Snakes and Other Poisonous Beasties

Watch where you step, especially in the bush. Most snakes will scoot away, but some of the ornery ones expect you to go around. Always check your shoes before you put them on, especially if they've been outside. Never just stick your hand in a bag without looking first. I pulled a scorpion out of a backpack once. Luckily I screamed and threw it across the room before it stung me. We had one house where several snakes showed up inside the house. As a result of that, I am really mindful about snake food in the house. There's no way to get around lizards, but once upon a time when I saw a small frog, I would ignore it. However, after having snakes in the house, snake food, like frogs, must be removed immediately.
Snake bite care is good here because it happens. Any medical center can care for it. Scorpions here are not life threatening. It is painful. Ask a neighbor about the variety of home remedies for the pain. I don't think there are black widows here. There are tarantulas, but they're super shy. I think you'd have to try to get bitten by one.

Hi,

If you're going to reside in a single family home do not have thick landscaping, or leave piles of wood, leaves, or brush lying around. Keep the grass mowed and flowerbeds uncluttered. Don't have food sources near the house. Make sure the foundation isn't cracked, there are no holes in exterior walls, and there aren't gaps around or under windows and doors. Screens are a must. Snake proof fencing works but, isn't the best in appearance but, it may be necessary around areas where children and small pets play. Any elevated deck areas need fencing to prevent pests from hiding underneath them. Run a mower or tiller if you have noticed snakes on the property. The vibrations usually run them off.
If you plan on hiking never go without a trekking pole. Bouncing it on the ground or tapping rocks causes the vibrations to scare them away. Stay on cleared trails. Don't be picking up wood or rocks as they like to hide under them. If you need to lean on something, look first. Snakes are cold blooded and are most active when the weather is warm. They get into the sunlight to warm up and move to less sunny places to cool down. Then they do it all over again.
The list of dangerous land creatures in Belize is  black widow spiders, brown recluse spider, bullet ant, coral snake, eyelash palm pit viper, Fer-de-Lance snake, Jumping pit viper, Mayan coral snake, Mexican cantil snake, Neotropical rattlesnake, hognosed pit viper, dart frog, bats, bees, wasps, hornets, centipedes, millipedes, scorpions. It's a tropical country but, you will encounter few of these creatures depending upon where you decide to reside. The closer to the coast, and the less jungle, the less you will encounter. It's all about knowing your environment. It's safer in Belize jungles than it is in east Chicago after dark.

Excellent list and advice. I didn't know we had black widows. Not all bats are dangerous, just the vampire bats. If you get a close look, they have very different faces than the fruit or insect ones. Those jumping vipers are about the scariest thing on earth to me.

About the bats if there are non vampire bats of any kind near by, your mossie problem dissapears. We have  many Bats in the trees round our place and have little to no mosquitos. We had them in the first house roof but we called a 'Bat' man who does not poison/kill the bats, he removed them, and releasing them  closer to the river and batproofed the eaves (did not know to ask the first builder to do that) The bats are not a big problem in the roof but the Guano can be Toxic and left long enough can stain through and collapse a false roof. We still see bats and hear them after dusk but not in the houses.
Have seen Snakes in the long grasslands, always running away from us after being disturbed by the dogs. We keep grass short around the houses, not seen any close to the houses.
If some one has a surefire way to get rid of cane toads, in particular and frogs in general, I would be eternally grateful. Despite what Paul MaCartney thinks the frog chorus  is never a good sound.

Does anyone know if that is the way it is on Ambergris Caye?

About the wildest animal you'd see on Ambergis Caye is a raccoon.

terrific wrote:

If some one has a surefire way to get rid of cane toads, in particular and frogs in general, I would be eternally grateful. Despite what Paul MaCartney thinks the frog chorus  is never a good sound.

Sometimes the frogs are so loud here we have to yell to hear each other.

Great feedback! Thank you everyone!