Snakes, Scorpions, Lizards...HALP! (Dallas, San Antonio: RV park, home builder, scorpion) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

AKF · 01-12-2007, 05:04 PM

Okay!

Call me crazy and go ahead and laugh at me all of you. The truth is I am a bit finiky when it comes to things that creep and crawl. Someone told me that San Antonio is full of snakes, scorpions, lizards and roaches the size of California Dates!

I would love to get some input on that from folks who actually live there as opposed to playing "guessing" games or ruling out this beautiful city altogether!

please help!

thanks

Aquajox · 01-12-2007, 06:59 PM

I was also told of these critters before I moved here. In the 9 months that I've been here, I have yet to see a snake of any kind. I've seen one scorpion at an RV park, it seamed very harmless. during the hotter months, there were these cute little tree lizzards that would come out at night and hang out by the house lights (good hunting ground for moths). They also lived in a pile of bricks in my garage, and pooped on my walls. I have seen the roaches, and they are good sized, but not too common. I've also observed that there are far less spiders here than I'm used to, coming from the Seattle area.

wCat · 01-12-2007, 07:22 PM

Hi AKF!

I've lived in San Antonio and Texas since 1965. In all those years, I had never seen a scorpion until about 6 years ago when we lived in a home with a lot of land around it. Snakes and scorpions like rocky areas and dead trees and wooded areas. Scorpions go sort of dormant in the winter and summer. If you were to see one, it would more likely be in the Spring or Fall.

I have also seen only one rattlesnake and that was in the dunes off the coast. We had garter snakes and bull snakes (very large)...but not poisonous or even prone to attack. Bull snakes eat mice and are great around farm houses etc.

You may have more of a chance seeing any critters in areas where they are bull dozing and a lot of construction on the outskirts of town. They are getting uprooted and run.

As far as roaches.....the roaches in South Texas are the larger kind that we call "water bugs". They are ugly and nasty, but do not propagate like the smaller Japanese roaches you see in North Texas or other areas of the states.
Water bugs are slower and fewer. I lived in Dallas for a while, and I'd take the water bugs over Japanese roaches anyday.

If you do venture out in the hill country, just be sure to have on some good boots. If you ever encounter a "rattle"....stand still and figure out where it's coming from.....then just slowly back away.

Overall, the city isn't critter friendly!

Welcome to San Antonio!!

MichelleSG · 01-12-2007, 09:45 PM

I encountered way more snakes, roaches, and scorpions back on San Diego. My brother in law stepped out onto his back porch in Rancho San Diego right onto a scorpion that proceeded to sting him (he then smooshed it of course). He said it hurt like a bee sting but that was it. I worked across the street from the Torrey Pines Golf Course and we constantly had rattle snakes in our bushes that security had to relocate for us and that was a WELL poputlated area. Out here in San Antonio the only thing I've run across are red ants. I boil a pot of water and pour it onto the pile and I don't see them again. I'm sure if we went out trecking into deep hill country that hasn't got a subdivision plopped onto it that we'd run into something but that's to be expected.

googie2525 · 01-12-2007, 11:51 PM

I've NEVER seen a snake or scorpion in San Antonio (and I've been here 31 years). Roaches, well yeah, sure, a few, but doesn't every city have roaches? Now, the Hill Country (aound Vanderpool) is another story - snakes and scorpions galore! Of course, that's an hour plus drive away.

AKF · 01-13-2007, 07:57 AM

well all this sounds a bit more reassuring.

what about the lizards? are there wall lizards that actually "live" in your homes?

thanks

Aquajox · 01-13-2007, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKF

well all this sounds a bit more reassuring.

what about the lizards? are there wall lizards that actually "live" in your homes?

thanks

I've never seen one in my home, just in my garage, and outside the house. And they usually don't come out until it gets dark. I have not seen one since around October. But you could see them every night in the hotter months.

MichelleSG · 01-13-2007, 09:33 AM

I found one in my front garden, it was soooo tiny I barely recognized it as a lizard. It was like 1/4 of an inch in length. I'm not sure I can even count it as a lizard since it was going to freeze that night and I'm sure it wasn't going to survive. I put it inside a brick hole sitting in the flower bed an covered it up with the rest of my flowers.

AKF · 01-13-2007, 01:30 PM

guys thanks for your feeback...i know since you live there and most of you seem to deal with this issue pretty easily.....maybe i should re-consider the decision...i am not sure i could handle coming across them around or even in my house!

what a bummer! i was really looking forward to moving there...i know you guys probably think i am nuts! but really i can't explain it...i am just scared/phobic of anything that creepeth or crawleth! yuckkk!

eyeamsochill · 01-13-2007, 10:20 PM

I just moved here from California over the summer, and our home builder told us that we would see some of those bugs in our garage, since it is a new home, not sure why exactly. but I have never seen any scorpions, or a snake. I have seen 2 baby lizards both under my moms wooden porch. There is nothing to worry about.