rattlesnakes in colorado?? (Colorado Springs, Canon City, Monument: neighborhood, living in, safety)

[mes3fils]

check out this short article.......

Tiny dog saves baby from rattlesnake - Yahoo! News (broken link)

I don't know about living where there are rattlesnakes!!! I have 2 small boys...under the age of 3.

[bproven]

The setting for this article is in Masonville, CO which is about 10-15 miles West of Ft Collins in the foothills. Its a very rural area and yes rattlesnakes DO live on the plains and in the foothills - I've seen 1 or 2 on trails at lower elevations (below 8000 feet or so). If you plan to live in a rural area (such as Masonville), you can expect to see rattlesnakes occasionally as well as foxes, mountain lions, deer and other wildlife - its part of rural living. I live in the city limits of Ft Collins and have never seen a rattlesnake (not to say they dont live here- they might) I have just not seen them. Where do you live now? Unless it was a large city, chances are there were venomous snakes around and you didnt even know it.

[vfrpilot]

WOW- "Little bitty dog" saves the boy. The story just flashed before me on MSNBC. That was a great story. We used to have a chiquaqua(sp?) and those are some fiesty little critters. I think you'll find snakes all over the southwest, although I haven't heard of any sightings around Monument. We used to live in SoCal and AZ, and saw first hand many snakes, some were rattler's. Folks who have lived here longer can probably tell you more about the snake population.

I don't know about living where there are rattlesnakes!!! I have 2 small boys...under the age of 3

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Doesn't FL have rattle snakes and gators. Seems like there have been stories about kids and pets being attacked.

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by bproven

The setting for this article is in Masonville, CO which is about 10-15 miles West of Ft Collins in the foothills. Its a very rural area and yes rattlesnakes DO live on the plains and in the foothills - I've seen 1 or 2 on trails at lower elevations (below 8000 feet or so). If you plan to live in a rural area (such as Masonville), you can expect to see rattlesnakes occasionally as well as foxes, mountain lions, deer and other wildlife - its part of rural living. I live in the city limits of Ft Collins and have never seen a rattlesnake (not to say they dont live here- they might) I have just not seen them. Where do you live now? Unless it was a large city, chances are there were venomous snakes around and you didnt even know it.

True, but should you go where rattlesnakes are, it really is no big deal. I would rather live with rattlers than other venomous snakes. They really want to be left alone and they at least usually warn you and they don't fall out of trees. I lived on prarie land until I was almost 7, as many other kids. My Grand kids live where there are rattlers and they are now 4 and 9. A deterrent, keep a line of lime around and area, they will not cross. Seen it work for other snakes too. Anyway,You don't hear much about anyone getting bit. A dog usually will take on a snake or at least let you know they are there. That article is nothing unusual for a dog to do. My dog used to shake any snake to little pieces.

You seldom see them but there is a rattler that lives at higher elevations. We call them Timber Rattlers. Don't know if they have some other name or not.

It is easy to be paranoid about something you are not used to being around. Mine is snakes that fall out of trees

[jazzlover]

Rattlesnakes can be found in most areas of Colorado below 7,000-8,000 feet elevation. They are relatively common, as others have posted, in the Eastern Slope foothills. Unless they have young or are shedding their skins, they tend to avoid confrontation with humans. Of course, it is possible to run onto one, especially if you are hiking around in their habitat. It is important to realize that they perform an important function, as they eat a lot of rodents. A rattlesnake should never be killed, in my opinion, unless it is directly threatening a person.

There are very, very few rattlesnake bites in Colorado in any given year--and fatalities from bites are very uncommon in Colorado. On the other hand, infection from hantavirus from rodents (the rattlesnake's prey) are much more common in Colorado--with some fatalities.

Truth is, the biggest threat to your safety in Colorado is the same as anywhere else: other humans. As for animals, the biggest thing I would worry about is West Nile virus carried by mosquitoes. I know three people personally who have been infected by West Nile (2 in Wyoming, one in Colorado), one of whom died from complications from the infection. Though it seldom is fatal, tick fever is no fun, either. I have a known a number of people in Colorado over the years who got to "enjoy" that.

As to snakes, lions, coyotes, foxes, bears, etc., I don't worry much about them being a threat--so long as I don't do something stupid or threaten them. Besides, they were here first.

[mes3fils]

Florida has gators yes, but they don't hang around in my neighborhood! Where my children can get attacked by them. An occasional snake can be seen but they are the harmless type, and non-venomous.

We are considering moving to Co. in a few yrs. I won't let snakes deter me, I just would like to know and be 'informed'....so, no surprises. KWIM?

We are interested in the Co. Springs area actually. Any sightings there?

[MorningGlory]

My son was bit by a rattler when he was three in 2000. It was in Forsberg park near Red Rocks. Anywhere in the foothills you have to be very careful. We always used to have him in the baby backpack while hiking, and we would see snakes and thought it was kind of neat. Then my husband took our son and his new puppy to Forsberg dog park. There were a lot of prarie dog colonies, which should always be a huge heads-up, because thats what rattlesnakes love to eat. Sure enough my son stepped on one, was bitten twice, and ended up in ICU at Children's Hospital for 4 days. The doctors were using webMD and calling toxicologists in New York for help. It was terrifying to say the least. 20 vials of antivenin (and 60 grand had we been uninsured) later he was fine. Needless to say, avoid prarie dog colonies and keep your little ones close by. You are still more likely to get struck by lightning than bitten by a rattler.

Anywhere under about 8000 feet in Colorado there could be rattlers, but I have never heard of one in a developed area. Usually its open space parks, ranches, etc.

Even after what we went through they still dont scare me as much as alligators!

[COflower]

If you do a keyword search of "rattlesnakes" you can find 8 other posts about them and other wildlife in CO.

Been in CO my entire life (39 years next month) and have never encountered a rattlesnake. I've done my share of hiking and living in rattlesnake areas and either I am lucky or it's just really not as big a problem as others might state.

[High Altitude]

The biggest animal threat in CO is someone elses dog.

[jazzlover]

Around Colorado Springs is very good rattlesnake habitat. As I said earlier, just about anywhere in the Front Range foothills, they are relatively common. Some of the area around Canon City is particularly prime.