WTH is this kitchen lizard?!?

[RedMountainHome]

I was walking through my kitchen, headed to bed, when I noticed this little booger hopping away from me in the most distressed of ways. I caught him and put him in a spare tupperware container with a bit of ecoearth and spritzed him down, but I'm curious about its identity.

My best guess is that it's some kind of local salamander that hitchhiked in on a schefflera I recently bought from a local big box store and temporarily left in my kitchen a couple nights ago. I live in North Carolina, if that helps with ID.

 

[Jared910]

I'd say your guess would be correct! Be careful as those little guys can be poisonous! There were lots of salamanders and newts where I grew up and we would always catch them in the rivers but had to make sure to wash our hands afterwords as the poison lingers on the skin.

 

[Fireborn]

Awe it's cute!

 

[Angelwolf]

Yup. It's a salamander. Set up a semi-aquatic tank and you have a new pet you didn't have to pay for!

 

[leedragon]

Yup. It's a salamander. Set up a semi-aquatic tank and you have a new pet you didn't have to pay for!

it´s is better to find a good Place to release did it on. salamander populations world over are in decline.

 

[tenchijin]

Lots of small salamanders look similar to that. Around here in the PacNW we have a bunch of them. If you decide to keep him, you want a very moist planted area. Potting soil, moss, a rock. They like to hide under things and they need it damp all the time. Good little hunters, will eat most small things they can swallow.

 

[RedMountainHome]

After I had a pretty good idea it was a local critter, I released it in a little runoff creek not far from where I live.

Thanks for the replies =)