I might have asked this before, so if I did, my apologies ......... do rattlesnakes really hang out in backyards?

[Ponderosa]

You are more likely to find them in your garage or around the front of the house than in the back yard (block walls).

[shadow91]

Fountain hills has rattlesnakes and the vets there recommend that your dog get the rattlesnake vaccine which is yearly.

[NCN]

Snakes do not like loud noises, so put a loud musical tape in a boom box on your patio and maybe it will bring them out of hiding. Hardware stores have anti-snake things to spread around. Don't remember the name of it, but I have seen it in Lowe's.

A good way to catch snakes on walks and driveways is to put down two-sided tape. When they crawl over it they will get tangled up and you can kill them. The baby snakes are the most dangerous because they have not learned how to control the amount of poison they inject into a victim.

[PoppySead]

Make sure you put some screen on the vent hole to the garage. Don't leave your garage door open all day. Also, prune low lying bushes about 3 inches off the ground, they want to hide, make it difficult and they will move on to your neighbors. lol

[observer53]

And, all these hints ONLY apply if you are not in an established neighborhood with your home surrounded by other homes, not adjacent to the urban mountain areas or open desert.

[oldtrader]

Don't think there are only rattle snakes in Arizona. There are 32 different types of rattlesnakes. Every one of the lower 48 states has one or more varieties of rattlesnake. The rattlesnake is found from along the coast at sea level, to inland prairies and desert areas, and all the way to mountains at elevations of more than 10,000 feet.

As a small child we came home from a shopping trip to Hayfork California (near Redding) and found a rattle snake curled up on a coffee table in our living room, having entered through a dog door. My family did not call to have the snake taken away, but my dad did quickly dispatch it.

Years ago when we lived in Loveland Co, the firemen came back from a fire run, and found a big one curled up in their lounge sunning in front of a widow right in the middle of the city.

You may not see one, but they are around no matter where you live.

This is why I say if you want to have a back yard snake proof for children, you need a solid fence such as block and you have to make sure there is no crack under the gate etc.

[jennebediah]

Elizabeth,

It depends on your location.

I spent 8.5 years in Phoenix (Glendale, Scottsdale, Mesa) and never ever saw a rattler. Thank god.

You could definitely see them if you are in any kind of rural area, or any kind of NEW housing development on the outskirts.

I had a friend who took his dog to training and one of the lessons was to detect rattlesnakes and alert humans to the presence of a rattler. As far as I know, the poor pup never needed that particular training

Living in a rural or new development area, people tend to see more of the wildlife - scorpions, rattlesnakes, coyotes, etc - so something to consider in choosing a home.

Good luck, Jenny

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by NCN

Snakes do not like loud noises, so put a loud musical tape in a boom box on your patio and maybe it will bring them out of hiding. Hardware stores have anti-snake things to spread around. Don't remember the name of it, but I have seen it in Lowe's.

A good way to catch snakes on walks and driveways is to put down two-sided tape. When they crawl over it they will get tangled up and you can kill them. The baby snakes are the most dangerous because they have not learned how to control the amount of poison they inject into a victim.

Rattlesnakes are deaf as a post and are not going to hear the music. They are very sensitive to vibrations in the ground though, so stomping and kicking rocks etc while hiking will make them scatter (unless they don't feel like it).

[Zonie5]

i live out in the country and even i very seldom see snakes of any kind . though last week i did spot a new snake that has taken up residence in my back yard . it is a 6 foot long King snake and it is welcome to stay and dine on rodents that infest the woodedarea around my house .

[Zathras]

Our backyard has an iron fence around it, with a spacing of about 5 or 6 inches between bars, and we're in a somewhat 'deserty' area.

We had a rattler on our porch about a year ago. Called the FHFD and they came and took care of it.

We also had a bobcat come thru it once. So this winter I bought a few rolls of 2 foot mesh (1/2" squares) aka 'hardware cloth' from home depot and attached it to the bottom of the fence. It's barely visible and seems like it should help keep the critters away.

That's the only rattler we've seen on our property, although we have seen 2 kingsnakes and a longnose snake. One of the kingsnakes was in our courtyard being stalked by a roadrunner. That was pretty cool.