Tag: arizona snake removal

Speck-Tacular Snake Removal

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

This guy was hanging around right outside of several hotel room doors and making a real speck-tacle of himself. He was parked outside a deep cave I su-specked has been used by other snakes before as it went deep inside the rock. It was at an awkward angle with a structural pillar in the way and it was able to slip away into the cave on my first attempt. Went back about an hour later and was able to get him secured in the bucket. Walked him on the other side of the ridge and was able to find him a speck-tacular north facing cave just above a wash. – CJ

Baby Mojave Rattlesnake at a Mesa Chemical Plant

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

This baby Mojave Rattlesnake was found all alone at a chemical plant in Mesa, surrounded by busy concrete surfaces that weren’t exactly the best place to start life.

Fortunately, the landscape surrounding the facility was a different story. Flat, sandy creosote scrub provided excellent habitat for a young Mojave Rattlesnake, with plenty of natural places to find shelter and begin life on its own.

Jason relocated the little rattlesnake away from the active areas of the plant and introduced it into a deep rodent burrow within suitable habitat, giving it a much better place to disappear underground and get started.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Under an AC Unit

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A worker walking past this AC unit suddenly heard a rattle coming from underneath it. There was a large rodent hole beneath the concrete pad, and when Marissa looked inside, she could see a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake tucked into the space.

Getting it out was another matter. Marissa used a hose to slowly add water to the burrow, eventually convincing the rattlesnake to leave its hiding place where it could be safely captured.

This side of the South Phoenix building backs directly up to South Mountain Preserve, and the rodent burrow beneath the AC pad provided exactly the kind of protected underground space a rattlesnake might take advantage of.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Found After a Very Large Meal

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

This Western Diamondback Rattlesnake had clearly just finished a very large meal when it was found outside an office building in North Phoenix. Security personnel told Jason that rabbits are common around the property, so there was no shortage of potential prey in the area.

The building sits adjacent to a desert preserve, putting rattlesnakes and other wildlife right alongside a busy developed area. With such a large meal still being digested, this was also a snake that needed to be handled particularly carefully.

Jason safely relocated the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake into a packrat nest in a nearby wash, where it could disappear underground and digest its meal in peace.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Shows Up During a Snake Fence Install

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

This young Western Diamondback Rattlesnake made an appearance early in the morning while Josh and Mike were working on a rattlesnake fence installation.

Josh was walking through the backyard on his way back to the van for some tools when he spotted the snake cruising near a double gate where Mike was working. Fortunately, he saw it before either of them accidentally got too close.

Josh secured the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, gave it some water, and then found a deep packrat nest in a nearby wash where it could be released within its estimated home range.

It was also a pretty timely reminder of exactly why they were at the property installing rattlesnake fencing in the first place.

Snake Repellent Doesn’t Work

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

Snake Repellent is a total scam, part 52379

The homeowner had been watching this Western Diamondback Rattlesnake come and go from the front porch for about a week. Although the home was in the middle of the neighborhood, washes ran directly in front of the property and along one side, providing natural routes for wildlife moving through the area.

This particular call probably won’t make a very good advertisement for snake repellent. When Jeff arrived, the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake was comfortably coiled directly on top of a thick spread of the stuff.

It apparently didn’t bother the snake much. Jeff, on the other hand, wasn’t particularly interested in smelling it again.

The rattlesnake was an easy capture and was relocated within its estimated home range into a packrat nest west of the property, shaded by trees.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Finds a Shady Cave Creek Patio

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

This Western Diamondback Rattlesnake was hanging out on the shaded patio of a Cave Creek home. The property had homeowner-installed snake fencing, but there were multiple gaps and much of the material wasn’t tall enough to effectively keep rattlesnakes out.

Just beyond the view fence was an expansive desert wash, providing a pretty clear path for wildlife moving through the area. Once this Western Diamondback Rattlesnake found its way into the yard, the shady patio offered a comfortable place to get out of the heat.

Jeff captured the snake without incident and relocated it within its estimated home range to a better situation in the nearby desert.

Baby Western Diamondbacks at a Tucson Warehouse

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

This was our third call to a distribution center in Tucson, and for the second time, a baby Western Diamondback Rattlesnake was found in almost the exact same area of the property.

After relocating the snake, Tanner walked the perimeter where the previous snakes had been found to make sure there weren’t any other stragglers. No others turned up.

Between the warehouse and the main road is a small drainage area covered in dense vegetation, providing plenty of shade and some water. It’s likely these young snakes are originating from that habitat and occasionally wandering onto the developed property.

A Mojave Rattlesnake Deep in the Neighborhood

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

The dogs found this Mojave Rattlesnake coiled quietly in the corner of the back porch.

At first, Jeff was a little surprised to find a Mojave Rattlesnake this far into a suburban neighborhood. Looking around the area provided a likely explanation. A drainage corridor runs through the neighborhood, providing a route the snake could have followed from surrounding habitat.

There wasn’t anything particularly attractive about this backyard from a rattlesnake’s perspective. Sometimes a snake isn’t seeking out a property for food, water, or shelter. It simply ends up there while moving through the landscape.