A man from Keynsham was stunned to find a gecko in his toilet.
Andy Brown, 49, discovered the seven-inch reptile when he lifted the lavatory lid at his home on Tuesday morning (April 28th).
Startled, he ran upstairs to let wife Elaine, 48, know - initially unsure exactly what the creature was.
Andy works as an administrator and Elaine is a transactional supporter advisor. They have two daughters, aged 14 and 19.
Unable to get hold of the RSPCA, the couple struck upon the idea of calling in a friend who owns a bearded dragon.
The unexpected lodger was then identified as a gecko - and a rescue mission was carried out.
The reptile was quickly scooped up out of the toilet bowl and taken to a local pet store where it was given a check-up and is now doing well.
But Andy has been left with a fear of the downstairs loo - leaving Elaine with it all to herself.
She said: "He's got a particular fear of that toilet now - my two daughters won't use it either.
"I don't care. The likelihood of it happening again is so small. I'd like to call it the 'Lizard Loo' and stick a picture on the door!"
Originally from New Caledonia, gargoyle geckos are a popular pet for British lizard lovers.
It is currently unclear how the gecko arrived in Andy and Elaine's toilet.
She said: "It happened at about 7:45am in the morning. I was half asleep - just coming around.
"Andy banged up the stairs really quickly. He said: 'Don't use the downstairs toilet'. I thought: 'Oh, it's blocked again'.
"But he said: 'There's a lizard down the toilet'. I thought I was still asleep! I had to go and have a look.
"I crept in quietly. I didn't want to disturb it. I popped up the lid - and there it was. I didn't even cross my mind that it could have been dangerous when it went in.
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"I walked out and thought: 'What are we going to do?!'.
"I contacted the local RSPCA and they gave me a support number to ring. But I called that and it said the lines were closed due to coronavirus.
"But then I thought of one our friends - he has a bearded dragon."
After explaining the bizarre situation on the phone the friend shot round - and had the gecko out safely within minutes.
Elaine said: "It didn't move because it was cold. We were worried it might get frightened and stuck down there - and die.
"Our friend took it home and tried to warm it up a bit. He then took it to the reptile store. They said it was healthy, and a girl.
"He rang back later and they said it was doing well.
"It was all a bit mad, really! A lot of people didn't believe me - they thought I was pulling their leg.
"I just thought it might be a nice story to share, to make a few people smile - especially in the times we are living in at the moment."
