How to Catch a Lizard

Lizards are seen all over the world, but often only as a glimpse before it disappears back into a hiding spot! Fortunately, you can use these methods to outsmart and capture a lizard before you approach close enough to startle it. Just like any wild animal, lizards should not be kept as permanent pets without extensive preparation and researching laws and permits in your region. After capturing the lizard, show it to your friends, photograph or sketch it, then release it back into the wild.

How Do You Catch a Lizard

Prepare a box to use as a trap or home for a lizard. Use a piece of plastic wrap to cover the opening of the box and then cut a slit in it. Please the trap near a light and bait it with crickets, moths, or flies. Or use a long pole with a string attached to loop around the lizard to capture it.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Setting a Trap

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1
Learn about lizards in your area. Try to research the behavior of local lizards before setting your trap, so you know when they are active and what type of bait and trap location is likely to be successful. A reptile identification guide booklet or website for your area may contain useful information. You can also observe the behavior of lizards in your home or yard and see where they gather.
- If you cannot find useful information, follow the general advice in this section.
2
Prepare a box as a temporary or permanent home. Any sturdy container without a strong odor can be used as a lizard trap. If you wish to keep your lizard permanently, however, research how to construct a suitable home beforehand, suited for the lizard species in your area. For temporary captures, simply make your box a little more comfortable for the lizard by placing some local leaves and grasses at the bottom. This also may make the trap less suspicious.
- If you plan to keep a lizard permanently, find out about laws and permits in your area before you begin, to make sure you are not doing anything illegal.
- If you are not sure how to construct a good lizard home, look for vivariums in the local yellow pages. The employees there should be able to advise you.
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3
Cover the box with plastic wrap and cut a slit. Stretch plastic wrap over the entire box, taping it to the sides. Cut a slit long enough for the local lizards to fall through near the middle of the box.
- If you're not sure how large the local lizards are, cut the slit roughly six inches (15 cm) long.
If you've seen lizards active in a particular area, place the box there. Otherwise, look for places where insects congregate, such as near light sources that are on at night. Hiding places in your yard such as rock walls or bushes may also be a good option.
5
Bait the trap. Many lizards eat insects, but because there are so many species of lizard it is best to research the diet of species in your area. Otherwise, use crickets, moths, flies, or any other insect small enough for the target lizard to eat. Keep in mind that some lizards may not eat dead prey, but live bait may not be practical as it is difficult to keep in place.
- If the bait is light enough, place it on the plastic wrap near the slit.
6
Check the trap frequently. You may not catch a lizard for several days or longer, so don't give up if you don't see one right away. Check two or three times a day at least, so a captured lizard doesn't starve to death. Replace live bait after it dies, or dead bait every one or two days to keep it fresh.
- If you give up on the trap, remember to remove it and throw it away so animals do not fall into it.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using a Lizard "Fishing Pole"

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This method involves the construction of a "fishing pole" for catching lizards. This is a surprisingly successful technique often used by biologists. However, as the catch involves removing a noose from a struggling, startled lizard, it is not wise to use on large, sharp-toothed lizards without experience and protective clothing.^{[1]
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Find a stick or other long object at least three feet (0.9 meters) long. You may use an actual fishing pole if you have one, but you may want to use a softer material in place of fishing line, as described below.
Cut off a piece of waxed dental floss at least as long as the stick.^{[2]
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Research source} Tie one end of this onto one end of the stick. If you have no floss, you can use a different soft line, such as a strong, long grass blade to catch small lizards. Fishing line is not recommended for inexperienced lizard catchers as sharp lines can cut the lizard.
4
Tie the other end into a slip knot. Form a loop at the loose end of the floss. Grasp the rope on the side of the loop closest to the stick, and form a new loop by moving your fingers under and through the first loop. Keep pulling until the first loop has tightened. You should now have a makeshift "fishing pole" with a noose at the end.
- The noose has to be large enough to go around the lizard's head.
5
Search for lizards in likely places. Lizards may be found where insects gather, such as a compost heap. If you do not see any running around or lying in the sun, they may be hiding under boards, in firewood piles, or in similar shady hiding places.
- If you can find out what species of lizards live in your area, you can research their behavior online or in wildlife guides for better information about where to find them.
If you can't find any lizards during the day, you may have better luck searching for species that are active during the night. Nocturnal lizards are often found hunting insects, which gather around porch lights, lighted windows, and other light sources.
Oddly, this technique may work better if the lizard can see you, as the lizard may focus on your approach instead of on the noose. Move very slowly, and only come close enough to reach the lizard with your noose. Sudden movements may cause the lizard to run away and hide.
Some species and individuals react quickly to the noose, while others will remain motionless even as the noose bumps into them several times. Once you've found the second type, or practiced your noose-slinging skills, fit the noose around its neck. Its own weight should tighten the slipknot as it moves, preventing it from escaping.
Grasp the lizard gently but firmly by the back, not the tail, limbs, or head. Pull the noose off in short, gentle motions.
Keeping a lizard permanently requires preparing a suitable home for the lizard, researching how to care for that specific species, and potentially acquiring permits (if keeping wild lizards is even legal in your region). In most cases, it is recommended that you keep the lizard for no more than a couple hours. Once you are done examining it or sketching it, release it as close to the spot you found it as possible.

Expert Q&A

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Are there any other ways to catch a lizard?

Clint Bartley
Herpetology Expert
Clint Bartley is a Herpetology Expert based in Chandler, Indiana. He has over 30 years of experience working with reptiles, and opened Metazotics in 2022, a large reptile breeding facility and specialty store where he oversees a breeding colony of nearly 500 reptiles. Metazotics specializes in reptiles such as colubrids, ball pythons, geckos, tortoises, and more, and serves a national audience with their state-of-the-art online merchandise platform. In particular, Clint is known as an industry leader in Asian rat snake and black rat snake mutations. Clint has successfully reproduced more than 60 species of reptiles in captivity. He was the second person in the United States to produce Archelaphe bella chapaensis (bell rat snakes), and the first person in the U.S. to produce them twice. Metazotics carries a comprehensive line of supplies and habitats, offers all bioactive enclosure needs, and works with local organizations to further their knowledge and understanding of reptiles.

Clint Bartley

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Expert Answer

You can also catch lizards with a glue trap. Start by placing it in areas where lizards frequent, potentially adding bait for attraction. Regularly monitor the trap, freeing any caught lizards carefully. Once finished, dispose of the trap properly, considering alternative methods to minimize harm to non-target animals.

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What is the best bait to use?

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It depends on which type of lizard you are dealing with. But small insects like roly polys, small beetles, and small spiders will usually work best.

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What if I can't find a picture of the lizard I want to catch?

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You could search for the lizards that are commonly found in your state/region. Finding a list of local lizards can make it easier to narrow down your search.

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Tips

You can make a homemade lizard-catching net with a piece of cheesecloth or burlap sewn onto a wire frame from a coat hanger. The faster species of lizards may still be extremely difficult to capture with a net, however.^{[3]
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Before handling make sure it is not venomous!

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Grasp lizards gently, but firmly, by the body. Many lizards make use of limb separation (especially dropping their tails) to escape.

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Warnings

Do not reach into holes searching for lizards. You may encounter more dangerous animals, such as venomous spiders, snakes, or scorpions.

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Some lizards bite. Very few are toxic, or venomous, but know your quarry and respect those that are dangerous.

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