Animals in Suburb
By dreamertink
@dfollin (26863)
United States
October 23, 2025 11:08pm CST
I live in a suburban area in Virginia. And as a child and a teenager I don't remember seeing many wild type animals in our neighborhoods. Besides squirrels, birds and stray cats.
However as an adult we lived in a mobile home park that was off the major highway. We smelled skunks and there was a huge groundhog that had apparently been there for years! Many deer in the area too. We moved up the road about 2 miles to a house in a development where there were always a lot of wild critters coming in the yard, deer, fox, racoons, rabbits and other's.
Then we moved up the road about two miles and there was a fox there that had apparently been in that area that was in a built up area. On a major highway, next to a large housing development, across from a shopping mall, more apartments, condos and townhouses.
Again we moved a bit farther out but still in the suburbs and I posted a discussion on myLot about two weeks ago of some deer I saw outback. Many times we see lizards and iguana's. And unfortunatley a few snakes!
The other day my granddaughter and I were watching the squirrels in the trees in the woods behind our apartment and running around in the grassy area in between our building and the trees when all of the sudden there was a fox! But I wasn't fast enough to get a picture also because the fox was moving quickly!
I suppose thru those years that I was a kid and teenager so much progress has happened that the animals have no place to go
Is it that way in your area?
The other day my granddaughter and I were watching the squirrels in the trees in the woods behind our apartment and running around in the grassy area in between our building and the trees when all of the sudden there was a fox! But I wasn't fast enough to get a picture also because the fox was moving quickly!
I suppose thru those years that I was a kid and teenager so much progress has happened that the animals have no place to go
Is it that way in your area?13 people like this
15 responses
@aninditasen (17873)
• Raurkela, India
24 Oct
In my city people are clearing forest and building houses and therefore cats, dogs and especially elephants have started coming close to human habitat.
1 person likes this
@dfollin (26863)
• United States
24 Oct
ELEPHANTS!!!!!!!? I only thought they were in open area's like deserts or such. Here we only see them in the zoo or circus. If I walked out my front door and saw an elephant I would freak! Cat's and dogs live in the woods too? Here they are pets. There are cats that are outdoor cats that are mostly abandoned or born by abandoned cat's.
1 person likes this
@aninditasen (17873)
• Raurkela, India
25 Oct
@dfollin The area I stay has a lot of snakes in the area under the forest department.
1 person likes this
@dfollin (26863)
• United States
25 Oct
@aninditasen I have seen a few here, not a fan of snakes. My mom is especially HORRIFIED by even a picture of a snake.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (199800)
• United States
25 Oct
When I lived in Fairfax County many years ago now..our development owned a large parT of maybe a 40 acre woods. That area was an urban oasis with so much wildlife compressed into it, plus a large flowing stream. You couldn't walk back there without seeing some.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (182948)
• Boise, Idaho
25 Oct
It must be nice to live in an area where you can see some wild animals. Then there are the finicky types.....
So much outer land from main towns is being built up into housing developments. Some finicky people are up in arms over animals coming on their property and killing their pets. Well, hello. I think these folks need to realize what is going on. You'd think they would love seeing a wild animal or too. It's not that hard to keep your animals safe too and if they want to live in a city go move to the city..
1 person likes this
@dfollin (26863)
• United States
27 Oct
I know! This one apartment complex that I lived at about 26 years ago got mad at me for throwing nuts out for the squirrels ! She told me that was their property and not the squirrels. I told her, "Bull! they were here before any of us were.!"
The apartment that my mom is at they are not allowed to feed the squirrels there either!
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (182948)
• Boise, Idaho
28 Oct
@dfollin .......How ridiculous and good for you.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (163263)
• United States
24 Oct
A few years ago Pretty and I moved from the center of our small city to the outskirts of the same city. This house was built in the 1940s and has a large back yard that backs onto a small forest with a ravine along the back side of the forest. (The ravine ends in one direction in a larger forest and in the other direction the ravine keeps going out to an overgrown area that used to be mines for nickel and lead. Those mines are all flooded and that area is blocked off and posted by the city.) We often see wild animals come up out of the ravine and eat grass in our back yard.
We watch squirrels, birds, skunks, raccoons and a couple of times, deer in our back yard. I've tried taking pictures but the screens over the kitchen window make pictures blurry when I can get something besides a picture of the window screens themselves.
All the animals run away if they see us in the windows or going out into the yard.
1 person likes this
@dfollin (26863)
• United States
24 Oct
Yeah when the deer saw me they would stand frozen starring at me. In our windows have screens in the bottom part, but not the top. So I took some pictures there after I realized I goofed and took pictures thru the screen, so they weren't very visable! LOL1
1 person likes this
@dfollin (26863)
• United States
25 Oct
@DaddyEvil This one deer was just starring at me that day. I have found that a lot when I have ever seen deer.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (163263)
• United States
25 Oct
@dfollin Deer there are more trusting. They ran here if they see movement behind the windows.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (207793)
• United States
24 Oct
We have deer, fox, possums, woodchucks, squirrels, turkeys, etc. There are occasional sightings of black bears.
1 person likes this
@dfollin (26863)
• United States
25 Oct
@LindaOHio Why did they surround your car?
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (207793)
• United States
25 Oct
@dfollin Yes. One day my SIL and I were going to see my husband. There were about a dozen wild turkeys in someone's front yard. So cool. When hubby and I went to Erie PA several years ago about 10 turkey hens surrounded the car.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (166718)
• United States
24 Oct
Our area is rural enough we see lots of all kinds of animals. It adds to the day. Fox, possum, squirrel, coyote, bob cat, armadillo, deer and probably other things as well. All kinds of birds.
1 person likes this
@dfollin (26863)
• United States
24 Oct
In some ways you are lucky and in some ways your not. I would not like to walk out my door and see a bobcat!
@dfollin (26863)
• United States
24 Oct
I have mentioned that to people before and they get mad at me for being concerned.
@RasmaSandra (91657)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
24 Oct
How interesting i would love to see a fox, I have an opposum that comes to eat leftovers at night,
1 person likes this
@dfollin (26863)
• United States
25 Oct
When I was a child we had several outdoor cats and when we gave them food, usually tuna and milk and water. My grandfather had to get a flood light and put it on the house to keep the possum's from chasing the cats away and steeling their food.
When I can get a picture or video of the fox I will post it or send it to you.
1 person likes this
@dfollin (26863)
• United States
24 Oct
Yeah! I guess they don't have much of a choice anymore because of so much progress happening. I was told that foxes run from humans because they are afraid of them, but then I was told by the same person during the same conversation that one attacked a woman and son in this county. But I cannot seen to find that in any news so far.
1 person likes this
@Traceyjayne (6724)
• United Kingdom
24 Oct
Way …you have seen so many animals close to your houses.
Here we only really get squirrels, hedgehogs, foxes, rabbits and in some places deer.
@arunima25 (92702)
• Bangalore, India
24 Oct
We don't spot any wild animals here except for stray cats, dogs, occasionally snakes and some yucky disgusting rodents. We do get monkeys visiting us frequently Few years back during lock down time, we had news of leopards spotted at various places in the city. And even now we hear such news some times. We have invaded all the natural habitats of these creatures.
@Namaco21 (301)
•
24 Oct
It’s the same in my area too. As more land gets developed, animals are losing their natural habitats, so they’re moving closer to where people live. It’s kind of amazing to see deer, foxes, and raccoons in suburban yards — but also sad, because it shows how much nature has been pushed out.
1 person likes this
@jefferson126 (3667)
• Shenzhen, China
24 Oct
I like living in suburb with little wild animals except snake,i am scared of snakes.you are happy living in suburb.
