What should I do if a monitor lizard comes into my home?

Monitor lizard in house: right now

Your role here is small but important. NParks' Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) says monitor lizards are shy and will usually move away, so the aim is to make the way out obvious and then step back.

Start with the exit. Open the door or gate nearest the lizard, whether that is the kitchen door to the yard of a terrace house or the main door of a ground-floor flat. Close bedroom and store room doors so it has fewer corners to tuck into, and move shoe racks or bins out of its path.

Then move the household. Take children and pets into another room and shut the door, clipping a lead on the dog if it will not settle. Watch from a window or doorway, never from right beside the animal.

Leave the broom alone. Chasing, prodding or throwing things works against the open exit you have just made. If it is crossing the garden or resting on the porch, go back indoors and let it carry on.

A wild lizard is a different matter from ants or cockroaches. If insects or rodents are also part of the picture, the pest control FAQ answers common questions about them.

Why they turn up

It helps to look for what drew the visit. For any monitor lizard Singapore homeowners find near the house, three things are worth checking: food, drains and water.

Food is the easy one to fix. Open kitchen bins, rubbish bags left by the back gate overnight and pet bowls on the porch all give off smells. AVS lists double-bagging garbage first in its prevention advice.

Water and drains come next. Many landed estates sit beside covered drains or canals, condos often have ponds and pools, and plenty of gardens have a fish pond or water feature. Keeping the drains on your own property clean is sensible housekeeping anyway; if a floor trap smells or attracts insects, see our guide to drain flies in the floor trap.

If you are bitten

Treat any monitor lizard bite as a reason to see a doctor, however small it looks. AVS says the venom in their bite is not fatal, but infection is the concern, and it advises medical attention for any bite. Go to a GP clinic or a hospital emergency department and tell the staff what bit you.

If a dog or cat is bitten during a run-in, call your vet and explain what happened.

Living in a terrace, semi-detached or bungalow with a garden that backs onto greenery? The landed homes FAQ covers other questions about looking after that kind of property.

Keep monitor lizards away

Prevention comes down to two things: giving a lizard fewer reasons to visit and fewer ways in. AVS recommends four measures, and a fifth habit helps on the food side.

1. Double-bag your rubbish. Tie kitchen waste in two bags before it goes into the bin or down the chute, and keep outdoor bin lids shut.
2. Put up a barrier. Fit wire mesh or acrylic panes at least 1 m high along gates and fences where a lizard could get through.
3. Seal the gaps. Close openings under gates and doors, and around pipes or outlets that lead into the yard.
4. Prune trees near the house. Cut back branches that reach over the fence or towards windows and the roof.
5. Clear food after meals. Bring pet bowls inside and sweep up scraps from the patio or barbecue pit.

Mesh panels, acrylic sheets and gate seals are the sort of fitting a handyman can quote for. The price depends on the materials, the length of fence and how the panels are fixed, so send clear photos of the gate or wall when you ask.

Condo residents should check with the management office before fixing anything to a shared fence or common area. In an HDB estate, let your Town Council know if bins or drain covers in shared spaces are left open or broken.

What the law says

AVS states that removing monitor lizards from the wild is illegal under the Wildlife Act. So do not catch one, keep one or try to move it yourself. Removal is work for NParks or its partners, so your part is limited to the steps above: give it space, open an exit and call for help if it stays.

Not every lizard indoors is a monitor. The small house lizards that cling to kitchen walls are a separate topic, covered in our guide to the gecko in the house.

Getting help

Call the Animal Response Centre on 1800-476-1600, the number listed by AVS, if the lizard has not left after you opened an exit and gave it quiet time, or if it is stuck in a room, a drain or a pool area. Say where you are, where the animal is now and roughly how big it looks.

Food waste that tempts one visitor can tempt others too. If you also notice droppings or gnaw marks, read our guide to rats in the home.

Questions