Wildlife officials in Florida are scaling back guidance on how to deal with green iguanas, urging homeowners to put down their guns in the fight against the nonnative reptile.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissioner Rodney Barreto said in a statement Thursday that the invasive species that can damage infrastructure like seawalls and sidewalks shouldn’t be targeted by gun-toting homeowners, contrary to a directive earlier this month that urged them to kill the critters “whenever possible” on their property and 22 public lands across south Florida.

“Unfortunately, the message has been conveyed that we are asking the public to just go out there and shoot them up,” Barreto said. “This is not what we are about; this is not the ‘Wild West.’”

The updated instructions come after a pool maintenance worker was shot in the leg with a BB gun earlier this month by a trapper who was hired to control the iguana population in Boca Raton.

The latest directive did not explicitly state how homeowners should remove the wild lizards, but Barreto urged anyone not capable of safely removing the reptiles that can exceed 5 feet in length and weigh up to 17 pounds to contact a professional trapper.

Some ways to deter the animals from creeping around homes include removing plants from yards, filling in holes to stop them from burrowing and hanging wind chimes to make noise to scare them off. Displaying reflective surfaces like the back of a CD or simply spraying them with water can fend them off as well, wildlife officials said.

Like all other nonnative species in the Sunshine State, iguanas are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty laws. They were first reported in Florida during the 1960s in Hialeah, Coral Gables and Key Biscayne along Miami-Dade County’s southeastern coast, but can now be found along parts of both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, according to the agency.

“Some green iguanas cause damage to infrastructure by digging burrows that erode and collapse sidewalks, foundations, seawalls, berms and canal banks,” according to the FWC. “Green iguanas may also leave droppings on docks, moored boats, seawalls, porches, decks, pool platforms and inside swimming pools.”

A message seeking additional comment from the wildlife agency was not immediately returned Friday.