ranger

[Chris McMartin]

Post by The Ranger
[snip]

Post by w***@gmail.com
I'm not so good with descriptions, so I upload a
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/2356113005_4665708461_b.jpg
Looking online I thought he was a prairie lizard,
but I could be totally wrong. Thanks again,

Looks like a blue belly!
http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/s.o.taylori.html
The Ranger

Yep, definitely one of the fence lizards (aka "swifts," "blue bellies,"
etc). _Sceloporus undulatus_; not sure of the subspecies in your
area--maybe consobrinus? I hadn't heard of med geckos being that far north,
so that would've been an interesting find. However, I also hadn't heard of
fence lizards being found in laundry rooms either, so that's cool too!