Sophie has a point. But the large snake the workers found in my yard (I believe the same one as a I saw in my carport in the pic above) was just last week in the construction supplies. So I guess it depends where you are. AZ and Southern Ca have had unseasonably warm weather- almost 90 degrees up until a couple days ago.

All I can say is that the title of this thread should include a warning--graphic pictures. YIKES!

@nidnay- Yes. :)

Do you get a lot of scorpions there (in your home)???

When I lived in Phoenix, I found over 300 in my newly-built home (never counted the ones found outside), the first year we lived there. I kept count on a whiteboard in my laundry room. I just stopped tracking them after that. :-) We had constant, heavy-duty professional pest control the entire 7 years lived there, and eventually got down to weekly/bimonthly visitors instead of daily.

I was the only one, of my friends and family, who had that experience, though. Tons of folks live in PHX and never even see one. They were all at my house, apparently. ;-)

I think this year I only only found one. :) But I do find quite a few in the pool in the summer. I also have a resident gecko and I have found some large lizards (think small dinasours!) that got into the house through open doors. I live on a mountain side, in a large city, but with lots of native desert. Javelinas, bobcats, lots of coyotes and reptiles live amongst the houses. I’ll post pics of some of the things I have found.

But almost everyone I know finds scorpions in their home. My grandmother had them in her home. I got stung under the nail while visiting once by a poisonous one. It was very painful and my arm went numb for about 24 hours. They like water (pretty much everything in the desert is on an eternal hunt for water) so you find them in the bathroom often.

Desert night snake in the house:

Male desert spiny lizard - lived in the house for three days before I finally caught him! He was huge, but not as large as the female I caught a couple weeks earlier.

Orange ground snake:

Posinous desert centipede:

I found these in the pool the first year it was installed: Harmless sun “scorpion”, scorpion, wolf spider:

Caught in my house:

A couple weeks ago I saw this bobcat. My neighbors said she has two kittens and they play on their patio!

I don’t know what to say other than I’m glad I don’t live in Arizona! Crazy pics. For the most part we’ve lived in the northeastern states but now we are somewhat in the northern most part of the south. We did live in Florida/Alabama for a bit and had tiny scorpions in the house. I never felt safe or comfortable there, and needless to say I was happy to get out of there and go further north. So much humidity the exterior walls would sweat. Not too many good hair days either :)

Not to get too personal, but do you check your shoes before you put them on? I always felt I had to check everything. I would totally lose it if I found a snake in my brand new home (thus the reason for this post .....I want to head them off at the pass!).

LOL It’s funny but I LOVE the wildlife. It is so amazing! I feel fortunate to see so many things. I also had a baby parrot for awhile that hit the glass and was stunned. I kept him until his flock returned to the back yard a couple weeks later and then let him go. For a few weeks I even had a peacock living on my patio who would come when I called for his mealworms. Also, a pack of NINE coyotes a couple mos ago and raccoons on the patio. At my condo where I lived previously, in busy downtown, a pair of foxes raised their babies in the gutter in front of my doorstep. I could do without the scorpions and centipedes though.

I dont check my shoes as I have only found one scorpion in the past year. But at my grandmother’s house, you bet I did! I haven’t found a desert centipede in awhile either. I installed a 6 foot wide glass pivot door and I think a lot of things were coming in the house under the door. Since I added a sweep a year ago, I dont find very many things in the house. Before I got the sweep, I put painters tape under the door to stop things from coming in. One night I found a baby snake stuck on the tape, half in the house. I managed to get him off while he snapped at me. He was not poisonous - a tiny red and black striped ground snake (of course I’m thinking what if this is the only mutant coral snake out there?).

Now those guys give me the warm and fuzzies!

I love nature as well...OUTSIDE though (although I wouldn’t mind a cute little peacock in the house)....but scorpions and venomous snakes, not so much. We have all the warm blooded furry and feathery things you mentioned (not parrots but wild turkey’s here) and I enjoy them but I could do without the creepy crawlers that want to sneak in my house bite me! Love your pics :)

I miss the raccoons that used to come and watch me when I would be out on the patio at night, they’d watch me and I’d watch them...I’d never seen them in that area of SoCal and until August had lived in the area my whole life. The raccoons out here are much more skittish, and they seem to live down in the sewer drainage system, thats where they come out of late at night at least...

Spiders....ugh no. Snakes - not if they’re venomous. Same thing for lizards of any size. No scorpions or centipedes. That bobcat is adorable though, even if it would probably rip one’s face off if cornered.;)

Not to get too personal, but do you check your shoes before you put them on?

I was a bit neurotic when I lived in my old house in Phoenix, lol.

Checked shoes, constantly checked under laundry baskets/boxes/toys/furniture/appliances, shook out clothing before putting it on (despite being on hangers or in dressers), never put the poor baby on the floor (I bought a *huge* octagonal playpen that could fit like 4 kids, lol, and I was generally anti-playpen), switched to all-white bedding for faster identification (2 of the 3 stings we experienced were in bed), always checked the ceiling when entering the hallway (we were dive-bombed one time under the a/c return), hunted them at night with a black light, cancelled newspaper subscriptions (found a mama with babies on her back in a tri-folded newspaper), and constantly imagined them virtually everywhere. I could live in Alaska and still think I see them. :-/

I wasn't sad to leave that house. Never even glanced back in the rear view mirror the day we moved. Absolutely good riddance.

I use to be mad at the raccoons that would eat the food out of my bird feeders while I was sleeping . . . until I found out it was bears.

One Devoted Dame....oh I hear ya! I did most all those things you mentioned. Woke up one morning to a scorpion on the ceiling directly over my bed. I am totally creeped out now!

Mark.....BEARS?? I am definitely not into the bear thing! One swipe with those claws! I am glad we don’t have them around here....at least I don’t think we do.....

Hahaha - it’s hard to not be paranoid about giant spiders when half the time there are actually GIANT SPIDERS, why they are taking so long to freeze to death so I at least have the winter without worrying where the next one is going to drop down to say hello...or be casually waiting on stuff and surfaces where I put my hands...to get a look at me...if I can see a spider from across the house I know it’s GIANT and scream like an overly sheltered 8 year old girl on her first camping trip for the mister to come kill the thing and quickly.

I came way too close to a coyote when walking the dog one night in SoCal, thought it was a stray dog at first, that thing tried to climb over the fence! And I doubt it was alone, I just couldn’t see it’s coyote friends in the dark.

Oh brother.....think I’m gonna need me one of those butcher knife on a stick thingys that cheryladavis1818’s daughter made after this thread is all said and done!

Nidnay, I understand your concern. I wouldn't want snakes in or under my house either. But I just don't think they'll get in your ducts. I'm trying to think like a snake here and I can't think of any reason why a snake would go in there. There's nothing to eat or drink and it wouldn't be any warmer than the surrounding area. Seems to me that snakes like to squeeze into tight spaces or get under something that would provide warmth like a pile of leaves. I'm not an expert, just telling you what I think. Also, how big are the openings on your floor registers? Nothing too big could get through there, could it?

Anyway, thanks for starting this thread. I've really enjoyed it, especially Rockybird's fantastic photos. We don't get much backyard wildlife in my yard and I'm jealous. Good luck with your home build!

The butcher knife on a stick would probably work better than whatever you can find in a spray can, especially if it’s air freshener...btw, while it does make giant spiders smell pretty it also doesn’t kill them even if you empty the whole can, then the only option is to try and beat the spider to death with the can itself and hope you don’t miss.

Mark.....that pic was a shocker. Bears or snakes....I don’t know. Friendly non poisonous ones I would agree, but venomous snakes....I think it’s a toss up..maybe, but either way I would not want to come face to face with that BEAR. Yikes!

You don't have to be too far from downtown LA to find a bear taking a dip in someone's pool. A few years ago one of the elementary schools went into lockdown when a bear took a stroll through the neighborhood at the end of the school day ... they let the high school kids out though ... which was odd!

My driveway camera showed a bobcat walking by at 1 am last night.

I have been followed/stalked by coyotes while hiking with my dog. I now carry pepper spray.

We have raccoons but never see them. I know they are there because they leave paw prints all over our stucco retaining walls.

I hear other hikers say they come across rattlesnakes all the time, but I have only seen one all year and I hike several times per week.

One advantage of the low humidity weather in So. CA is very few bugs and no mosquitos. Best part for someone with dogs is very few ticks. I have only found one in 7 years.

I lived in LA in the early 1980's - in the flats of Hancock Park. I often saw coyotes while driving carpool, but a bear? NO! I have a good friend in NJ who regularly sees a bear in her town, and she lives in the old, very urban part of her city. She can see it on its high legs looking over her fence - probably licking his chops at the idea of her Cavalier for his next meal. Very scary.

I prefer for nature to stay in the wild.

Awwww that bear looks like he just wants to say hello, maybe eat the trash can with contents, see what’s in the fridge...

Don’t worry, the mister has made me promise I won’t feed or invite wild animals (like raccoons) inside the house. Mostly because he doesn’t want to come home to the dog and I barricaded in the bathroom while raccoons are tearing up the house and making themselves comfortable. ;)

In Alabama we had a constant stream of things. Lots of snakes with copperheads, cottonmouths (mean angry things), a few different types of rattlers not uncommon. Mostly a lot of rat snakes, black racers, and garters though. Occasional cats or other mammals.

In the UK, not much. But lots and lots of midges every summer.

In MN no poisonous snakes (except in SE MN) but we did have a 5' garter for a while. On a weekly basis we'll have turkeys, deer, fox, coyotes, turkey vultures (really really ugly), eagles (lots of eagles this past year), falcons, and a variety of other things in our yard. We'll occasionally get a bear or bobcat. Oh, and the MN state bird - mosquito.

In FL we had a 4' python in our garage last winter. That was twitter worthy. There was actually a lot of debate if he was a python or corn snake with the F&W giving the final determination after they debated it. We'll also see a black panther occasionally.

Fortunately all of the above was outside (except Pete the Python).

Fun stuff.

OP, did you talk to your builder? Response?

I can live with most of the animals, reptiles, birds and insects mentioned in this thread. The bears mostly want to find a snack and/or take a bath, but they don't seem to want to interact with people and have never attacked anyone in the area. These are just plain brown bears and not grizzlies.

The only one I fear is the mountain lion (puma). I have never seen one, but someone's security camera, about 3 miles away, recorded one in their yard. You will never see it coming ...

Here was one attack in 2007?

"Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Orange County. MarkReynolds, 35, apparently was crouched, fixing a broken chain on his mountain bike, when a mountain lion pounced on him and killed him. He had been cycling alone. His half-eaten body was found near the trail. The killer was a 2-year old male weighing 110 lbs"

I hike alone with a 60 lb dog ... yeah, I'll take the snakes and scorpions any day!

Chispa - I think the victim’s girlfriend was also drug away by the mountain lion while searching for him the next day, when she found his bike. Her friends were able to pull her free, but she was pretty badly injured if I remember correctly. I mountain biked in Whiting Ranch years afterwards. I felt like I was looking over my shoulder the whole time!

When mountain biking in So Cal at dusk, I was flying down a dirt road when I saw two eyes reflected in my bike light from a large animal down the road. It stood its ground, staring at me, as I flew down the road towards it. I remember wondering what it was and why didnt it run from my encroaching bike? A coyote would’ve run and it didnt look like a coyote. As I got very close, it when down a ravine and I saw the tail - mountain lion! I called the park service the next day, and they told me m. lions were in the area because of the nearby dump. They were closing the park at dusk because of the lions. What was scarey is that it did not move until I was almost on it. It clearly had no fear. My friends had reported seeing mountain lion tracks on the same trails also.

One of the scariest thing I used to see while mountain biking were the rattlesnakes in AZ. My first summer here, I stopped counting at 35! Once my gears malfunctioned going up a steep hill and I stepped down, only to hear a loud rattle. I had almost stepped on a huge rattle snake. I was very fortunate not to get bitten. Another time, I was riding at night and I thought I saw a lost dog. I chased it with my bike while it ran in front of me. Finally I caught a whiff and realized I had been chasing a small javelina!

Riding on the trails in summer nights in AZ is like a small safari. In one night, I might see giant hairy desert scorpions, snakes, owls of all sizes, coyotes, etc. The coolest snake I ever saw was a thread snake! It looked like a long worm. They live underground. This one was on the asphalt pavement and I made sure it got to dirt safely.

I grew up partly in Alaska, and by far the most worrisome animal is the grizzlies. Many people are seriously injured or killed every year. My father lost two friends a couple years ago who were killed hiking on a popular trail. I used to do a lot of hiking and mountain climbing out there. In the summer, you are always wary of the danger.

yeah, I'll take the snakes and scorpions any day!

Except, of course, these little critters are often found *in the house* (can't quite say the same for mountain lions or bears), and can be just as deadly to young children, the elderly, and others with compromised immune systems.

I can avoid hiking in certain areas, and have the kids come in before dusk, etc.... Can't exactly avoid my house, lol.

Yes Rocky, there was a second attack by that same mountain lion.

I never appreciate the views during my hikes because I keep my eyes on the dog, while scanning the path for rattlesnakes and the bushes for coyotes and other critters!!! At least I don't have to swat any mosquitos!

KY and tornados, the occasional skunk, raccoon, possum, deer and coyote are sounding pretty good compared with things in other places!

Reason number 4,537 that I live in Washington state. No, thank you, snakes!

So....my takeaway lesson here is...DON’T GO HIKING OR BIKING. Also keep stuff for killing anything critter wise that comes indoors.

;)

I found this today while sweeping the room where I keep my parrots. :(

It’s a lizard tail-I think gecko. Why is its tail missing??? Is there another larger predator lizard or snake around? The tail seemed fresh. I hunted everywhere and cant find anything. I guess I’ll get up with a light tonight and look around. :(

I find this disturbing!

LOL@nidnay. Very funny! Except for the geckos, the wildlife needs to stay outside, as much as I love it!

Somewhere nearby, a tail-less lizard roams. Fortunately they probably can't/don't vocalize when this happens so you can at least count on not being disturbed by a crying lizard mourning for it's lost tail.

They regrow their tails, so the lizard should be fine. But who was after it that it needed to sacrifice its tail?

It’s not the lizard I’m worried about, it’s the predator that made it lose its tail! It’s in my house! What is it? :(

Maybe it just got wedged between some furniture and couldn't free itself without leaving its tail?

Is there anything that can get in that is dangerous for the parrots?

Chispa - It was just laying on the floor so I dont think there was anything it got caught in. I know there was a small gecko living in the house. The tail seems kind of large to be his, but i did see him near the bird room a few days ago. I dont think anything would be big enough to eat the birds, unless it is a large snake, but there’s no way a large snake got in here, unless it came through the fireplace. Whatever it is, if it’s still in the house, I suspect it’s a reptile and living under the built in appliances in the kitchen where it’s warm. I’m going to get up tonight with a flashlight and look around. The birds are safe at night because they sleep in night cages in the master suite area.

Husband is a pest control operator. He says to put some glue-boards in your ductwork before they connect it. to see if you catch anything. A licensed pest control or wildlife operator can help you if you don't want to deal with it, yourself.

I would tell your crew to keep that crawl space door shut or you'll be giving them the pest control bill.

@Kris Mays - I am concerned that snakes might have already crawled in, are possibly in hibernation/brumation and won’t wake up until the weather warms. If they are “sleeping”, they won’t be slithering over any glue boards that may be put there now :(

If all else fails, send one of the work crew men in! ;)

Pray for a 200-year winter. For five consecutive years. No problem thereafter. For a year. Repeat.