Phoenix, my first suggestion is wait to move because think were he'll end up and actually ending up are much different. I only say this because I am in the Army. My question is, did a recruter tell you that he'd end up there? Take it from me, they my say one thing, but they CANNOT garuantee everything. And, can I ask what job field he is going into?
Also, as for Texas, FLEAS are HUGE there, so I fully suggest Frontline Plus. As for snakes, scorpions and spiders, and such. For anywhere you leave, keep grass cut short, don't have any debris hanging out (great hiding places for creepys). There are sprays out there that you can spray on laws for bugs, but must be careful to not allow pets in the area sprayed for at least 72hrs. What I did was spray the back yard, wait 72hrs before allowing pets into that area, basically take them into the front yard to use.