No laughing matter - snakes (Phoenix, Scottsdale: pharmacist, subdivision, live)

[Nanny Goat]

Originally Posted by locolobo13

Gotta agree with everyone. More snakes elsewhere than here. That said I've seen seen 1 snake in my backyard and 2 in my house in the last 10 years. None poisonous.

The only reason the 2 were in my house is 'cause my cat brought them in to show them off. Dropped 1 right on my bare feet! Better than some of his other gifts though.

When I lived in Florida, I found my 3 cats circling something in the middle of the living room. It was a baby snake that had found its way in via under the backporch through a crack/crevice. They must have killed it because it wasn't moving when I found it.

[Vinny536]

I moved here from Pa. There were a lot more snakes in my life when I lived there. I haven't seen one in my 6 years here, including when I lived on the edge of Maricopa or out in the desert with my jeep.

That doesn't mean they aren't here, I have a friend with a pool, she gets all sorts of critters visiting to take a drink. Friends have photos of snakes from their excursions into the desert, but it's not common in residential areas. Quite frankly I have no idea why so many believe there are many snakes here.

[Vinny536]

Originally Posted by briggsbee16

OK. That makes me feel better. Thanks to all. The scorpion thing, though. That could be scary.

they aren't pleasant, but they aren't much to be worried about either. I've seen maybe 4 of them. They are slow, near blind and very easy to collect or kill. The bad part is that they blend in with the light tan flooring everyone uses here, and they can fit in the smallest spaces.


A close friend just moved into a house downtown that is infested. His 2 year old son got stung 5 times, within 10 minutes he was back to happily playing. They are currently working with pest control and combing the house with UV lights. Scorpions glow under a black light.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by briggsbee16

OK. That makes me feel better. Thanks to all. The scorpion thing, though. That could be scary.

I've seen more scorpions in CO than I have in the desert areas. Just like snakes if you don't mess with them they won't mess with you.

[maverick974]

I've been here since last June. East Mesa. I haven't seen a snake, scorpion or anything else in or on the house. I've even taken a black light and went scorpion searching in my backyard at night. Nada. Nothing.
If there are scorpions here, I haven't been able to find them yet.
I have seen a few gecko's and lizards around the house. Those are cool critters.
Other than that, I haven't seen a thing at my house or in the desert so far.

[starrynightfan]

I've lived here since 1979 and haven't seen a snake ever. I have, however, seen scorpions. The last house I owned was infested with them when we moved in. Diligent pest control over the course of a year pretty much eliminated them.

If you're considering a home here, come with a black light in the evening during the warmer months. They come out at night and are most often seen on the exterior walls of the home or on block fences. They are easy to spot with a black light.

I'd never buy a home here again without first looking with a black light and talking to neighbors.

[Skywayy2001]

You will most likely get bitten by a rattlesnake..no doubt if the coyotes don't get you first.

[pbenjamin]

Since 1979. No snakes. 1 scorpion. Several black widows. 1 coyote.

[slackjaw]

Arizona has about 6.5 million people and a couple hundred rattlesnake bites annually but most of those are in or the edge of the desert and very few result in fatalities. If I'm not mistaken the last fatal snakebite was that poor woman up in Chino Valley a few years back, mojave rattlesnake got her on the foot and by the time they got her airlifted to Flagstaff she was in bad shape.

Despite a lot of hiking and camping I've seen exactly two in Arizona since 1996, I saw way more in the woods when I lived on the East Coast. Heck when I was a kid you probably could have handed me a $5 bill to go fetch a garter snake and I'd earn that money same day.

[themudpuppy]

I haven't been too concerned about snakes in AZ before, but for 2 days in a row I've been warned about them. Yesterday my vet said that one of the vets in her practice moved to AZ recently and called her and said she couldn't believe the number of dogs she's been treating for rattler bites every day.

Then today, when I told my pharmacist I was moving to AZ, she shuddered and said she lived in Maricopa last year in a subdivision, not in an open area, and she had rattlers in her driveway and next to her foundation a lot. She also said she had a problem with gila monsters. She said nearly everyone in Arizona carries a gun to protect them from snakes. I know some people probably carry guns when they go hiking, but I kind of think she's exaggerating a bit when she says nearly everyone carries a gun everywhere they go because of the snakes. I guess I'll find out when I get there in 4 weeks.