This Western Diamondback Rattlesnake was found coiled near the front entrance of a North Phoenix home, tucked into a corner behind a bush. The family did a great job keeping an eye on the snake from a safe distance while Alivia was on the way, making sure its location wasn’t lost before she arrived.

After safely capturing the rattlesnake, Alivia took it out of the residential neighborhood while keeping it within its estimated home range. A remaining patch of desert alongside a hilly area provided much better options away from homes.

There, she found a densely vegetated wash bordered by steep rock walls and a deep hole that provided excellent natural shelter. The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake was released into the hole, giving it a protected place to disappear underground and continue on away from the neighborhood.

A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake was spotted traveling alongside a community center building in North Phoenix before settling into a shady spot beneath the edge of the structure. The side of the building where it was found borders both a desert preserve and a well-watered lawn, making it a natural travel corridor where wildlife and developed landscapes meet. Marissa safely captured the rattlesnake and relocated it to suitable habitat within its estimated home range, away from buildings and people.

A Scottsdale homeowner opened her garage door and was startled to see a large snake between the family vehicles. Frightened, she went back inside and told her husband. When he came out, he saw the snake disappear behind a tire and thought it might have climbed into the wheel well, so they backed both vehicles out of the garage and even hosed them down while searching for it. After waiting for the fire department, they were told there was a “bullsnake” by the front door, but the homeowners were left wondering if they actually had two snakes: a rattlesnake still hiding in the garage and another snake outside.

When Marissa arrived, she safely captured the Sonoran Gophersnake resting by the front door, then thoroughly searched the garage but found no second snake. Based on the sequence of events, it appears the same gophersnake likely slipped out of the garage during all the commotion and found refuge on the shaded front porch. While the property has nearby patches of desert, rattlesnakes are uncommon this far into the neighborhood, making a single wandering gophersnake the most likely explanation.

The homeowner first noticed this Western Diamondback Rattlesnake coiled near their front door a few days earlier. They said it eventually left the area, but when they found it back in the same spot again today, they decided it was time to have it relocated.

Marissa arrived and found the rattlesnake tucked in near some decorations by the front door that provided plenty of cover and a protected place to rest. With the home sitting directly across the street from a large area of desert habitat, it seems very likely this little spot by the front door had simply become a convenient place for the snake to shelter.