Normally I'm quite tolerant of the household lizards, as I assume they're eating bugs. However recently I'm having problems. This morning our power went off and I found one (dead) in the switchbox. And another creeps in and out of one of my computers via the airvents. I don't think lizard shit is good for computers.

Is there an equivalent of rat bait for lizards? Or any other way to repel them? Our cat occasionally catches one, but is too lazy to make an impact.

Alan, I assume you meant the little geckos? A decent bug spray should deter, if not take care of them. However, the effect is not immediate. The geckos should run away, only to meet its fate a few minutes later...

(Edited once to fix up typo)

The bug spary won't help much. Try spraying toilet deterrent (the "green water") and it's quite effective.

Adopting a falcon or owl in your house can also help.

Cheers for bunnyrabbit for suggesting an environmentally-friendly, natural solution, instead of all these nasty chemicals!

But don't falcons like cute little bunnyrabbits, too?

But geckos seem to be totally harmless usually? Chinese mostly seem to welcome them into their homes as bringing in good luck, never killing them. I don't mind them at all either. Anybody else had any bad experiences?

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This whole thread makes me so sad that I think I may join LAP just to protect the Geckos, who do no harm and only eat mozzies and flies.

http://hadith.al-islam.com/bayan/Displa ... ng&ID=1290

In fact, one of my relatives told me that in her local dialect (Chiu Chau), geckos are called the "money dragon", bringing in fortunes!!

So Alan, perhaps you can start up an eCommerce business now that the money dragons had deposited in your computer? Or even an alternative electricity company since one was zapped?

I don't know what this is -- please explain.

They leave droppings all over. I just opened up the computer in question and it looked like a (tiny) chicken coop. (Which can hardly be hygienic, let alone the effects on the components.) After brushing and vacuuming it I'll glue some bug screens over the vents and hope that keeps them out. I've also seen them creep into my printer. I don't think they've brought me much luck.

I find that if I clear up my own faeces on a regular basis, I attract less bugs and therefore, by default, less lizards because there's nothing for them to eat, you see.

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Well..er...., not really "under" it, but working with it. I think that's what I mean.

No offence, Alan, but maybe that's because you're... eh... well... not Chinese...

So having a colony of lizards shitting in your computer would be good luck for Chinese?

Since I haven't encountered the problem before, I can't say for sure. I very much doubt your scenerio should be considered lucky, though there might always be some blessing in disguise. Perhaps we should consult the fortune telling guy in front of the temple and see what he has to say...

By the way, I think "green water" refers to a particular brand of detergent, "Gum Bo Luk Shui", which has been heavily advertised on the Chinese TV Channels in the past year. According to the advert, it's supposed to be eggsellent for cleaning the bathroom and kitchen. Anyone tried it and would like to give us some feedback on the green water's ability to clean and deter geckos?