Whats the scoop on the DVC snakes we see?

[marriedbymickeymouse]

We have been to Disney dozens and dozens of times and always find all sorts of interesting creatures in nature but this last time staying at SSR on ground floor accross from DTD we encountered a big around, at least 3-4 foot long black snake slithering accross the sidewalk in front of us. I have seen mentions of snakes thru the disboards and I am just wandering what the scoop is on these snakes? Do any of you know anything about them, Are they anything to worry about, Is Disney using them for bug-varmit control, or are they trying to get rid of them? I know Disney does an exceptional job at making everything super great and I understand even Disney cant keep on top of all natures unwanted creatures but it really scared us this last trip. Though obviously we will continue to come every year, this has left me feeling a bit creaped out and paranoid about walking around the beautiful grounds that I so love, for fear ones going to pop out. Especially with my kids. If my kids would have been there for that trip, they would have never wanted to return no matter how much they love Disney. Sorry to make a big deal out of maybe nothing but we dont see many snakes here unless we go to the zoo. Anyone with a similar experience or info?

 

[wfloyd]

The snake you saw is quite common in Florida. They are harmless and will generally try to get away from you as fast as possible. They are nice to have around because they supposedly keep away any of the poisonous snakes. They also keep the area free of mice/rats. I don't think they will not just pop out on the sidewalk and run across your feet, they will probably stay in the bushes and hide.

They only time they get a little irritated is when you step on them and try to pick them up. They usually try to bite you then.

 

[LIFERBABE]

We saw one at BCV slithering across the walkway when it was raining. I guess he was heading for higher ground.

Im am totally freaked out by snakes (HATE THEM!!) but it is Florida, and I think snakes are their state bird!

I figure if I dont them bother them they won't bother me.

Now if I were to have a closer encounter with one, that would have me looking for another vacation destination.

I still prefer the ground floor rooms, because of all the creatures that stop by. We had a duck that came to our patio every morning, and a rabbit and a frog and a lizard. I felt like I was Snow White!

No snakes though!

 

[DVC 1998]

ON our last trip (August) to OKW we had a small 6 inch black snake in one of the bathrooms (2 br). The cast member who came to remove the snake brought a cloth sack and a long rod with a loop of wire at the end. He picked up the snske with the sack and said that it was a harmless common water snake and that he would set it free somewhere outside, it is pretty common. I do not believe that Disney would in any way harm or eliminate any animal on it's property, nor would I ask that it be done. They did however fix the door to the villa so there could not be a recurrance of the visit.

 

[marriedbymickeymouse]

Thanks for your help. I too enjoy the 'wildlife' (most anyways) at Disney as well, and we did have the ducks at our patio door too which was really cool. It was such nice weather when we were there that I hated that we couldnt leave our patio door open to enjoy the beautiful breeze while we relaxed in the evening for fear of that snake coming back. I will try to remember that those snakes are "helpful snakes" next time I come in contact with one, but that doesnt mean we are going to be buddies. ha-ha

 

[Terry S]

Was it a black racer? Of all the times I have been to Disney, the only time I saw a snake was at SSR.

Now alligators, I see those at BCV all the time.

 

[marriedbymickeymouse]

Thats good to hear. We've only seen the one as well too. Im not sure what kind of snake it was. I'm not a snake person and I dont even want to go online and look it up or I wont sleep for a week. It was alot bigger then the 6 inch one mentioned by someone else above, thats for sure.

 

[MASrules]

We saw one of the long black snakes described above walking towards Buena Vista Palace (walking from SSR). It popped out of the landscaping and slithered in a hole in the pole holding the walk/don't walk electical sign. It was the strangest thing and freaked us all out.

As a kid a took a half day class at disney and the theme was wildlife. We got to go on a path in the undeveloped part of the property and see all kinds of cool things. They said that they take a few birds everyday and clip a wing and let it go back in the undeveloped part. This was a death sentence for these birds.

Almost all of the class focused on preservation and I was impressed with everything Disney did at the time to preserve the environment and animals, to say that they would never harm an animal is pushing it a bit.

Oh yeah. I also took a lizard home from disney one year. Just one of the common quick suckers. Only lived a bit, but I was so proud of catching and having one.

 

[CandleontheWater]

A long black snake in that part of Florida was probably a black racer. They are mostly harmless, if you just leave them alone. They can get a little aggressive if provoked, so I wouldn't go poking them with sticks or anything. (Then again, I would probably get pretty agressive if poked with a stick too! ) There are all sorts of snakes and wildlife in Florida, especially in WDW because large portion are set aside as nature preserves. I wouldn't go wandering through high grass or marshy areas, and I would limit my swimming to the pools and not venture into the canals or waterways, and you should be A-Ok! If you see a snake or Alligator that looks agressive or especially an alligator that has lost its fear of people, I'd let a cast member know. An animail like an alligator really only become dangerous if it gets used to handouts- both the litteral and figurative kind!

 

[Grandbuddy]

We saw one of the long black snakes described above walking towards Buena Vista Palace (walking from SSR). It popped out of the landscaping and slithered in a hole in the pole holding the walk/don't walk electical sign. It was the strangest thing and freaked us all out.

Oh yeah. I also took a lizard home from disney one year. Just one of the common quick suckers. Only lived a bit, but I was so proud of catching and having one.

Any snake or lizard you see at WDW is completely animatronic. Your lizard did not die...you just did not know how to change the battery.

 

[marriedbymickeymouse]

GRANDBUDDY...Too funny! Just animatronic huh? Now, thats what I wanted to hear. That makes me feel better. I will no longer worry and I will forever be reminded of your comment whenever I see a snake at Disney.

Everyone else...Thanks very much for your help too...youve helped me alot.

 

[uwydisfan]

So when the snake was in the room, was it a ground floor room? I am absolutley terrified of snakes, even little 6 inch harmless ones and i would not have been able to stay in that room, even after they took it out. Someone please tell me that if i stay on an upper floor i will never see a snake!

 

[drusba]

The most common snakes you may actually see at WDW are the black racer (the black one everyone is describing above) and garters, both of which are harmless. Disney generally just leaves them alone as long as they are not in buildings or on walkways, and then they just move them. And for the OP, you will find lots of those in your home state of Ohio -- the black racer is actually Ohio's official state reptile because they are so prevalent in Ohio.

A poisonous snake may be seen once in a great while (cottonmouths have been found on Tom Sawyer's Island) but that would be a rare citing anywhere near your resort (those they would move to non-populated areas if they can find and capture them after a sighting). Alligators more commonly show up in the lakes and those (at least any of size) are usually captured and moved to unpopulated areas. Golf courses are most common place to spot a gator in the water areas and once in a while even out of water on the course.

 

[janni518]

So when the snake was in the room, was it a ground floor room? I am absolutley terrified of snakes, even little 6 inch harmless ones and i would not have been able to stay in that room, even after they took it out. Someone please tell me that if i stay on an upper floor i will never see a snake!

Only the ones that drop out of trees onto the balcony. It's Florida, you might see a snake, but they truly are more afraid (okay, in your case, at least as afraid) of you as you are of them.

 

[marriedbymickeymouse]

Boy dont I feel silly since you say they are common here in Ohio. I did see one once down at the lake about an hour or so away from here....I ran then too. I live in town and I thankfully dont see them here.

 

[kismet1003]

ON our last trip (August) to OKW we had a small 6 inch black snake in one of the bathrooms (2 br). The cast member who came to remove the snake brought a cloth sack and a long rod with a loop of wire at the end. He picked up the snske with the sack and said that it was a harmless common water snake and that he would set it free somewhere outside, it is pretty common. I do not believe that Disney would in any way harm or eliminate any animal on it's property, nor would I ask that it be done. They did however fix the door to the villa so there could not be a recurrance of the visit.

Holy cow!! I would have gone home, after crying. I'm deathly afraid of snakes and an overreactor! I know!!! We had them around our yard last summer for the first time in my life and I would have a full on, not being able to breath, panic attack. I pray to God I never see one at Disney even though I know they are there.

 

[zackiedawg]

Welcome to Florida...it IS a tropical place, part swamp, part pine scrub. While some people might freak out at the prevalence of animal and insect life down here, others actually like that about the place. But no question, in Florida you have to just accept the probability that you will encounter wildlife of some form every day. A list of very common things you'll see down here:

Snakes - dozens of varieties, but a majority not poisonous - ranging from 3-inch Brahman Blind Snakes to 20-foot pythons.

Lizards - also dozens of varieties, all harmless - ranging from tiny 3-inch anoles to huge 6-foot iguanas.

Bufo toads - these guys are big, lazy, and make quite a racket at night. They love to croak by the waterside, and are basically harmless unless you decide to lick the skin secretion they make to defend themselves - which is a highly powerful hallucinogenic that can kill small animals.

Opossum - Harmless unless cornered, will run away from you when possible, or keel over sideways in mock death until you leave. Dumb as a stump.

Raccoon - Usually harmless, though misunderstood bites occur from feeding them. They are curious, intelligent, manipulative, troublesome, and cute.

Armadillo - Also dump as a stump - basically a possum in a shell.

Rabbits - Cute, shy, and quiet.

Birds - a Bazgillion different kinds, from hummingbirds to 7-foot-wingspan raptors to stilty waders to underwater divers.

Bats - Usually unseen, though occasional nighttime collisions from bats too distracted chasing bugs to notice they are about to collide with an intersecting human. The bat will flee the scene in just as much fear as the human probably does.

Deer - Usually smallish, usually shy, occasionally known to bust through plate glass windows at local coffee shops during rutting season.

Alligators - Our resident dinosaurs...usually shy and unaggressive, and generally attempt to avoid human interaction...though feeding them often breaks down the safety wall between them and us and connects food to humans. Nary a body of water exists in the state that a gator hasn't lived in, doesn't currently live in, or won't live in in the future.

Bugs - forget trying to name or count all the bugs you'll see here! Sufficeth to say, whereever you are in Florida, there are likely at least 10 bugs in the 5-square-feet of space you are standing in. Mosquitos big enough to pick up a cat and flying in clouds thick enough to show up on radar, roaches with deceivingly pretty names (palmetto bugs) that are big enough to open automatic doors at supermarkets when they walk up to them (and even better - our roaches can FLY!), beetles as big as Volkswagen Beetles, Spiders the size of fists that build webs as strong as soccer nets, ants the size of sand grains that have bites that feel like acid burns and colonies vast enough to pick up your refrigerator and march it out of the house, grasshoppers big enough to pass for farming machinery, the ironically named love bugs, which are some of the most hated and worthless bugs in Florida for their propensity to splat on windshields and land on white clothing where their tissue-paper-thin skin rips open if you try to brush them away, leaving you with a polka-dotted shirt, white-footed ants that eat electric wiring (that's not an exxageration!), and cicadas that fill the trees and crank out a noise that could drown out a rock concert (and our cicadas don't sleep in the ground for 7 years then come out - they're 'annual' cicadas...here every year for your listening pleasure!).

In fact, it's rather shocking that you don't have thousands more encounters at Disney World. But it is Florida, and you WILL have encounters. The good news is that nearly every one of your encounters with animals or insects in Florida will be of no harm to you, and most will leave the animal more frightened than you were.

 

[JerJan]

Welcome to Florida...it IS a tropical place, part swamp, part pine scrub. While some people might freak out at the prevalence of animal and insect life down here, others actually like that about the place. But no question, in Florida you have to just accept the probability that you will encounter wildlife of some form every day. A list of very common things you'll see down here:

Snakes - dozens of varieties, but a majority not poisonous - ranging from 3-inch Brahman Blind Snakes to 20-foot pythons.

Lizards - also dozens of varieties, all harmless - ranging from tiny 3-inch anoles to huge 6-foot iguanas.

Bufo toads - these guys are big, lazy, and make quite a racket at night. They love to croak by the waterside, and are basically harmless unless you decide to lick the skin secretion they make to defend themselves - which is a highly powerful hallucinogenic that can kill small animals.

Opossum - Harmless unless cornered, will run away from you when possible, or keel over sideways in mock death until you leave. Dumb as a stump.

Raccoon - Usually harmless, though misunderstood bites occur from feeding them. They are curious, intelligent, manipulative, troublesome, and cute.

Armadillo - Also dump as a stump - basically a possum in a shell.

Rabbits - Cute, shy, and quiet.

Birds - a Bazgillion different kinds, from hummingbirds to 7-foot-wingspan raptors to stilty waders to underwater divers.

Bats - Usually unseen, though occasional nighttime collisions from bats too distracted chasing bugs to notice they are about to collide with an intersecting human. The bat will flee the scene in just as much fear as the human probably does.

Deer - Usually smallish, usually shy, occasionally known to bust through plate glass windows at local coffee shops during rutting season.

Alligators - Our resident dinosaurs...usually shy and unaggressive, and generally attempt to avoid human interaction...though feeding them often breaks down the safety wall between them and us and connects food to humans. Nary a body of water exists in the state that a gator hasn't lived in, doesn't currently live in, or won't live in in the future.

Bugs - forget trying to name or count all the bugs you'll see here! Sufficeth to say, whereever you are in Florida, there are likely at least 10 bugs in the 5-square-feet of space you are standing in. Mosquitos big enough to pick up a cat and flying in clouds thick enough to show up on radar, roaches with deceivingly pretty names (palmetto bugs) that are big enough to open automatic doors at supermarkets when they walk up to them (and even better - our roaches can FLY!), beetles as big as Volkswagen Beetles, Spiders the size of fists that build webs as strong as soccer nets, ants the size of sand grains that have bites that feel like acid burns and colonies vast enough to pick up your refrigerator and march it out of the house, grasshoppers big enough to pass for farming machinery, the ironically named love bugs, which are some of the most hated and worthless bugs in Florida for their propensity to splat on windshields and land on white clothing where their tissue-paper-thin skin rips open if you try to brush them away, leaving you with a polka-dotted shirt, white-footed ants that eat electric wiring (that's not an exxageration!), and cicadas that fill the trees and crank out a noise that could drown out a rock concert (and our cicadas don't sleep in the ground for 7 years then come out - they're 'annual' cicadas...here every year for your listening pleasure!).

In fact, it's rather shocking that you don't have thousands more encounters at Disney World. But it is Florida, and you WILL have encounters. The good news is that nearly every one of your encounters with animals or insects in Florida will be of no harm to you, and most will leave the animal more frightened than you were.

very animated and amusing post it makes me homesick...

 

[ilovecoasters]

Welcome to Florida...it IS a tropical place, part swamp, part pine scrub. While some people might freak out at the prevalence of animal and insect life down here, others actually like that about the place. But no question, in Florida you have to just accept the probability that you will encounter wildlife of some form every day. A list of very common things you'll see down here:

Snakes - dozens of varieties, but a majority not poisonous - ranging from 3-inch Brahman Blind Snakes to 20-foot pythons.

Lizards - also dozens of varieties, all harmless - ranging from tiny 3-inch anoles to huge 6-foot iguanas.

Bufo toads - these guys are big, lazy, and make quite a racket at night. They love to croak by the waterside, and are basically harmless unless you decide to lick the skin secretion they make to defend themselves - which is a highly powerful hallucinogenic that can kill small animals.

Opossum - Harmless unless cornered, will run away from you when possible, or keel over sideways in mock death until you leave. Dumb as a stump.

Raccoon - Usually harmless, though misunderstood bites occur from feeding them. They are curious, intelligent, manipulative, troublesome, and cute.

Armadillo - Also dump as a stump - basically a possum in a shell.

Rabbits - Cute, shy, and quiet.

Birds - a Bazgillion different kinds, from hummingbirds to 7-foot-wingspan raptors to stilty waders to underwater divers.

Bats - Usually unseen, though occasional nighttime collisions from bats too distracted chasing bugs to notice they are about to collide with an intersecting human. The bat will flee the scene in just as much fear as the human probably does.

Deer - Usually smallish, usually shy, occasionally known to bust through plate glass windows at local coffee shops during rutting season.

Alligators - Our resident dinosaurs...usually shy and unaggressive, and generally attempt to avoid human interaction...though feeding them often breaks down the safety wall between them and us and connects food to humans. Nary a body of water exists in the state that a gator hasn't lived in, doesn't currently live in, or won't live in in the future.

Bugs - forget trying to name or count all the bugs you'll see here! Sufficeth to say, whereever you are in Florida, there are likely at least 10 bugs in the 5-square-feet of space you are standing in. Mosquitos big enough to pick up a cat and flying in clouds thick enough to show up on radar, roaches with deceivingly pretty names (palmetto bugs) that are big enough to open automatic doors at supermarkets when they walk up to them (and even better - our roaches can FLY!), beetles as big as Volkswagen Beetles, Spiders the size of fists that build webs as strong as soccer nets, ants the size of sand grains that have bites that feel like acid burns and colonies vast enough to pick up your refrigerator and march it out of the house, grasshoppers big enough to pass for farming machinery, the ironically named love bugs, which are some of the most hated and worthless bugs in Florida for their propensity to splat on windshields and land on white clothing where their tissue-paper-thin skin rips open if you try to brush them away, leaving you with a polka-dotted shirt, white-footed ants that eat electric wiring (that's not an exxageration!), and cicadas that fill the trees and crank out a noise that could drown out a rock concert (and our cicadas don't sleep in the ground for 7 years then come out - they're 'annual' cicadas...here every year for your listening pleasure!).

In fact, it's rather shocking that you don't have thousands more encounters at Disney World. But it is Florida, and you WILL have encounters. The good news is that nearly every one of your encounters with animals or insects in Florida will be of no harm to you, and most will leave the animal more frightened than you were.

Add otters to your list. We saw one on Saturday climbing out of the front pond at SSR. Our DVC van driver said they are all tagged and monitored by Disney.

 

[janni518]

And let's not forget skunks!

On our last trip (5/08) one night a skunk sprayed over by SAB. I would love to know how they got rid of the smell. There was just a very faint odor by the morning when we got down there.

Never have that kind of result when my dog gets hit.