what kind of lizard

Question
QUESTION: hi i hope you can help me my dad found this really tiny lizard at work and brought it home. he works for a company that receives shipments for hondruas (we live in alabama). i want to make sure this is a local lizard that can survive here before i release him. his body is about an inch long with a tail a little longer he is a brownish gray color with bands on his tail and a cream colored belly. i dont handle him at all and have him in an empty fish bowl for now i would like to release him if i can but if i cant please tell me how to care for him thanks

ANSWER: Hello Dianne,
To you have a picture of him? That would help out a lot.

Here is a list of native lizards in Alabama (To help narrow it down)

http://www.conservation.alabama.gov/watchable-wildlife/what/Reptiles/Lizards/

If you click on the names of the lizards it comes up with a picture.

Quite possibly a Mediterranean House Gecko (there are many different colorations of these)

Another possibility is the Eastern Fence Lizard


I think it is a Med. House Gecko
Here are more pictures

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/furryscaly/goodfellow/DSC04872.jpg

http://www.greglasley.net/Images/Mediterranean-Gecko-0002.jpg

Depending on the light they can be light almost translucent or dark grey and brown.

Let me know if this looks familiar.

Or if any of the lizards on the first link are him. If not then I will have to do more research and let you know how to care for him properly.

Good luck
-Heather



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: he looks exactly like the gray med gecko you sent only much smaller is it safe to release him in northeast alabama i dont want the little guy to get hurt or killed we have blue tailed skinks on our back porch and green anoles on our front porch will either of these hurt or kill him? he is so little i dont want anything to happen to him i enjoy watching the anoles on our front porch they are wild but feel almost like pets lol i want to do what's best for this little guy too!! please tell me wha you recommend and thanks so much you are great!!!

Answer
Hi Dianne,

Your welcome, I am just glad I could help.

Skinks are ground dwelling lizards and should rarely come in any contact with him. Green Anoles and House Geckos have actually been known to co-habitate fine in captivity. They are generally about the same size and don't bother each other at all.

You should be able to release him without a problem.

Many people keep these House Geckos and Green Anoles together (its not advised in captivity) but they do seem to go along fine.

If he is a male and the green anoles are male then you might have some fighting problems but usually the weaker or smaller of the two will give up their territory, sometimes they can fight to the death over territory but that is just nature. It's sad but it's the way things are.

Try releasing him somewhere that the Green Anoles aren't usually at. That way he can establish his territory away from them.

Good luck
-Heather