Meet the Wild Critters
Many animals pass through Claire's Critters. Sometimes they stay awhile, sometimes they are just moving through.
Mice and Rats
Tonopah has no shortage of mice, they end up everyone due to the amount of chickens in the town. Generally, they leave the property alone and clean around the chicken coop overnight. There are no rodent traps on the property due to the inherit cruelty of them. Ultrasonic devices are used around the property to humanely deter mice. House mice are avid collectors and will steal garage items such as tools, screws, clothing, and anything else they can build their nests with. Roof rats are common in Tonopah and can get extremely large, up to 18 inches long!
Lizards, Geckos, and Skinks
Because of the many bugs on the property, there are many lizards roaming around as well. Arizona has a wide variety of lizards including desert spiny lizards, Great/Common Earless Lizard, and various skinks and geckos.
Sometimes the lizards end up in precarious situations such as in the chicken coop or inside the house. Gila monsters are also found around the property but are extremely rare to see. Gila monsters mainly live underground and rarely come out and like to hide deep in the mountain rocks. A Gila monster is venomous while the Chuckwalla, the desert iguana, is not.
Many wild lizards have bright coloring. This particular lizard is a kind of skink.
Sometimes lizards end up inside the house. This is a desert spiny lizard who was relocated safely outside again.
A Chuckwalla chilling on a nearby property. They are a type of desert iguana and are known for their beautiful coloring.
Many wild lizards have bright coloring. This particular lizard is a kind of skink.
They are attracted to water so they end up in and near water sources at the house.
They are highly toxic and have been known to cause death in dogs.
They are generally harmless outside of their toxicity and will avoid humans and other animals.
They are attracted to water so they end up in and near water sources at the house.
Amphibians
Sonoran Desert Toads are commonly found around the property in the summertime as they look for water sources. They have been known to soak in water dishes around the property. The dishes are emptied in the morning to avoid animals drinking from the same water during the day. These toads are highly toxic and secrete a foul-tasting poison to deter predators. Dogs have been known to eat or lick these toads and end up hospitalized due to toxicity poisoning. Overall though, they are mellow creatures and eat all sorts of insects, lizards, rodents, and sometimes even other toads!
Arachnids and Insects
There is no shortage of bugs in Tonopah and Claire's Critters. Butterflies, moths, centipedes and millipedes, spiders, mantises, grasshoppers, cicadas, and more are found around the property. Some critters are not so welcome such as scorpions and tarantula hawks, which has the second worst sting in the US (right behind the bullet ant!). Luckily most of these critters stay outside and are left alone unless they become a threat to anyone or anything on the property. Plenty of bees stop by and drink from the communal water dish in the spring and summertime. There are beehives in the mountains behind the property where the bees live in shelter from the weather and predators.
Many mantises hang on the wall and snatch up tasty bugs in the lights outside the house.
Jumping spiders are harmless and good removers of various pests.
Many moths roam the property as well as butterflies. Moths have wings on the side of their bodies while butterflies have them on top.
Many mantises hang on the wall and snatch up tasty bugs in the lights outside the house.
Squirrels, Rabbits and Gophers
There are several types of ground and tree squirrels that run around on the property. Squirrels are mainly diurnal creatures and do their hunting and foraging during the light of day. White stripe antelope tree squirrels and round-tailed ground squirrels are some of the most commonly found squirrels. There are oftentimes baby squirrels found on the property since the parents can easily find food and water in the area. As fast as squirrels are, they do become easy prey targets for animals such as snakes, large lizards, coyotes, hawks, and even feral dogs and cats in the area. There is plenty of shelter around the property to keep them safe from such predators.
Arizona Cottontail rabbits are found on the property in the early morning and early evening. They can get quite large and can sometimes rival a cat in sheer size. They are found eating bird seed, chicken crumble, and occasionally dry cat food. There is fighting among the males during certain seasons as they roam looking for females.
Despite popular belief, Arizona does not have moles. The pocket gopher however, is very commonly found in desert areas. They dig holes and peek out to determine if there are predators in the area. The gophers find nearby food (usually inside the chicken coops), and drag it back into their hidey hole. Due to the rarity of them being outside their holes, Claire's Critters has not managed to capture a photo of these elusive creatures quite yet.
A baby squirrel exploring its desert surroundings.
Arizona Cottontail rabbits are very commonly found around the property. They often hide under cars, trees, and other shady areas around the property.
Another squirrel examining what's offered today in the tasty outdoor food bowl.
A baby squirrel exploring its desert surroundings.
A beautiful California kingsnake that is known for its voracious appetite. Kingsnakes are known for eating other snakes too, even rattlesnakes!
A nonvenomous Long-Nosed Snake found on a wooden deck.
No, it's two different snakes! The domestic California kingsnake is inside the tank and is being compared to a wild-caught kingsnake found on the porch.
A beautiful California kingsnake that is known for its voracious appetite. Kingsnakes are known for eating other snakes too, even rattlesnakes!
Snakes
There are plenty of snakes on the property due to the amount of rodents in the area. Several common snakes are kingsnakes, long-nosed snakes, shovel-nosed snakes, gopher snakes, and even rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes up to 4 feet long have been found on the property due to them being attracted to the water. Rattlesnakes are relocated several miles down the road in a remote, lush area with water and no humans. All other snakes are left alone since they provide a benefit to the property with their feeding.
Birds
Claire's Critters have a large variety of birds ranging from small birds such as pigeons, wrens, sparrows, quail, doves, and even larger birds such as road runners, vultures, and hawks. Hawks are known to snatch up chickens from local farms while the vultures use their unique skill to clean up kills that other animals leave behind. The cactus wren builds nests in Saguaro cactuses and oftentimes damage them to the point where the cactus dies and falls over. Most of the birds get along but there is occasional fighting over shared prey and nest locations. There are trees on the property where many birds can safely build nests and keep them away from predators. Extra food, veggies, and seed that the chickens leave behind is given to the wild birds at night.
Two Rock pigeons found their way into a chicken coop. They stayed there a few days before moving on.
An Arizona Gilded Flicker takes a drink of nectar.
Sometimes the babies fall out of the nest and need to be relocated or re-released. This is likely either a young wren or a sparrow that was found in shock right outside a window.
Two Rock pigeons found their way into a chicken coop. They stayed there a few days before moving on.