What is the a policy on. .

[marshallj]

Catching the small lizards that are around the hotels on Disney property? My DS6 keeps talking about catching one this trip. He is really into animals and wildlife and has been catching frogs/snakes around our house since he was 3. He loves animal planet and would do a "catch and release".

 

[dzorn]

Catching the small lizards that are around the hotels on Disney property? My DS6 keeps talking about catching one this trip. He is really into animals and wildlife and has been catching frogs/snakes around our house since he was 3. He loves animal planet and would do a "catch and release".

I would not allow my child to do it. I doubt disney wants you to either. Make sure your DS knows snakes in florida can kill him. Do not reach into any bushes and stay on the walkways.

Denise in MI

 

[It'sWDW4me]

There is a poster here on the DIS whose child spent a good part of their vacation in the hospital due to a snake (cottonmouth? water moccasin?) bite.

DO NOT let your child go into the grasses and/or try to catch a snake at WDW.

That said, my nephew is an animal lover too. He truly enjoyed watching the lizards/geckos scamper to and fro. We let him get as close to those as he could as long as he remained solidly on pavement.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

A quick google search shows there are technically no floridia wildlife trapping or hunting regulations concerning lizards so he could do it. I wouldn't and I wouldn't let my kid do it either, espically if it meant going into a area with thick foliage. Maybe he can catch one on the sidewalk, at least thats a safer alternative. The snake concern is big but we have seen some huge spiders hang out in those areas as well I'd be more worried about that.

 

[Cap'nJack'sMum]

When we were at POFQ in August, the geckos were all over the building at certain times of the day. The kids would catch them (gently), hold them for a minute, and then let them go. It was fun for them. I think if they're on the side of the building, as they were for us, and not in the bushes, grass, etc., you should be ok. They are cute little guys, and we just don't have them in such abundance in MN.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Okay, OP said one of the lizards that are running all over WDW and which you do not have to go much off the path to interact with, so I don't think we need to worry too much about potential snake bites.

However, that being said, what kind of "catch and release" are we talking about? Catch and immediate release? Because that would probably be okay (although somewhat traumatic for the lizard). It's very likely to 'go' all over your son's hands, so make sure he washes them. Also, if it's a anole (likely) then it very well may drop it's tail off as a defensive mechanism. The OP needs to determine whether or not that would be traumatic for her son.

Regardless, I wouldn't let my kid trap and bring a lizard back to the room, and certainly not back home, for any length of time. Why? Because lizards are very easy to kill by accident. If you don't have a heated terrarium and a bunch of dead crickets waiting for it back at the room, then expect that the lizard (stressed from being caught and removed to a strange location) may not make it through the night.

 

[DavidH]

Catching the small lizards that are around the hotels on Disney property? My DS6 keeps talking about catching one this trip. He is really into animals and wildlife and has been catching frogs/snakes around our house since he was 3. He loves animal planet and would do a "catch and release".

Disney is not going to care if he catches a lizard or 20... You are more than welcome to stop by my house in South Carolina and let him practice
They get inside the house all the time. Be warned that their tails often come off when you try to catch them. Kind of disturbing the first time, but it grows back and is no big deal.

That being said, stay out of the bushes and brush. Central Florida (even WDW) is full of snakes and many of them are poisonous. There should be plenty of lizards on the paths to keep him busy.

Have fun,

 

[chartle]

Funny story, we were there one August and they were everywhere. I don't want to know how many I stepped on.

Come back home and we were in a pet store and they were selling them for $5 a piece.

So I don't see why you couldn't as long as you stay out of the tall grass.

Just don't release them where you live.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Anole

This species is highly invasive.[1] In its introduced range it reaches exceptionally high population densities, is capable of expanding its range at an exponential rate, and both out competes and consumes many species of native lizards.[2][3][4] Its introduction in the United States has altered the behavior and triggered a negative effect on populations of the native Carolina Anole (Anolis carolinensis).

If you catch one here is a care guide.

http://www.lizardsarchive.com/care-sheets/brown-anole.php

 

[jlevis]

Disney is not going to care if he catches a lizard or 20...

Not so sure about that. Disney advetises those geckos as part of their insect control. Multiply 1 kid times 1,000 times 20 geckos and pretty soon they are all gone.

 

[DopeysGal82]

Just don't let him try to catch it by the tale or he will be in for a nasty surprise

 

[mesaboy2]

Not so sure about that. Disney advetises those geckos as part of their insect control. Multiply 1 kid times 1,000 times 20 geckos and pretty soon they are all gone.

Bwahahaha!

Even if there were more than 10 kiddos at any one time on property thinking of doing this--which I highly doubt--I think the lizards are so numerous as to make this possibility zero.

 

[chartle]

Bwahahaha!

Even if there were more than 10 kiddos at any one time on property thinking of doing this--which I highly doubt--I think the lizards are so numerous as to make this possibility zero.

Yes like I said, in that one August there were thousands with in my view. On the sidewalks there were maybe 1 per every 8 square inches.

 

[mesaboy2]

Yes like I said, in that one August there were thousands with in my view. On the sidewalks there were maybe 1 per every 8 square inches.

I'm Florida born and bred dude--you're preaching to the choir here.

I still don't know how I managed to survive swimming in all those freshwater lakes when I was a kid either.

 

[POOHsie]

First, these little lizards are not geckos. They are anoles. There are brown anoles and green anoles.

The little lizards are very fast. It'll be more like a quest to try and catch one. The obvious thing to do is try to grab its tail. But surprise, surprise! You will be holding the tail, and the lizard will be long gone. Don't worry, the tail grows back. But the idea of a wiggling tail-only in your fingers has an eeew-factor. I would give DS advice that the lizards are just about impossible to catch, so he knows what to expect and moves on.

As others said, don't have him get off any path to get closer to wildlife. There are snakes, ticks, insects you never heard of, sometimes gators, etc. in the grass and scenery. Central Florida is not like other places back home, and there are distinct separations between civilization and the Florida wild that must be maintained by average tourists.

 

[kaligal]

Like other said, it would be a bad idea to let him wander off into bushes or even in the grass.

The PP who said the thing may be dead in the morning was correct.

I totally understand boys wanting to catch them. But no way in hell I'd let my kid wander off to do it.

 

[Lynne M]

To answer your question directly, Disney doesn't have a policy on catching lizards.

There are plenty of them around, and if he wants to pick one up and look at it, they're often found on resort buildings and railings and pretty much any other surface. Trying to keep it for a few days isn't going to end well for the lizard.

I'll also harp on "don't go off the sidewalk". Florida critters are not like the ones he'll find in his yard in NH. There are a number of poisonous snakes found in central FL and on WDW property, and bites have happened on WDW property. The incident the other posters are referring to happened when a kid just stuck his hand in some foliage. There are toads that secrete a poisonous substance, and there are spiders that can deliver a heck of a nasty bite.

I'm not trying to scare you, it's not that there are venomous creatures waiting to jump out at you, but I'd think twice about letting my kid pick up random creatures in FL.

This is a good opportunity for a 'teachable moment'. Wildlife is best enjoyed in its natural environment, just watching it. That's best and safest for him, and best and safest for the critters.

 

[TDC Nala]

Disney doesn't own the lizards and I am sure they have no official policy on how the guests treat them. I think he should leave them alone though. poor things. Don't some of them shed their tails if they are grabbed?

Is he planning to let it go as soon as he catches it, or keep it in the resort room? I wouldn't suggest keeping it.

I agree - there are snakes in Florida. Letting a kid run around in the bushes is likely not the best course of action.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

My kiddos chase those little guys on the sidewalks every trip (only on the sidewalks, they know not to go off the path) - the key word being "chase." They've never actually caught one and I'm not sure who would be more surprised if they did - the little lizard or my kids! They really don't even care about catching them - it's more the thrill of the hunt! I don't see any harm in it as long as, like previous posters have said, the kids aren't going off the paths in their quest.

 

[marshallj]

Thanks very much everyone. Some good stuff to think about. He will be excited and is very cautious when it comes to animals he has never seen before.

He usually catches garter snakes around our house and last summer he found a northern milk snake. Having just turned five, he did not recognize it so he got his mother and they googled it. Believe it or not, there are some venomous snakes here in New England so he has gotten the talk about not catching anything we don't know what it is. We usually only keep the frogs/snakes for a few minutes while we get a picture and then release the animal.

Thanks again.

 

[dansamy]

My boys are pro lizard catchers. We live in coastal AL though, so the lizards, snakes and spiders of central FL aren't terribly different than our own wildlife. My boys will catch one and look at him a bit and then let him go.