Chat Alligator in My Backyard Today

[mufasa]

Ah, the joys of living in Florida! Had this visitor in my backyard today; we caught him and brought him to a more suitable habitat:



I'm just glad we found him before the dog did or I suspect someone would be getting some stitches on his muzzle.

 

[AmberCalzone]

He looks so small! I don't know much at all about gators, but I thought they stayed near mom for a while for some reason. Could that mean that mom + siblings are possibly near your home too? Or is he already big enough to be on his own?

 

[Rywen]

He's pretty cute, glad you were able to relocate him before any encounters happened.

 

[Einstein]

He looks so small! I don't know much at all about gators, but I thought they stayed near mom for a while for some reason. Could that mean that mom + siblings are possibly near your home too? Or is he already big enough to be on his own?

They do stay with them but not for long. This one is old enough to be on his own.

What's really cool is that they're known to use tools! They'll put sticks on their heads to attract nesting birds who want them.

 

[mufasa]

We live within a couple blocks of two lakes, but our house is just off a four-lane road, so I'm glad he headed to the backyard (walled-in) and not the front (could have easily made it into the street). I checked carefully for a mom, but he was all alone. He looked big enough to be out on his own, although I wondered if a mom would pop up when he raised a loud ruckus about being caught. He swam off readily when we brought him to the lake, so I think he'll be fine.
@Kelsie I was a lot more leery of gators when we first moved here. Now I see them all the time in the water or sunning on the shore when I walk my dog (on a SHORT leash) around the lakes. I did freak out when we had a huge rattlesnake in the front yard a few months ago, though.

 

[mufasa]

Just found a pic of the rattlesnake. I was most definitely scared when I found him hanging out alongside my front porch! I'm in a subdivision, not a rural area, but we have so much wetland around here that there are lots of wildlife habitats around the homes almost everywhere:

 

[Princess_Piggie]

I used to holiday in Orlando regularly and never came across a gator! We're going again in 2016 so I'm kind of hoping to see one just for the novelty of it

 

[CritterSlave]

Aww cute little baby gator!

 

[lunarminx]

I lived in Florida for 3 years, North Port, down from Sarasota. We had so called water front property, a canal running down the back of the property. Lots of snakes, even in the lanai, as the tiny lizards disappeared I knew more were around. Sometimes the dogs refused to get off the cement porch connected to the lanai and went to the bathroom right there. Boo fought many snakes, still jumps at sticks at night. North Port Library had gators, I remember a woman had her little girl throwing bread to one of them. You know she was a transplant. I miss Florida, I will trade the snow and ice for the gators and snakes( we have snakes here) any day. If I ever move, I'd have to steal my grandson.

 

[PumpkinJuly]

I went to Florida for vacation twice and it was the most fun I've had. Beautiful state. Would love to grow up near more rural areas. I love looking around places like that. But of course I'm in a sucky suburb with sidewalks and the occasional tree.

 

[AmberCalzone]

I went to Florida twice. I was very small the first time, so I don't have too much memory of it. But the second time I went I definitely saw gators. Funnily enough (or, not so funny really, kind of sad) they were in the amusement park waters. I remember seeing a baby just sitting in a small man-made pool of water in one of the parks. In another park same trip, there was a roller coaster that went upside down over a body of water, and there were gators in that water too (which was terrifying for me, seeing gators while hanging upside down over the water!). I'm thinking there just must not have been many places for them to be at that point in time :/ That was about 6 or 7 years ago now.