What happens to the snakes you capture?

We give them a drink of water and let them go immediately. Studies show that the snakes have the greatest chance for survival after being captured if released nearby. Doing so lets them plug back into a familiar home range. In most cases, snakes encountered at homes are there because they want something: food, water, or shelter, so we find new homes for them where it looks like these can be obtained, to keep them from wandering around for awhile. We follow Arizona Game & Fish guidelines for relocation methods.

Won't they just come back?

In our history, we have never had a repeat call for the same snake. The encounter is usually just a matter of coincidence. The experience is also quite stressful and scary for the snake, being grabbed by our tongs, put into a bucket, and going for a car ride. Just as a person might avoid a neighborhood where they've been mugged, rattlesnakes will often avoid areas where they perceive they've been attacked. Even in wild study, great effort must be made to not disturb resting or hunting snakes, or it may be very difficult to find them again.

Why don't you just kill them?

There are many reasons - though the most objective is that it is simply a useless action. In most areas that we visit, snakes routinely visit. The run-in with the rattlesnake does not make the yard any more or less safe than it was before the sighting; this is a matter of perception. The best way to keep an area safe will always be education, prevention of habitat, and relocation when necessary. Killing our native wildlife is not a sustainable or safe option.

If you have any questions, please ask. info@rattlesnakesolutions.com.