Lizards living in the wall of our house

[outinthewoods]

We moved in to an old sandstone house in the countryside just before Christmas and are very lucky to have lots of wildlife around the house but it also seems we now have wildlife inside the house in the form of lizards.

They are living in the sandstone wall of our study and we think there's as many as 8 of them. The wall has a row of holes at the bottom and they run from hole to hole poking their heads out. We think they can get outside ok and certainly whenever we put them outside they reappear inside again very quickly.

I've take photos of a lizard outside the hole and of two peeking out of the hole (apologies for the quality). I think they are Common Lizards although they are very very dark, almost black.






Is this a common thing to happen? When it was one or two we thought it was brilliant but now there's more and more of them I'm starting to worry about treading on them by mistake. Should we leave them be or encourage them to find a new home outside of ours?

[artdemole]

Good for the insects in the house but better of moved as you will get over run with them.

[triops]

Looks like the Great Crested newt, so you are very lucky and will need to do more research!

[caernerch]

Newts, looks like great crested. Lucky you. If they're not causing you any bother just enjoy them. They'll go out under their own steam to breed. They're a protected species so you need a licence to handle or move them.
regards
caernerch

[outinthewoods]

I've done a bit of reading and found some more photos online and yes, they definitely are Great Crested Newts. There's plenty of information about the species but nothing about having them in your house! Is it normal to have so many of them? Is there anything we need to do for them or do we just leave them be?

[GCN lova]

they should be allright as long as you have somewhere where they can go out of the house from (prefferably not the door) and you should build a pond (if there isn't already one nearby.) ive never heard of them living in houses

GCN lova

[King Edward]

Originally Posted by caernerch

They're a protected species so you need a licence to handle or move them.

This hardly applies to relocating the occasional individual you find wandering round the house, but if they're actually living inside the wall then they and their habitat there would be protected. So you shouldn't make any modifications that would stop/discourage them from using the wall.

I'd have thought the best thing to do would be to block the holes that open inside, stopping them entering the living space of the house, so long as they have good access through holes to the outside and can continue to come and go to their hiding place(s) in the wall.

If you go out with a torch after dark, you might be able to see them leaving the wall to hunt in the garden. Do you know if there is a suitable pond nearby, as at this time of year a lot of them should be in the water for breeding? Checking with a torch at night is again the best way to see if they're using a pond, since they generally hide during the day and are difficult to spot.

Building a pond in the garden would also be a good idea if possible - ideally large, without fish and with lots of aquatic vegetation.

[Kayleigh]

What is the habitat like outside of the wall where they are supposedly getting into the house.
It looks like they have found a crevice and made this their home and come through the other side into the house.
They do not live in houses but do live in stone walls and holes if you look here you can build them a nice new house and hope they move into it and out of your house.

A des res for newts?

Just ignore any posts from a member called "Animartco"

[outinthewoods]

It's hard to tell exactly where they get in and out from the outside, but the house is very old sandstone (1700s) and isn't without the odd joint or crack. I'm worried about blocking up any holes as we can't tell how they are getting out- they may be coming into the house to get back out again. They never venture far from the hole and we've not found any in the rest of the house, just the corner by that wall.

The wall that they are living in backs onto a paddock which in turn backs onto a field where there is a large pond. There is also a well in the garden very near to the wall, although I wouldn't have thought that would be ideal for them.

Do they return to the same place to hibernate every year?

[King Edward]

If your wall is particularly suitable for them, then yes I'd think they've been there for a long time. I expect they'd be using it both over winter and during the day throughout the year when they're active (except for when they're in the pond for breeding). Toads generally live in the same spot for years and I'd think the same would be true for these. Presumably there'll also be other newts living elsewhere in the surroundings, and using the same pond. It would be worth checking the pond as potentially the local population could be quite large.

I'd be concerned that they might climb/fall into the well and then get stuck there, especially if it's deep and steep-sided, so if that's a possibility then it might be worth trying to newt-proof it to keep them out.

You're right to be cautious before blocking any holes, although I'd be surprised if their main entrance/exit is through the house.