rattlers and scorpions and gila monsters, oh my! (Phoenix, Glendale: motorhome, scorpion)

[jen829]

Thanks for the links!

It seems like if you stick to very suburban areas there isn't too much cause for concern?

[themudpuppy]

You can have your dogs snake trained. I haven't moved into my house yet, but it's in a rural area and the former owner said they got rattlers in the yard when they lived there, so while I'm waiting for the house to close I went ahead and had my dog take a snake avoidance class so we'll be prepared. It's not pleasant for the dog (they use shock collars), but I figured a few minutes of that is better than a rattler bite. If you plan on hiking with your dogs, it would be worth it to do the training. It cost me $65 for one dog.

[liz451]

From the other side of the spectrum I grew up in Phoenix and didn't see a scorpion, snake, black widow, etc in a house or the wild until I was 14 because we were in an area that was 20 years old. I've now seen scorpions in a few houses, all are near the desert or new construction. If you use caution when hiking and check out the area you're renting in you should be fine. If you're that worried put the sticky paper for scorpions by every door and that should help.

[jen829]

Thanks!

Gosh coyotes?

Thanks! The class sounds interesting!

And ok.... Preventative measures are always great! Thanks for the info!

[johnp292]

Always remember to shake out your shoes before you put them on. Seriously.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by jen829

Thanks!

Gosh coyotes?

Not in Chandler or Gilbert, except perhaps on the fringes. Not in Tempe.

[calipoppy]

Originally Posted by jen829

Hello all!

My husband was just offered a wonderful job in the Tempe area and we are currently trying to decide whether to relocate. We are in our late 20's, no children, from Long Island, NY. I am a teacher (hoping to find work when I get there) who was unfortunately excessed last June.

We have visited many times and believe we want to live in the Chandler/Gilbert area. (any feedback?) It **seems** like a safe area where we can rent well within our budget along with a very close proximity to everything we could need.

Now here is my main concern; coming from NY we have little to no experience with indigenous venomous species and I am VERY concerned. We have two dogs and i am terrified of losing one to a venomous bite. We are very active and all of the hiking in the area is a huge draw for us, and of course we would love to take the dogs. Perhaps I should also mention that one dog is very small - 9 one-man and the other is a puppy who should be about 25 lbs.

Will this be a problem? I know anything is possible ... Just looking for anyone's opinion or experience.

I'm imagining snakes sneaking into my home or scorpion in my backyard. How realistic is the threat of such a thing happening?

Any feedback at all is greatly appreciated!

As someone who moved here a little less than a year ago I will say that while it is not probable it is possible. People are going to tell you that you will not encounter snakes etc in such an urban but it can (and does) happen.

[themudpuppy]

Originally Posted by jen829

Thanks! The class sounds interesting!

It was interesting. The snakes were cute wearing their little muzzles.

[LocoAZnative]

Originally Posted by observer53

Not in Chandler or Gilbert, except perhaps on the fringes. Not in Tempe.

We see coyotes form time to time in the morning walking the dog in Tempe near Hardy and the 60. I figure the take the western canal in from south mountain at night. There was even a sign put up in the local park don't feed the coyotes. They must be hungry and movin in.

[blisterpeanuts]

In four years that we spent in a 30-year-old development in north Glendale, we never saw a snake, scorpion, or gila. We DID find a (dead) black widow in the back yard, once. There were coyotes hanging out in the wash, and in that area you would have to be careful with your cats and small dogs, obviously. There are a number of dog runs, fortunately.

What we did encounter were these little ants that sting. Grrr. I had heard there were no fire ants in the area, but these things were something like that, and they were such an annoyance. You couldn't even walk barefoot on the patio, much less out into the (mostly Bermuda) grass in the yard. Some found a way into the house, too. Finally I got a whole bunch of ant traps from Home Depot, the kind where they carry the toxin back to the colony to kill the queen, spread them all around inside and outside, and genocide resulted. No more ants.

There were also these mosquitoes that came out at dusk, and some made it inside, and darned if we could ever find the source. I had thought there were no mosquitoes in Arizona, but our yard sure had them. We figure there was standing water somewhere in the vicinity. The foreclosure house with the half-finished swimming pool two doors down definitely was breeding them; we called the city, and they came out and tossed in these fish that eat the larvae, and these Israeli-made pucks that biologically destroy the larvae without hurting anything else, and sent the bill to whatever bank owned the place. But that didn't solve the problem.

Still I'd rather have mosquitoes than scorpions.