Moving to Phoenix and worried about pests hurting my pups! (Scottsdale: apartment, work)

[stina blue]

Hello everyone! First time poster to the AZ forum. Hope someone can help...

After researching graduate schools, my husband has decided on ASU. We will be moving to the Phoenix area and I've read about scorpions and tarantulas being "everyday" sort of pests. I'm wondering how big of a threat they would be to my dogs. Do they typically avoid contact with animals and people? Are there any that are life threatening? I have three chinese cresteds (a hairless toy breed) and one tiny chihuahua (3 lbs).

I'm guessing that at some point something will get into our house and I just want to know how careful to be. Currently, our dogs are typically never unsupervised when they are let outside, but we generally don't watch them indoors unless we're playing with them.

Also, I was warned about javelinas. Are they really a problem animal in the Phoenix area? (I feel sort of silly asking about wild "pigs," especially if I was given some wrong info. lol) Can they dig under fences easily? From what I have read, I know they'd be able to really hurt or kill my dogs if given a chance.

Are there any other harmful pests/animals I should know about?

Any information or links to web sites would be great! Thanks in advance!!

[Steve-o]

The only scorpion that can potentially hurt your dog would be the bark scorpion (Centruroides exilicauda/sculpturatus). I see your dogs are very small, putting them at a higher risk of developing life-threatening symptoms from a bark scorpion sting. Just comb your house at night (every nook and crannie) with a blacklight and collect any scorpions you find, thats the best method for control. Tarantulas? Nothing to worry about. They might bite your dog if theyre persistently bothered, but thats pretty unlikely. Even if they did bite your dog, expect nothing more than for your dog to have temporary pain and swelling, nothing else. Tarantula venom is pretty weak, theres really nothing to worry about.

Javalinas are creepy beasts. Yes, they can hurt your dog if they feel threatened, so keep an eye out for your little dogs, especially with hawks, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, etc, around.

Other harmful pests that you should Google would be: Scolopendra heros heros, Scolopendra heros arizonensis, Crotalidae (rattlesnake family... more specifically Crotalus atrox, etc), Africanized bees, Latrodectus hesperus.

Do yourself a favor and learn about the critters of the desert, and dont live in fear of them, but enjoy them, theyre marvelous beasts that are often hated/persecuted for no reason. Ive given you several names to Google, make sure you do just that.

[stina blue]

Wow - thank you for the incredibly fast response, Steve-o! Glad to hear that the scorpions don't seem as dangerous as I had originally envisioned, but they are definitly something to look out for and I will definitly be looking for them in our home. I have a question about how you recommended we do this: why a blacklight? I'm guessing it makes them stand out more?

Glad to hear about the tarantulas. They sound comparable to the giant wolf spiders that we have over here.

Okay, so javelinas do seem like they could pose a threat. I had no idea about the other animals, though. I will definitly have to look them up, as well, to see what we can do to prevent them from getting in our yard when we move. Obviously a fence would probably help somewhat... Are coyotes, mountain lions and bobcat attacks on animals (or people) a somewhat regular occurance in your opinion?

I will definitly be looking up the animals you mentioned on google. Looks like there is a lot of research to be done!

[sablebaby]

I'd worry more about coyotes than javalinas, but it also depends on where you live it seems. I've only heard of javalinas in N. Scottsdale, not that they aren't in other areas, but these are typically NOT everyday occurances or even every year. I've been here 33 years and have never seen one. Coyotes will be just about anywhere in Phx and burbs and they have been known to attack dogs, even ones that are on leashes being walked. I've only seen them in the middle of the night. They will right past you and don't want any trouble really, they just are looking for food.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by stina blue

I have a question about how you recommended we do this: why a blacklight? I'm guessing it makes them stand out more?

Yes, their exoskeleton flouresces a brilliant green under blacklight, making them very easy to spot and capture. I have a little video below that you can see. This is of a Arizona desert hairy scorpion (Hadrurus arizonensis) that I captured in Scottsdale. Click on the pic to play the video...



And if you want to capture them easily, buy yourself a pair of forceps to grasp the scorpion with. Make sure to grab them gently as not to crush their tails (metasoma)! Place them in a glass jar (they cannot climb glass) and release them outside. They eat harmful bugs such as cockroaches, black widows, etc. Here is how you properly grasp a scorpion...


Ever seen how small baby scorpions can be? Here is one of my babies... Youd never see this thing crawling around, especially on carpet, which is why I recommend you use a blacklight to find them.

[Ponderosa]

Javelinas!!??? Every house here has a 6 foot high concrete block wall. Javelinas don't jump. They eat cactus not dogs. And don't be "combing" your house every night for scorpions. That's just insane. You are not going to find them all anyway. The hide in tiny dark cracks, inside the furniture, behind the fridge. Forget about it. The dogs will be fine, just like the thousands of other dogs living here. The things I see on this forum eek: I think I need to give it up.

BTW, Stina Blue, I am not picking on you here, you are asking a legit question. Sure things can happen with scorpions or even a javelina if you live in a wide open property without fences and your dogs run free, but the odds are miniscule. Since your husband is going to be a grad student at ASU, you are likely going to be in an apartment/house in the middle of Tempe which is hardly open desert. The neighbor's pit bull is a lot bigger risk. So is heartworm. Coyotes attack little Fifi once in a while - so rarely that it makes the news and then everyone thinks it's commonplace. Rattlesnakes get dogs - quite a few - but only if the dogs mess with them when you let them run free on the desert trails. There are millions of pets and owners here who have never had an encounter with native species. That is the norm.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Javelinas!!??? Every house here has a 6 foot high concrete block wall. Javelinas don't jump. They eat cactus not dogs. And don't be "combing" your house every night for scorpions. That's just insane

I never said "every night". Who has time for that? But if you find a scorpion in your house and want the best way to get rid of them, a blacklight is your best bet.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

I never said "every night". Who has time for that? But if you find a scorpion in your house and want the best way to get rid of them, a blacklight is your best bet.

I like cats better. I have seen my cat scratching and paying attention to a chest of drawers and searched forever finally finding a scorpion way up in the corner behind the drawers. With a black light I would have had no clue. Of course, cats often work alone when you don't observe them. But they have radar for these things. Anyhow, as you know, it is not the one you found that stings you, but the one you missed. What's the point? Relax and live with it, I say.

[stina blue]

Thank you for the new responses, everyone! So it seems as though an "attack" from anything out there is a relatively low risk, especially since we'll most likely be buying a place with one of those high walls. (Although I would love to see a javelina jump 6' in the air. lol)

I'm going to go ahead and research the animals that have been mentioned here some more, but so far what I gather from everyone's responses is that my dogs are pretty much safe as long as they don't try and mess with the wildlife, except for what would be a rare case. Okay. I can deal with that. It's pretty much the same level of "threat" as what we currently deal with concerning brown recluse spiders, wolf spiders and all of the other stuff that roams the streets of baltimore.

Thanks, guys!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Anyhow, as you know, it is not the one you found that stings you, but the one you missed. What's the point? Relax and live with it, I say.

Yeah, pretty much. However, try and "relax" when youve been stung by a bark scorpion.