NY vs FL

[Kimmers127]

You'd have to live right on a lake or canal to ever see a gator in your yard. Our neighborhood has two lakes and a canal running behind it (all within a 5 minute walk of our house). In the 12 years we've lived here we've only seen one once and it was right beside the lake. They don't venture very far from the water.

Thanks for this - definitely comforting! I don't want to be melodramatic but I was definitely wondering if Dunkin (min pin) would be safe outside! We would definitely fence our yard though. I feel like I've heard all these horror stories of snakes and gators in people's pools - maybe those are just urban legends.

In response to your next post on this thread, I am a manatee fanatic, that sounds awesome!! We've seen armadillos in WDW once or twice and that was pretty cool too.

 

[Zandy595]

Thanks for this - definitely comforting! I don't want to be melodramatic but I was definitely wondering if Dunkin (min pin) would be safe outside! We would definitely fence our yard though. I feel like I've heard all these horror stories of snakes and gators in people's pools - maybe those are just urban legends.

In response to your next post on this thread, I am a manatee fanatic, that sounds awesome!! We've seen armadillos in WDW once or twice and that was pretty cool too.

Well, yes there have been stories on the news about gators in people's pools, but it's rare. A fence would be a good deterrent, but if you lived on a lake and you knew there was a gator in it, I wouldn't leave a dog unattended for long. I've heard that they can climb a fence if there is something they really want on the other side.
Best bet would be to live a good distance from water and have a fence.

 

[Kimmers127]

Well, yes there have been stories on the news about gators in people's pools, but it's rare. A fence would be a good deterrent, but if you lived on a lake and you knew there was a gator in it, I wouldn't leave a dog unattended for long. I've heard that they can climb a fence if there is something they really want on the other side.
Best bet would be to live a good distance from water and have a fence.

Okay that sounds doable. I actually don't leave him outside unattended even here in CT. He's small enough (11 pounds) that I would worry about something like a fox taking an interest in him, and I doubt our chain link fence would really deter a fox. We get some pretty large birds out here too. You just never know. Generally I let him out and then stand inside and watch him out the door or window. So he's outside alone but I'm watching him. In the warmer weather a lot of times I just go on out with him.

Definitely wont live on a lake.

 

[Minnesota!]

It's -4 here right now, with -25 windchill. I need to live in Florida now more than ever...

Gators don't make me near as nervous as snakes do. Even at WDW, I have issues with walking under trees (since I read a post on here a few years ago about a woman having a snake drop out of the tree right in front of her at Pop). How often do you FL people run across snakes?

We have no desire to own a single family house - we are more the condo/apartment kind of people....so I am hoping that right there will eliminate a lot of snake sightings....no backyard for them to stalk me from, I would hope we would be a few floors up, etc.

Yes, I know I am overthinking it and it's irrational. But there are very few things that i fear in life...and snakes are one of them (snow plows are another, so I would be trading one fear for another...)...

Thanks!!!

 

[Zandy595]

It's -4 here right now, with -25 windchill. I need to live in Florida now more than ever...

Gators don't make me near as nervous as snakes do. Even at WDW, I have issues with walking under trees (since I read a post on here a few years ago about a woman having a snake drop out of the tree right in front of her at Pop). How often do you FL people run across snakes?

We have no desire to own a single family house - we are more the condo/apartment kind of people....so I am hoping that right there will eliminate a lot of snake sightings....no backyard for them to stalk me from, I would hope we would be a few floors up, etc.

Yes, I know I am overthinking it and it's irrational. But there are very few things that i fear in life...and snakes are one of them (snow plows are another, so I would be trading one fear for another...)...

Thanks!!!

I try not to go out my front door anymore (I normally go out the garage anyway). About a year ago a baby corn snake fell on my hand when I pushed the door open to go out. It must have been trying to get in at the top of the door.
I also don't like to go in the backyard because I've seen black racers sticking there head up above the grass. I've seen them in my garage too. They scare the crap out of me, but I know those ones are harmless.
If you live in a condo and stick to the sidewalks you'll probably never see them.

 

[Feralpeg]

Well, yes there have been stories on the news about gators in people's pools, but it's rare. A fence would be a good deterrent, but if you lived on a lake and you knew there was a gator in it, I wouldn't leave a dog unattended for long. I've heard that they can climb a fence if there is something they really want on the other side.
Best bet would be to live a good distance from water and have a fence.

I agree. Unless you live within a block or so of a good size body of water, you should not have gator problems. Coyotes are another story. We have a coyote problem in Windermere. Small dogs and cats. left unattended, do disappear. A lot of people in the area let their cats roam. We see signs all the time about missing cats. Easy solution to this problem. Don't let your cats run! If you are walking a dog and see a coyote, they are pretty easy to scare off. If you wave your arms and yell, they run away.

For the person who mentioned sulfur smelling water, my water does not smell or taste of sulfur. All new construction or major remodeling requires installation of a water filtration system (per local code). My water smells and tastes just fine. Even the water at Disney is getting better as they remodel the resorts and restaurants. Avoid the water fountains. Those have not been changed out for the most part.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

I agree. Unless you live within a block or so of a good size body of water, you should not have gator problems. Coyotes are another story. We have a coyote problem in Windermere. Small dogs and cats. left unattended, do disappear. A lot of people in the area let their cats roam. We see signs all the time about missing cats. Easy solution to this problem. Don't let your cats run! If you are walking a dog and see a coyote, they are pretty easy to scare off. If you wave your arms and yell, they run away.

A coyote ran across the road late one night at Apopka-Vineland and Conroy That's the only one I've seen though. It was a bizarre sight. You can tell instantly it isn't a dog!

It's -4 here right now, with -25 windchill. I need to live in Florida now more than ever...

Gators don't make me near as nervous as snakes do. Even at WDW, I have issues with walking under trees (since I read a post on here a few years ago about a woman having a snake drop out of the tree right in front of her at Pop). How often do you FL people run across snakes?

We have no desire to own a single family house - we are more the condo/apartment kind of people....so I am hoping that right there will eliminate a lot of snake sightings....no backyard for them to stalk me from, I would hope we would be a few floors up, etc.

Thanks!!!

I see them every once in a while. More when we lived in a single family home. Most are harmless, only four kinds are venomous. I live in an apartment and have seen two in the few years I've lived here. Last time a saw one, it was on the sidewalk and I knew it was non-venomous, so I poked it with my finger so it would move I love snakes, though.

 

[Minnesota!]

I try not to go out my front door anymore (I normally go out the garage anyway). About a year ago a baby corn snake fell on my hand when I pushed the door open to go out. It must have been trying to get in at the top of the door.
I also don't like to go in the backyard because I've seen black racers sticking there head up above the grass. I've seen them in my garage too. They scare the crap out of me, but I know those ones are harmless.
If you live in a condo and stick to the sidewalks you'll probably never see them.

I see them every once in a while. More when we lived in a single family home. Most are harmless, only four kinds are venomous. I live in an apartment and have seen two in the few years I've lived here. Last time a saw one, it was on the sidewalk and I knew it was non-venomous, so I poked it with my finger so it would move I love snakes, though.

I would cry, drop, and then probably pee myself. It's a really REALLY bad phobia. It has, honestly, been the only real thing that has held me back from making the move already. Even harmless snakes are just.....terrifying to me.

 

[BlovesC]

Such a timely thread topic for me! I've lived in FL for four years now and I've been ready to move for about three. I'm obsessed with the idea of moving to the pacific northwest, and we also tossed around NY state to be closer to family (I'm from NJ) yet still experience a new state. Recently DH has started leaning more towards NY than the PNW because his company has offices in NY and he'd be able to transfer, rather than looking for a new job like I'd have to do. So now we've been looking up NY data and real estate and job listings, all that good stuff.

I still have my heart set on Washington but I'd take the good ol' Northeast in a heartbeat over Central FL, so...if anyone in NY wants to simply do a houseswap for some time, let me know!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I agree. Unless you live within a block or so of a good size body of water, you should not have gator problems. Coyotes are another story. We have a coyote problem in Windermere. Small dogs and cats. left unattended, do disappear. A lot of people in the area let their cats roam. We see signs all the time about missing cats. Easy solution to this problem. Don't let your cats run! If you are walking a dog and see a coyote, they are pretty easy to scare off. If you wave your arms and yell, they run away.

For the person who mentioned sulfur smelling water, my water does not smell or taste of sulfur. All new construction or major remodeling requires installation of a water filtration system (per local code). My water smells and tastes just fine. Even the water at Disney is getting better as they remodel the resorts and restaurants. Avoid the water fountains. Those have not been changed out for the most part.

Kind of changing the subject, but when we were there in 2012, the water fountain outside the restrooms in Africa in AK not only tasted fine, it was also VERY cold