new here, have SERIOUS question

[bryman]

so we just moved into our new house 2 years ago. it was built for us, on old farm land. well today i was in the basement and decided to clean out the window wells of the weeds that grow there. i pulled a big weed up and saw what i thought were eyes looking at me. WELL i kinda freaked out, jumped back inside and slammed the window thinking it was a snake. then curiosity got ahold of me. i opened the window and got to looking at him, and it was no snake but really what appears to be a gecko!!.

NOW. how do you suppose he got here? can they live in the "wild" here in colorado? where he is in the area is a hole in the dirt about 6 feet under ground in the window well. its rocky in there and on most days the sun beats down in there pretty nicely. should i just leave him be? catch him and relocate him? here is a pic of him keep in mind it was taken with my iPhone it was all i had handy to get his pic

 

[ReptileNinja101]

I don't believe thats a gecko. It looks like a Barred Tiger Salamander ( Ambystoma mavortium mavortium) to me and are native to Colorado, so no worries. Heres a link about them http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Ambystoma/A_tigrinum.shtml

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

I don't think that guy's a gecko. What you found there looks to me like a salamander. I'd suggest leaving him where you found him. He's harmless, and he's pretty good at "insect control". He's not interested in the sunlight, but rather the cool, moist shelter that those rock crevices provide. That's a pretty cool find, so congrats on that! :main_thumbsup:

 

[bryman]

WOW a Salamander huh? thanks guys. im a total lizard noobie!! how big do you suppose he will get? also, can he climb? you know so he can get out if he needs to? the window well is the metal kind, and up top it has one of those cleat window well covers on it since we have 2 kids under 4 years old lol. but there is several spots where there is a inch gap or so for bugs to get in and sutch

 

[ReptileNinja101]

No problem. He would probably max out to be under a foot. I have one and he's only 8 inches long. No, he probably won't be able to climb out. My guess is he probably got in there while the cover was not on, on a rainy day and fell in and got trapped. In my window wells toads get trapped all the time, so I just take them out and let them go.

 

[bryman]

No problem. He would probably max out to be under a foot. I have one and he's only 8 inches long. No, he probably won't be able to climb out. My guess is he probably got in there while the cover was not on, on a rainy day and fell in and got trapped. In my window wells toads get trapped all the time, so I just take them out and let them go.

so maybe i should "help him out"? if i were to help him out, does he bite? how do i grab him so to not hurt him? i mean i dont want him to be trapped, but if he can survive ok ill leave him, but i feel guilty if he is in there and cant survive a normal life you know? i mean we moved in in october 2007 so he made it this long right? even in the winter times

 

[ReptileNinja101]

I would probably move him out. He can bite but mine never bit me. What I usually do is put a small container in front of them and just tap them on their tail to encourge them to go in. He could of been there from the start, but don't think that would be possible. Have you guys had a storm lately? Because thats the time they move so they don't dry out in the sun. I know what you mean that he can't live a normal life. If I were you I would take him out.

 

[little98dime]

I would help him get out. I hate seeing animals trapped like that. I find Bahama Anoles in my house a couple times a week (we are over run here). I always catch them, place them in a spare 10 gallon I have with a water dish and a dish of small meal worms. I release them the day after they show signs of eating.

 

[bryman]

ok so, we had to go to ******** today for dog food, while there we asked someone what they eat, so the store manager actually gave us some crickets for free, normally 11 cents each but cool none the less. we took them home and i dumped them in there he immediately ate 2 of them. pretty cool!!


anyway we have had a bit of a dry spell here in the last few weeks, so i have really no idea how long he has been here. i know he must be getting some moisture cause half of the rocks in the window well are damp. i was gonna try to get him out but he seems to like his hole for now...especially now that he has a full belly hahaha. anyway i have been reading,,, i know he cant get too dry (desiccation) so should i spray him with some water? put some water in there?

 

[gothra]

I think he might got used to that nice damp hole as his home. Perhaps you can put something in there to form a ramp or something so he can get out if he wants to; or he might choose to remain there.

 

[Tony C]

I would just leave him alone. If he can get in there he can get out.

 

[bryman]

heres an update..................

i know these little guys can dig, but they must really be able to dig!!! when he goes up in his hole he is gone!! i try to peek in there and cant see him at all. he did come all the way out today, he is about 3 1/2 inches long plus tail. and about as big around as my thumb. how old do you suppose that makes him? he only comes out a little bit each day for maybe 20 mins here or there. when we look in at him he seems to really like it, he looks up at us with his cute little face and blinks a few times, turns his head sideways and everything. he is super cool!!!!

 

[leolover23]

that's so neat! i love studying "wild" animals (actually, that's what I want to go to college for )! we don't get many reptiles around here, but we have four adolescent raccoons that have been munching birdfood in our backyard! there's also this adorable squirrel with a messed up tail that i've decided is my new wild animal friend Looks like you have one too! keep us updated

 

[Landen]

Seems like everything is working out good for the little guy... I'd leave him be or give him a way to get out on his own... Or if your up for it, just feed him and check on him and leave that as his home... Sounds like he likes it there if he's calm enough to come out... no predators, new tennants are feeding him, he's good...

p.s. encounters like this is how we all got hooked on them as well. Welcome to the world of reptiles and amphibians...

 

[ReptileNinja101]

I would guess he'd be about less than a year old at that size.

 

[bryman]

so whats a good feeding schedule? he seems to come out more so when the sun isint above his "area"....and what quantity should he be eating?

 

[bryman]

nobody?

 

[ReptileNinja101]

I would say every other day is good, with about 6 crickets per feeding.

 

[M_surinamensis]

I would say not to give pet store crickets to a wild animal. Either take him inside and make him a captive, provided it's legal to do so where you live, or just leave him pretty much alone (aside from sometimes taking a look at him through the window if he stays there).

 

[bryman]

ok update time

this little salamander is cool!! i don't want to touch him cause not sure if he bites or anything......anyway we put a shallow rock bowl type thing in there with water in it, and a second shallow bowl to put meal worms in.... anyway there REALLY is no way for him to EVER get out of his window well so thats kinda why we have been "helping him out"

my next question is....

whats he do in wintertime? do they hibernate? hows he keep from freezing to death? the window well has one of the plexiglass covers on it so our girls dont fall down them. thatll be good for snow getting in there but what about the cold??