Introducing Lizards to Reduce Flys

[Relic]

This is why we have so many anoles...

 

[Pastel Tortie]

Yes, that is my intention.


I didn’t find any maggots while cleaning, we had cypress mulch as our substrate so they would be easy to spot. I think they may be breeding in the dumpsters in the ally behind our house.



I am in Lubbock, Texas. The whole city is inundated with flys for about 6 months of the year.

I know we have lizards here but I’ve never seen them on my property. Would it be a better plan to find a native species of lizard?

Also, I know there is a population of native toads because last summer for about a week we had thousand of babies in our yard. Maybe this is a better option?

I’m not sure if anyone has experience with this type of release, but do the animals tend to stick around? It seems beneficial to do so if there is a healthy supply of food (flys) to eat.

What about a native spieces of lizard or toad?

I'd recommend contacting your local, county Cooperative Extension Service office/agent. If there's a good, safe, biological control to use in your area, they would know.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

We live in Florida, so we have an abundance of anoles and geckos everywhere. They don't seem to care about our tortoise, nor does he care about them. Believe it or not, we have very few houseflies in our area. We see perhaps only 2 or 3 per year. I don't know if the lack of flies is due to lizard predation, as I have never seen them eat anything capable of rapid flight. If anything, they may eat maggots. My totally unscientific conclusion is that the lizards won't endanger your tortoise, but they won't offer any solution to your fly problem unless they can attack their maggots.

In south Florida, there are many, many animals that eat flies occurring naturally.
I can't remember the last time I saw one out in my enclosure.
My Redfoot eat an occasional Curly Tail lizard. And large Cain Toads contaminate the water pools.
Neither of those animals are native.

 

[Byron Todd]

I'd recommend contacting your local, county Cooperative Extension Service office/agent. If there's a good, safe, biological control to use in your area, they would know.

That’s a good idea, thank you.