Bloke gobsmacked after discovering stay crocodile gecko in pack of Asda chillies

A dad-of-three was left gobsmacked on discovering a shock interloper hiding in his bag of chillies.

Kevin Cuthbert from Conwy, North Wales, had purchased the red-hot Scotch bonnet chillies from the Asda Superstore in Llandudno every week earlier. Only one chilli remained by the point the hitchhiking gecko was found when it fell from the bag and onto the kitchen work high and started wriggling about.

Although solely barely longer than an inch (2.5cm), the 53-year-old was decided to maintain the tiny critter he named Scotty alive, experiences North Wales Live.

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Kevin popped the reptile in an ice cream tub lined with stones and ordered a supply of crickets for meals.

“When I found the gecko, it was missing its tail – it must have shed it when it was being packed,” he mentioned.

“After a few days I observed it was rising again, so I assumed there was an opportunity it would survive.”

Inquiries at the Welsh Mountain Zoo, Colwyn Bay, revealed the creature to be a Crocodile Gecko, also known as a Moorish Gecko. Typically they are found in North Africa and Mediterranean countries. This chimed with place-of-origin labelling on the chillies, which were imported from Spain.

“I went back to the store to tell them what I’d found,” mentioned Kevin. “They couldn’t believe it, so I showed them a photo. They told me to bring in it and they’ll send it to the head office. I said I couldn’t do that, it’s still alive!”

Calling on assist from different reptile keepers, Kevin positioned Scotty’s tub on a tea towel draped over a radiator at his Llandudno house, to maintain it heat, nevertheless additional inquiries to Conwy Council’s environmental well being workforce produced worrying information.

“I learned that geckos are big carriers of salmonella and other bacteria,” he mentioned. “So I immediately cleared out the fridge and scrubbed it clean. From then on, I wore gloves when moving Scotty’s tub.

“It was worrying I’d already used the other chillies to make savoury rice for the boys. I place the chillis in whole with the rice and let the goodness but not the spiciness soak into the rice, then remove the chillis. I’d not long recovered from food poisoning and I didn’t want them to go through the same thing.”

Kevin realised the bathtub temperature wasn’t excessive sufficient when Scotty stopped going for his cricket suppers, so he went looking for a specialist reptile warmth bulb. By the time he arrived again, Scotty had died, 10 days after being launched from the chilli bag. “He was stiff as a board,” mentioned Kevin. “Apparently you have to provide temperatures of 80F-90F (28C-32C).”

Asda has mentioned it has “robust” washing and quality control for recent fruit and greens. The retailer mentioned that “very occasionally, hitchhikers may make their way onto our produce”.

The firm has since written to Kevin. As a goodwill gesture, he’s been provided £50 for misplaced fridge contents and the price of shopping for crickets and a warmth bulb.

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