Tag: arizona snake removal

A Close Call in an East Mesa Garden with a Mojave Rattlesnake

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

An East Mesa homeowner was foraging around in his garden and nearly put his hand directly on top of this Mojave Rattlesnake. Fortunately, he spotted it just in time.

From the snake’s perspective, the garden was a pretty good place to be. The soil was damp and the large plants provided plenty of cool cover. Like much of East Mesa, there is also a tremendous amount of development happening in the surrounding desert, so snakes navigating these changing areas occasionally end up in places like this.

Austin captured the Mojave Rattlesnake and found a good release site in native desert nearby, where a large creosote mound was surrounded by deep rodent burrows. The snake was released directly into cover.

A Western Diamondback Sleeping on the Patio

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

This Western Diamondback Rattlesnake was found sleeping on a back patio, apparently pretty comfortable with the spot it had chosen.

The snake was extremely relaxed and the capture was about as easy as they come. The homeowner had an elderly dog and was understandably concerned about leaving the rattlesnake in the yard, so David also checked the property for any others. None were found.

The snake was given some water and held until dusk, when temperatures were more appropriate for release. David released it directly into deep cover, and unlike its attitude on the patio, it was very eager to get moving once it was back in the desert.

Nobody Wants This Surprise Before Breakfast

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

This is a pretty common way for a rattlesnake call to start. Early in the morning, the homeowner opened the back door to let the dog out and nearly stepped on a snake.

The frightened homeowner and dog quickly retreated back inside, while the equally frightened snake headed the other direction and tucked itself behind some wicker patio furniture.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt. No bite to the homeowner, no bite to the dog, and no harm to the snake.

Jason captured the rattlesnake and relocated it across the street, back into the mountain preserve within its estimated home range.

A Western Diamondback Getting a Little Too Comfortable

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

This Western Diamondback Rattlesnake was found at a property in Carefree where the yard blends almost seamlessly into the surrounding native desert. Snakes are a regular part of life here, and the homeowners are accustomed to seeing them come and go.

This particular rattlesnake, however, had been hanging around for the past few weeks and seemed to be getting a little too comfortable close to the home, so they decided it was time for a relocation.

Fortunately, in an area like this, suitable habitat wasn’t difficult to find. Jason located a huge packrat nest well within the snake’s estimated home range and released it directly into deep cover, making for a quick relocation with as little stress to the snake as possible.

A Stunning Mojave Rattlesnake in San Tan Valley

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

This stunning Mojave Rattlesnake turned up in a San Tan Valley neighborhood with very little native habitat remaining around it. Based on the location, Austin was expecting to arrive and find a Sonoran Gophersnake or something else that had been mistaken for a rattlesnake. Instead, it was very much a Mojave.

With so little desert left immediately around the neighborhood, making its presence known may have worked out pretty well for this snake. Austin was able to relocate it to undeveloped State Trust land south of the neighborhood, where there was considerably more suitable habitat.

After searching for a good release spot, he found a large rodent burrow at the base of a creosote bush and released the snake directly into it.

Creosote bush, rodent burrow, Mojave Rattlesnake. The Mojave special.

A Western Diamondback Finds a Very Good Hiding Place

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

This sizeable Western Diamondback Rattlesnake managed to wedge itself into a surprisingly good hiding place between a block wall and a house.

The blocks transition from a wider section to a narrower one, creating a C-shaped channel along the side facing the house. The snake had entered from the bottom, worked its way into that channel, and climbed several feet up inside it.

Getting it back out was the difficult part. David initially tried using water from below, but the shape of the blocks gave the snake plenty of places to avoid it. Eventually he realized he could shoot water down the channel from the top of the wall at an angle, reaching the spot where the snake had wedged itself.

It took some patience, but eventually the Western Diamondback decided its hiding place wasn’t quite as comfortable anymore. It climbed back down the same channel and exited through the opening at the bottom, where David was able to safely capture it.

A Scottsdale call for one rattlesnake turned into two when Apryl found a tiny neonate hiding along the front of the house.

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

Apryl was called to a Scottsdale home for a young adult rattlesnake that had made its way into the backyard through a gap beneath the side gate. The homeowner mentioned that landscapers had also seen a snake in the front yard earlier in the week after removing a bush, but nobody knew whether it was the same one.

While checking around the front of the house, Apryl found the answer, or at least another snake. A teeny tiny neonate was tucked beneath the recessed perimeter of the home. The family and their two dogs had apparently walked right past it several times that day without ever noticing it.

Both snakes were safely relocated into natural desert habitat. The baby immediately chose an appropriately tiny rodent burrow, while the adult disappeared into the much larger packrat nest visible in the background.

The Toads Were Clearly in on It – Mojave Rattlesnake and Toad Buddies

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A call came in from a rural Surprise home for a Mojave Rattlesnake sheltering behind some patio furniture.

When Jason arrived, he discovered that the snake had some help staying hidden. It was tucked underneath a pile of Sonoran Desert Toads, who appeared to be conspiring against him to conceal the location of their rattlesnake friend.

The homeowner explained that the toads are somewhat permanent residents and was happy to let them stay. The Mojave Rattlesnake, however, had worn out its welcome.

Jason captured the snake and relocated it within its estimated home range, releasing it into a deep rodent burrow in the native desert away from the home.

Finding a Baby Rattlesnake on a Preschool Playground

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A teacher doing a morning check of a preschool playground in Ahwatukee spotted a baby rattlesnake coiled on the artificial turf. They weren’t able to keep eyes on it, and by the time Marissa arrived, the tiny snake had disappeared.

She searched under everything and worked through the entire playground without finding it. Eventually, she noticed a small space where the turf met the corner of the building. Lifting the turf revealed a tiny hole underneath.

Marissa poured some water into the hole, and out came the neonate rattlesnake. During the search she also found a baby Chuckwalla hiding around the playground.

There’s a small patch of desert directly behind the school and considerably more habitat across the street, so even though the playground looks isolated from the desert, wildlife doesn’t necessarily see it that way.

Another Familiar Visitor in Cave Creek

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

The owner of this Cave Creek home is no stranger to finding rattlesnakes taking advantage of the shade near her front door. At this point, calling us when one decides to settle in has become a fairly routine event.

This time it was a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake doing exactly what makes sense on a hot desert day: finding a protected patch of shade and staying there.

Jason captured the snake and relocated it within its estimated home range into a large packrat nest, where it had plenty of deep cover to continue escaping the heat of the day.