The homeowners called the hotline right after a food delivery, when the driver warned them there was a “rattlesnake” sitting behind a decoration by their front door. With how close it was to the entryway, they didn’t want to risk checking themselves and called us right away.
When Alivia arrived, she went straight to the front door where it was last seen and was met with a much calmer surprise. A young adult Kingsnake was stretched perfectly across the doorstep, head tilted upward. As she picked it up and secured it in the bucket, she started hearing faint chirping that didn’t quite make sense at first.
After knocking, the homeowners pointed out a nest of baby birds tucked into their front door wreath. They mentioned this was the second year the same spot had been used successfully. At that point, it became clear the Kingsnake wasn’t there by accident, it was looking up at a very convenient meal that had basically been door dashed to it.
The home sits at the end of a small community surrounded by open desert and agricultural land, making encounters like this more likely. The Kingsnake was relocated away from any structures and released to a packrat nest within its estimated home range, where it can find a more appropriate meal.
