Category: Snake Fence

A Rattlesnake Turns Up Half a Mile Into a Paradise Valley Neighborhood

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A landscaper was leaf-blowing the backyard of a Paradise Valley home when he spotted a rattlesnake moving across the property. The snake eventually settled into a coil beneath a tree against the back fence, where Marissa found it when she arrived.

The property had a large, well-maintained backyard with very little cover, although the lawn was well watered. The tree along the back fence offered one of the few shaded places where a rattlesnake could settle without being completely exposed.

What made this call interesting was the location. The home sits roughly half a mile into the neighborhood from the nearest preserve, so the snake had traveled through a fair amount of developed property to get there.

A drainage corridor behind the homes connects back to the preserve, which Marissa suspects was the route the snake used to reach the neighborhood. These washes and drainage areas can serve as travel corridors for wildlife, allowing snakes to move surprisingly far into developed areas without spending much time out in the open.

Marissa located the rattlesnake beneath the tree and safely captured it.

A Rattlesnake Slips Into an Ahwatukee Backyard While the Dogs Are Outside

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

An Ahwatukee homeowner was outside with his dogs when he noticed a snake slithering along the side of his house. He quickly got the dogs inside and called us to come take a look.

When Marissa arrived, she found the rattlesnake hiding beneath a covered patio chair, not far from where the homeowner had originally spotted it.

There wasn’t much cover in the rest of the backyard, so the shaded space beneath the chair was probably one of the better hiding places available.

Across the street, a large drainage connects the neighborhood to some good native desert habitat. Corridors like these can provide routes for wildlife moving between natural areas and developed neighborhoods, occasionally bringing rattlesnakes into backyards along the way.

Fortunately, the homeowner spotted this one before either of his dogs got too close.

A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Trapped in a Fenced Yard

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

These homeowners had just returned from a few weeks away on vacation and let their dogs into the backyard for the first time since coming home. Thankfully, they spotted this Western Diamondback Rattlesnake before any of the dogs did.

The property already had rattlesnake fencing installed by another company, but a recently replaced gate now had large gaps underneath it. Those gaps created an unfortunate situation: a rattlesnake could easily get into the yard, but the surrounding fencing could make finding a way back out much more difficult. The backyard had essentially become a rattlesnake trap.

On an extremely hot day, with little landscaping or other good cover available, the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake had settled into one of the few places it could find some relief: the corner of the patio near the sliding glass door.

Alivia safely contained the rattlesnake, gave it some water and time to cool down, then relocated it within its native range to a deep, shaded wash with plenty of natural cover.

Black-tailed Rattlesnake Trapped Below a Basement Window

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

The homeowner happened to look out one of her basement windows and noticed a Black-tailed Rattlesnake coiled on the outside windowsill. The window sat at the bottom of a deep drop-down area with no obvious way for a snake to climb back out.

She then spotted a second snake moving in and out of a hole down there and initially thought she had two rattlesnakes. When Marissa arrived, she was able to safely remove the Black-tailed Rattlesnake that was out in the open and determined the second snake was actually a Sonoran Gophersnake.

The Sonoran Gophersnake disappeared into the hole and wouldn’t come back out, even when Marissa tried flushing it out with water. There may be a larger gap or space behind the opening than was visible, so the homeowner is going to keep an eye on it and call us when the snake makes another appearance.

We’re not sure how long the Black-tailed Rattlesnake had been trapped down there, but with how warm the space was, it probably hadn’t been there too long. The Laveen home sits right off South Mountain, so both snakes likely wandered in from the surrounding habitat and unfortunately found their way into a spot that was much easier to enter than escape.

When Amatuer Snake Fencing Becomes a Rattlesnake Trap

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A landscaping company installed “snake fencing” at a property. But, not knowing anything about snakes or how that whole thing works, it didn’t work at all.

This Western Diamondback Rattlesnake managed to find one of those openings and get into the yard. The problem was getting back out. With fencing surrounding the property, the snake was actively pacing the yard trying to find its way back toward the natural boulder habitat behind the home.

Alivia contained the rattlesnake and gave it some water after all that activity. Although the community was designed with plenty of natural habitat between the homes, we decided a nearby preserve within its estimated home range would provide a better situation farther from buildings.

Alivia found a similar boulder pile in the preserve and guided the now-hydrated Western Diamondback Rattlesnake directly into a protected hole at its base.

Rattlesnake fencing can be extremely effective, but the details matter. If gaps or weak points allow a snake to get through, the rest of the fence can actually make it more difficult for that same snake to find its way back out.