Rattlesnakes and other venomous species (Oro Valley, Chino Valley: house, bathroom, winters)

[drwnorth]

Originally Posted by Mindygazzara

Do the snakes hang around where the cattle/antelope etc roam? or do they live in rock/canyon (mountains) area?

One of the mysteries about rattlers is why a specific area or generalized region may have a lot, and right next door, so to speak, there are few.

If ranch property is very near or at the base of mountains or rough terrain, there can be rattlers but you won't find many crossing large spaces of open ground.

Rattler territories can shift or move around but typically tend to be found historically in specific mini regions. Consult with locals, its easy to find out how your property figures in to the "haves or have nots"?

[Stumblina]

Would it be safe to say that the closer you are to a city, the less likely you'll run into rattlers (or any other kind of snake for that matter)? I'm guessing you don't see rattlesnakes in downtown Phoenix.

Speaking of "other snakes" - I know there are other poisonous snakes in AZ besides rattlers. And since they don't rattle, I guess they don't let you know when your "getting too close." So, any suggestions on what to do to avoid the "silent" snakes?

[drwnorth]

Very safe to say you won't meet a rattler in downtown Phoenix unless it was planted. On the other hand, a more common point of problem when a problem does rarely occur is stepping out your front door and having a snake beating the heat in the shadow of your front step. This more likely to occur if at all in rural Phoenix.

If you're in a "have" area you may wish to avoid crawling around under your home making additions or repairs until after clearing the area of the threat.

"Other" venomous snakes are even rarer! I've heard there has never been a death in AZ attributed to the coral and sightings of these extremely rare.

Only other one I know of to pose a threat is the 'Sidewinder' which is just another rattler, looks nearly identical, and its habit functions the same.

[drwnorth]

Regarding your property, rattlers are non-conflict creatures, once you move into an area they pretty much tend to avoid contact and go away.

Few will believe this I guess but once had a job "shaking down" a rather heavily rattler infested land development so the developer and realtors could come in to promote the sites with less threat.

[Stumblina]

Originally Posted by drwnorth

Very safe to say you won't meet a rattler in downtown Phoenix unless it was planted. On the other hand, a more common point of problem when a problem does rarely occur is stepping out your front door and having a snake beating the heat in the shadow of your front step. This more likely to occur if at all in rural Phoenix.

If you're in a "have" area you may wish to avoid crawling around under your home making additions or repairs until after clearing the area of the threat.

"Other" venomous snakes are even rarer! I've heard there has never been a death in AZ attributed to the coral and sightings of these extremely rare.

Only other one I know of to pose a threat is the 'Sidewinder' which is just another rattler, looks nearly identical, and its habit functions the same.

I thought I had read a post from Steve-O saying there were lots of different kinds of poisonous snakes ... but I may be mistaken as he writes so much about so many creepy crawly things I can't keep most of it straight in my head! (He is very informative). Anyway, I would NEVER be crawling under my house for any reason, so I guess that's one thing I don't have to worry about! On the other hand, I do like to garden - but guess I may have to hire someone to do that instead!!

Oh yeah - is it true that in monsoon season when you get flash floods that lots of snakes end up being swept into dry washes and kind of hang out there for a while?

These may seem like silly questions to AZ natives - but I'm in Michigan planning on moving to AZ shortly (hopefully) and I want to be as informed as I can possibly be about any dangers that I may come across some day!

[drwnorth]

When you cross a street, do you look left and right?

Simple analogy which can be applied to threats anyplace, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and more western regions, both desert and other, rural or not and the list could go on and on and on....

Do so and you'll be fine, enjoy your gardening and hire someone just to till and pull weeds.

I love Chicago but insofar as "creepy crawler things" I'm much safer in open spaces of the deserts West than any hotel in the city.

[Gretchen B]

I've been hearing that this is a really bad year for snakes. A friend of mine had two of her dogs bitten by rattlers this year. What would make this year worse than other years for rattlesnakes?

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

I've been hearing that this is a really bad year for snakes. A friend of mine had two of her dogs bitten by rattlers this year. What would make this year worse than other years for rattlesnakes?

Nothing really, just more human inhabitants. Expect to see more and more and more bites simply because of the # of people moving to the Valley and other areas in AZ.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Nothing really, just more human inhabitants. Expect to see more and more and more bites simply because of the # of people moving to the Valley and other areas in AZ.

This particular area is a rural area that hasn't changed substantially in the past 5+ years. The owner has lived on the same 2-acre property for over 30 years. They say they've seen more rattlesnakes this year than at any other year since they've lived there.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

This particular area is a rural area that hasn't changed substantially in the past 5+ years. The owner has lived on the same 2-acre property for over 30 years. They say they've seen more rattlesnakes this year than at any other year since they've lived there.

Welll, after you have 2 dogs get bit, youre gonna be more aware of them, which could make their numbers seem higher, even though theyre probably not. This goes back to what Ive said all along... that people who claim theyve "never seen a scorpion or rattlesnake" just havent bothered looking. Its the ones whove been stung/bit who go over things with a fine-toothed comb and are startled to reveal just how many scorpions/snakes/etc were around them all along. Those critters dont want anything to do with humans and are VERY cryptic, meaning you could literally stand a few inches from one and not see it. I have a trained eye when it comes to looking for snakes/scorpions/etc, and I still have a hard time seeing them. Ive had family in AZ swear they dont have scorpions, etc, on their property, and Ill go out and come back in a short time with many of them. If you live in rural (and many times urban, too) Arizona, youre gonna have snakes and scorpions at one time or another, regardless of what you think. And sometimes, sadly, it takes a bite or a sting to turn peoples' ignorance into reality.