A California mom named Meghan recently made a huge impression online after rescuing a trapped lizard, showing millions of people why glue traps can be so dangerous and painful for small creatures.
Glue traps are a popular method of pest control, used to keep bugs and other unwanted critters out of the house. But they are also often criticized for being unnecessarily cruel to animals.
You might not want pests like mice and garter snakes in your house, but they don't deserve a painful death in a glue trap.
Animals rescuers have made a point of showcasing the dangers of glue-traps recently, as we saw with the careful bubble bath that freed a sad and scared little bat.
Now, Meghan joins the ranks of animal rescuers everywhere, demonstrating how patient and careful she had to be in helping the lizard free. One wrong move, and the glue trap could have caused the vulnerable creature serious injury.
Scroll through to see how she set him free, and learn about alternatives to glue traps.
California mom Meghan recently made an alarming discovery in her garage, and she decided to turn it into a teachable moment for the internet.
Posting on image-sharing platform Imgur, Meghan writes, "Went out to the garage today and discovered a family member had put down glue traps. This guy was firmly stuck and he was partially embedded."
She explains in the comments section that the family member didn't realize that glue traps have a reputation for causing animals unnecessary pain.
Glue traps are often put in place to keep cockroaches, mice, and other unwanted pests out of the house.
Unfortunately, these innocuous-looking traps cause animals a lot of unnecessary pain. The Humane Society of the United States notes that the traps essentially torture animals.
Animals that cross a trap like this are often left completely immobile in the sticky glue. From there, they either die a slow death of dehydration and starvation or irreparably damage their bodies trying to get free.
Fortunately for this little lizard, he had a human advocate who quickly got to work liberating him from the scary predicament.
Meghan explains that she used a number of different household tools for the task.
She used mineral oil as a lubricant to help the lizard wriggle free (she found olive oil wasn't effective) and then used a stylus-type tool to help lift him out of the glue.
It took a lot of careful work and gentle wriggling, but Meghan was eventually able to lift the tiny lizard free of the actual trap.
She explains that she first freed each of his limbs and his head, then propped him up while she worked his body free of the goop.
Even after freeing him from the trap, she still had a lot of work ahead of her to get rid of the dangerous glue still covering much of the little guy's body.
After getting him out of the actual trap, they took a little hiatus.
She notes, "Time for a break for both of us, but he's looking good."
The poor little guy certainly doesn't look happy (we wouldn't, either) but he definitely seems to be relieved to be out of the bigger trap.
Meghan identifies him as a western fence lizard.
After a little breather, she started in on the final step in helping him back to freedom.
She writes:
Now for some belly rubs to remove the rest of the glue. I alternated rubbing more oil on the glue then rolling dry cotton swabs over the glue to peel it up, being careful to rotate it with the direction of his scales, not against them, so they didn’t lift too much.
After removing the glue, she gave the beleaguered lizard a little bit of time to rest, then brought him outside to release him back into the wild.
She set him down in the leaf litter in her backyard, and notes, "He literally jumped from my hands, he was so ready to be rid of me."
We can't blame him; we hope he hightailed it home for a little rest and relaxation.
Meghan writes that, the last she saw of him, he was disappearing into the dark, dry safety of a pipe!
"Godspeed, little buddy, " she adds.
She also warns all of her readers against using glue traps in the first place.
Instead, it's better to look into more humane pest control options.
For small animals, like lizards, Havahart traps can be a good option.
You can also talk to a pest control specialist about humane pest control options that will minimize animal suffering.
Be sure to spread the word about this mom's good deed, and about the danger of glue traps! SHARE this story with friends and family!
