We are interested in hearing from those in the know. We will be heading south west this winter and are curious to know what awaits us in the small grass, sand, and gravel of the plains away from the crowds.

I have walked the desert a lot in Dec, Jan, Feb and March. Mostly in AZ around Phoenix, Bullhead City and Quartzsite. I try to hike 3 to 4 miles a day. I have never seen a snake. Just birds, mice etc. I do know there are some around that time of year but not many. I have seen plenty of snakes in Co and WY in the summer. I like the break in AZ in the winter. Enjoy!

Juggernaut,

I am assuming that you are talking about NM, AZ area. We've spent the past 5 winters there, and it's great. There's not many critters to watch for in the winter. On warm days, if you pick up a rock or something that's been laying on the ground, look underneath for scorpions and black widow spiders. Also, on the warm sunshine days, watch out for rattlesnakes. They typically are not at all agressive in the winter, but still are something to reckon with. This past January, I hit one with the coil of my metal detector, but he didn't try to bite. He was still sluggish from the cold, and just wanted to escape. Of course, about all the vegetation has thorns to avoid, especially the cholla cactus.
Lots of public land to roam on and we think it's a great place. If you go through Tucson, I highly recommend that you go to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum for at least a day. You will learn more about the desert there than anywhere else, and gain a whole new appreciation for it.

Mike

thanks for the input folks.

I would be more worried about getting Valley Fever, than coping with the critters. Penny, TX

In warm weather watch out for the agressive green rattlesnake in AZ.

Here are some critters from the Sonoran Desert, around Sierra Vista, AZ.

Critters

quote:

Originally posted by Penny,TX:
I would be more worried about getting Valley Fever, than coping with the critters. Penny, TX

I agree 100%! Our dog, who was born and raised in Arizona, has Valley Fever.

The bad part is that if you're a snowbird and your dog contracts VF while in the Southwest during the winter, none of the vets in the north know anything about the disease.

Maxx came down with what we now know were symptoms of VF in 2006, but we were in the Pacific Northwest when they started. He wasn't diagnosed with VF until we spent two weeks at the SKP park in Sutherlin and went to the local vet. During surgery to drain a couple of abscesses, they sent off a tissue sample to a place in Colorado. It wasn't until that time, about 3 months after the onset of symptoms, that we knew what was wrong with him.

Fortunately, while he still has the VF spoors in his blood system, he's doing well. He'll probably have to be on VF medication the rest of his life, though.

Linda, Thank you so much for telling us this. I had no idea that animals could get it also. But, it makes sense as it is a respiratory disease, and they breathe too.
I do hope that your dog doesn't have long term effects from it. I suppose he got it from digging around in the dirt ?
Thank goodness that you didn't get Valley Fever, too. Happy Trails, Penny, TX

Okay, I ignorant. What the hell is Valley Fever? Where in AZ might we or our animals contract it? Is it airborne? What are the symptoms?

I have a Canadian friend who's husband contracted it. For a long time they thought it was just bronchitis/pneumonia before he was finally diagnosed correctly and put on the proper medication.

Just put Valley Fever into Google and you'll find a ton of information but the basics are here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/valley-fever/DS00695

I did a quick search for Valley Fever:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccidioidomycosis

Google it, you will find out all sorts of things. Penny, TC