How to catch a gecko

Did you know geckos are commonly found in homes? They were certainly never found in my house growing up, but apparently it's pretty common in Texas. I found out the hard way.

One night, I was getting ready for bed, and was turning off the bathroom light, when a 3" long creature caught my eye. At first I thought it was a scorpion (I'd heard about those, but never seen one). I got closer, and realized it wasn't a scorpion, thank goodness, but it was a gecko! What does one do with a gecko in their shower?!?!?

I did the one logical thing I knew to do: call my husband in Seattle. He laughed at me. He said they were good, and they ate bugs. That was great for him, but this was my shower, and it had a reptile in it that didn't belong there. I tried to catch it without hurting it, but failed miserably. I gave up, and decided that if I was going to have a gecko living in my shower that he might as well have a name.

So I named him Joe.

A few hours later, I decided to give it one last try. Here are the steps to catch a gecko:

1. Get a big cup-preferably a clear one that the gecko won't be afraid of.
2. Get a plate to nicely push the gecko towards the cup.
3. Get the gecko to run towards the cup, and trap him between the cup and the plate.
4. Feel bad for a minute, because the gecko looks scared out of his mind trapped inside a big, clear plastic cup.
5. Take the gecko outside, and let him go find his cute little gecko family.