Rattlesnakes--various
species of snakes with bony tails which "rattle" when vigorously shook.
Biology
Cold blooded--they become less active in colder weather
Signs
Sightings--many times rattlesnakes are observed
Audible--once you hear the rattle noise, you won't forget it
Damage
Psychological--many people are deathly afraid of snakes, whether
venomous or not.
Venom--rattlesnakes can harm humans, livestock and pets through
their bites. Although a 1/3 of rattlesnake bites lack venom, the
puncture can introduce bacteria causing infection.
Exclusion: snakes don't gnaw into buildings.
They can only exploit an opening that is already present.
seal openings or use mesh fence of 1/4 inch;
install a fence barrier around an area you wish to keep
snake free. 3 ft. high 1/4 inch mesh fence buried to 3 inches; Click for
snake
barrier information.
Reduce snake friendly habitat:
mow or remove vegetation
remove debris, rock & woodpiles,
reduce rodent prey
Repellents
Several products are on the market. However, evidence supporting
their effectiveness has had mixed results.
Trapping
Several glue-based traps are on the market. These are very
effective in capturing snakes and allow for release as well.
Trapping is only effective if the weather is warm enough for snake
movement and if traps are properly located.
Live
capture noose trap Description: Used for jawed snakes. Design by W.E.
Howard. Large box traps are also used. Photo Credits: Dallas Virchow
Toxicants
None available
Shooting-Hunting
Indoors--if looking for a snake inside a structure, concentrate
attention around heat sources like the water heater, furnace,
refrigerator, freezer.
Outdoors--focus your search where snakes can hide, such as under
rock and wood piles, leaves, etc. Be sure to wear protect foot, leg
and handware.
Snake tongs can be very helpful when needing to handle snakes as
shown below.
Description: shows man holding snake within tongs at
distance Photo Credits: Wes Patrick
Poisonous
Snake Handling Equipment (Right image) Description: Shows gloves and snake tongs
used by Dave Purwin, NUWCO Photo Credits: DavePurwin, Desert
Wildlife Services, Inc.
Health and Safety with Rattlesnakes
Q. Is dried venom still dangerous?
A. If you injected enough dry venom into an animal it would give a
reaction. However dry venom is usually "stuck" to a surface/material.
Some venom components start to break down immediately in the air and
sunlight. Let's put it this way -- your risk is very small. However, err
on the safe side. Treat it as dangerous.
