Rattlesnakes and other venomous species (Scottsdale: work, adult, bank)

[esselcue]

Hi, Gretchen;

I live in Chino Valley and I have seen more king snakes and garden snakes this year than ever before in my 23 years here! Also far more toads and lizards. My sister, who lives half a mile from me, says the same thing. Could have to do with climate or the semi-wet winter or just the natural seasonal changes...I don't know...but I have definitely had WAY more reptiles this year. No rattlers though, thankfully...but the King Snakes tend to keep the rattlers away. However, I love the reptiles so for me, this is a great thing!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by esselcue

Hi, Gretchen;

I live in Chino Valley and I have seen more king snakes and garden snakes this year than ever before in my 23 years here! Also far more toads and lizards. My sister, who lives half a mile from me, says the same thing. Could have to do with climate or the semi-wet winter or just the natural seasonal changes...I don't know...but I have definitely had WAY more reptiles this year. No rattlers though, thankfully...but the King Snakes tend to keep the rattlers away. However, I love the reptiles so for me, this is a great thing!

Awesome! What color are the kingsnakes? I keep a few as pets and adore them.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by esselcue

Hi, Gretchen;

I live in Chino Valley and I have seen more king snakes and garden snakes this year than ever before in my 23 years here! Also far more toads and lizards. My sister, who lives half a mile from me, says the same thing. Could have to do with climate or the semi-wet winter or just the natural seasonal changes...I don't know...but I have definitely had WAY more reptiles this year. No rattlers though, thankfully...but the King Snakes tend to keep the rattlers away. However, I love the reptiles so for me, this is a great thing!

Hi esselcue - I live out in the Dewey area. It seems like we have more of the little lizards this year, and I just killed a scorpion in my bathroom last night! I hadn't seen any of those for a couple of years. Guess I'd better go find that thread about how to keep scorpions away. And I saw a king snake in the road out here in the Country Club, which I only saw one garden snake all of last year.

I, too, was thinking that maybe the wet winter or the relatively mild winters of the past several years had something to do with an increase in "critters", but it probably is just what Steve-O was saying - that we're more aware of them once we start noticing them. After my friend told me about her dogs getting bit by rattlers, I definitely kept an eye to the ground when I took my walk last night. (I've never seen one in the 6+ years we've been here - I hope it's not just because I haven't been noticing!)

[esselcue]

The Kings we have are black and yellow or whitish yellow. Beautiful creatures. Most are babies or quite young but several years ago I measured a six foot long King crawling through the grass! He/she was gorgeous!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

I definitely kept an eye to the ground when I took my walk last night. (I've never seen one in the 6+ years we've been here - I hope it's not just because I haven't been noticing!)

Here is a good example... taken in Oro Valley, AZ. And this is one of the easy ones to spot!
VenomousReptiles.org Libraries

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Here is a good example... taken in Oro Valley, AZ. And this is one of the easy ones to spot!
VenomousReptiles.org Libraries

Sly (or shy) little devils, aren't they? I had a coiled rattlesnake right outside my front door in Black Canyon City, making noise. I thought it was a plugged nozzle on the drip system. I was looking right at the snake and it took a few seconds before my eyes actually saw the snake and I screamed and jumped back in the house and called the Fire Department who came out but couldn't find the snake. I was paranoid from that point of on the whole time we lived down there (which was only a year). I saw at least 2 or 3 more right in the immediate area of our home. A friend of mine tried to console me, telling me that they only had two get in their house in the 7 years they lived there. No thanks!!!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

Sly (or shy) little devils, aren't they? I had a coiled rattlesnake right outside my front door in Black Canyon City, making noise. I thought it was a plugged nozzle on the drip system. I was looking right at the snake and it took a few seconds before my eyes actually saw the snake and I screamed and jumped back in the house and called the Fire Department who came out but couldn't find the snake. I was paranoid from that point of on the whole time we lived down there (which was only a year). I saw at least 2 or 3 more right in the immediate area of our home. A friend of mine tried to console me, telling me that they only had two get in their house in the 7 years they lived there. No thanks!!!

Wow. As big of a fan of snakes as I am, Id probably still get spooked knowing that one was in my house.

Find the snake in this one!




Gotta love those who say "I hike all the time and dont see snakes". Gee, I wonder why.

[drwnorth]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Actually, most snake bites occur to young, drunk males who want to prove their machismo and try and handle rattlesnakes and end up getting bit.

More B.S. Bigtime TOTAL B.S.!!

Most bites occur to un-observing, dis-concerned, unaware types.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by drwnorth

More B.S. Bigtime TOTAL B.S.!!

Most bites occur to un-observing, dis-concerned, unaware types.

The only person around here spewing BS is YOU. Until you know the facts, I suggest you talk elsewhere.

"Approximately 75% of all snakebites occur in people aged between 19 and 30 years, 1 - 2% percent occur in women, and less than 1 % occur in blacks. Approximately 40% of all snakebites occur in people who are handling or playing with snakes, and 40% of all people bitten had a blood alcohol level of greater than 0.1%. Sixty-five percent of snakebites occur on the hand or fingers (duh!), 24 percent on the foot or ankle, and 11 percent elsewhere.

So it seems that being a young man who gets drunk and messes about with venomous snakes is highly correlated to being bitten."
City of Boulder, Colorado -- Official Web Site - OSMP - Hazards for Visitors

[drwnorth]

According to recent studies, 95% of what you hear from the likes of Steve-O is B.S.