We had to deploy Trap-A-Roach Hoyhoys last week to deal with those 4″ long tropical flying cockroaches that have been making their presence all too known. These glue traps are the best option to chemicals and they actually work. Only problem is, on occasion, other lil’ creatures check them out. I’m guessing the geckos, who eat bugs, are trying to get to the ones that are still alive, caught on the trap.
This morning when I looked at the Hoyhoy I had in the hall closet, I thought a leaf or something had gotten caught in it. But after a double take, I realized that the something was breathing. It was a Mourning Gecko, otherwise known as Lepidodactylus lugubris.
There was only ten minutes before I had to leave to help with a surf lesson. Here’s my think-quick play-by-play solution (accomplished #1 and #2 before I left and the rest upon return):
Items needed: scissors, water, tweezers, coconut oil, towel, small bowl and plate.
Time: Approximately 30 minutes.
1) Cut the cardboard of the glue trap just around the gecko.
2) Place gecko in tepid water (or hold her* and place portions of her glued body in the water. Avoid getting her head wet). This will soften the cardboard and make it easy to seperate from the glue. (She may also be thirsty. Allow her the opportunity to drink – though my gecko was not interested.)
3) Pour an ounce or two of coconut oil onto a small plate or bowl and dip gecko in it. As my gecko was getting free, she got more squirmy. I held her and lightly massaged the coconut oil into the affected areas, dripping more oil on stubborn spots. She seemed to like the belly rub and relaxed. Be careful to keep oil out of their nose, glottis (they can suffocate) or their eyes (they don’t have eyelids, but clean their eyes with their tongue).
4) Be patient. The gecko’s skin is thin and you don’t want to tear it or remove limbs by pulling too hard (though yes, they will grow their tail back if they “drop” it). The coconut oil will start breaking apart the glue. I carefully used the tweezers to pull the glue off.
5) Remove excess oil before releasing her back into the wild. Since geckos breath from their noses, the coconut oil isn’t going to be a problem on their scaly skin, and their setae are self-cleaning, but it seemed better to rinse/towel off the oil, since it attracts dirt.
6) One kiss goodbye (not necessary for normal people).
Geckos are considered good luck in Hawai’i. Hopefully she’s having better luck outdoors!
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A million tiny thank-yous from my gecko to yours! The coconut oil worked like a charm, and she is happily recovering. Thanks for posting your solution 🙂
So glad it helped & u’re gecko is ok! :))
Thank you! I used your coconut oil method to free an alligator lizard from a similar gluey trap. He had been in my neighbor’s garage since Friday (today’s Monday), and she thought he was dead. I’m so glad she asked me to help dispense of it, & thrilled it was alive and your method worked. The lizard was totally twisted up – I thought it wouldn’t survive, but after getting free we had a meditative moment together before he scampered off. Bless you for blogging! Wish I knew how to post a picture.
SO glad to hear it – made my day! And yes, it’s so true, they do kinda stop for a second and sit there in silence and thank you before they scamper off! 😀
And a 100.000.000 thanks from us! I saved baby gecko , usually I find them dead. But that one is lucky! And it doesn’t want to go anywhere from my hand))) to exhausted probably))) i try feed him with rice , no luck et. but he is licking coconut oil from my fingers)))
Right on! That’s so sweet. G-d bless the geckos!! (and get him a few bugs to chow on!)
Oh my gosh, thank you for this. It really worked I’m so susprised and happy to come across this. My gecko got out it was about the second day I couldn’t find her, my mom was Replacing those sticky traps and there my gecko was, suffering but thanks to this she’s all good. No skin was torn and she seems to be good.THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Another million tiny thank-yous! Your solution was a success! I freed an alligator lizard from a gluey trap this morning!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
xxxxxooooo
yea wonderful to hear!!!
Thanks a million from the far north coast of NSW in Ozzy, coconutgirl. Found a baby Gecko this afternoon in a sticky situation with some nearly dried passionfruit juice. Was very stuck and very exhausted. He/she is currently recovering hopefully well. Poor thing was glued big time. Good advise goes a long way.
Just watched a video where a guy used baby oil to save a snake from a glue trap. My Brother had a Gecko that was stuck but said baby oil absorbs into their thin skin and can kill them. I was researching this and happened upon your post. I will be sharing on my wall and telling everyone I know. Thank you and thank you from all the critters caught in traps and saved from your post! ❤
Thanks so much! I just freed an alligator lizard that was stuck for who knows how long. I’m surprised it was alive. I gave it some water before unsticking it, and it drank a lot! It bit me (no punctures) as I was drying the coconut oil off – I’m glad it was up to that!
💜 Great to hear!
It worked great! You saved my mom from a bunch of sadness!! Thanks so much
Yessss! Thanks so much! the baby licked his face and scampered off! woohoo!
Thank you so much for posting! Saved two lizards today.
Thank you, thank you, thank you…. just saved a gecko that was after flies on our sticky fly trap. Followed your instructions, worked like a trick!! Now feel much better…. *sigh of relief*.
Sweet! xo
I found a giant alligator lizard stuck to a mouse pad and I simply sprayed underneath it with WD-40 careful not to get it in its eyes or nose then gently in kind of a wave motion flexing the glue pad and under a minute he was free and still have the energy to run off WD-40 will come off just by moving through the brush it is non-toxic and it will not hurt its skin
Thanks so much. Using vegetable oil with a q-tip and then a turkey baster with mild dawn/water, I was able to free the little guy. I don’t think he paused to thank me though unless he did so after he scurried out of sight.
Thanks for this info. I used WD40 and a wet cotton protecting it’s head. It quickly releases the gecko, though some of it’s belly skin was removed and looses it’s tail from the struggle before the rescue.
thank u sooooo much! Mines was no more than an inch and we thought we killed him. Hes now recovering. Im pretty sure his favorite food is coconut oil. We gave him water and now hes happy.
Thank you so much for this article. We saved a Western Fence Lizard this evening using coconut oil. It ran off after getting free. Not sure if it will make it, but at least it now has a chance.
Busy saving one right now….will never buy a glue trap again !!!
🙏🏼💜🤙🏽
Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this. I woke up this morning and found a gecko stuck in a glue trap and was absolutely in tears looking at he poor thing stuck and wiggling. Then I googled how to free her and found your post! After an hour of surgery, she scampered off safely and is hopefully living her best life out in the yard.
Yahoooo! She or he surely is!! 👏
Thank you for the tip on the coconut oil. I followed your instructions and it worked like a charm. I was surprised how fast it worked. I was happy to rescue the gecko. Thank you again for the helpful post!
Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii. Thanks to your technique a gecko lives to see another day. I think she walked across one of the yellow insect sticky traps and somehow managed to get free, then dropped to another surface and was totally adhered to that with legs stuck to her belly, etc. Got her free with a very sharp flat blade. At first I didn’t realize what the adhesive was, and tried bathing her in water to no avail. Put her in a non-stick pan for transport to a friend’s house – totally adhered again. After carefully prying her loose we put her in a flat bottom glass bowl covered lightly with coconut oil and voila! Not immediate, but probably within 30 minutes total, all limbs and toes free, and moving quickly. Walked her across a towel to get rid of some of the oil. Thanks so much – I was pretty convinced I would need to put the little thing out of its misery but everyone is very relieved.
So glad to hear!! 🤙🏽
Thanks for this! Though it took some time and patience (on both our sides), I managed to liberate a little green friend this morning.
Thanks from us both 🙂
Yea!
mine was a tiny one. I don’t think I saved him 😦
Thank you so much I lived in Maui for two year I’m now in Florida