A homeowner in Dewey looked out her garage window and noticed a small rabbit hopping around frantically. After watching for a moment, she realized what had the bunny so worked up: a Mojave Rattlesnake was nearby.
Dane responded and safely relocated the snake from the property. Sometimes it’s the behavior of other animals that gives away a rattlesnake’s presence before anyone ever notices the snake itself.
A Mesa homeowner was taking the trash cans out when he spotted this baby Mojave Rattlesnake coiled underneath one in the backyard.
There wasn’t much about the yard itself that appeared particularly attractive to a rattlesnake. The bigger story is what surrounds it. This is a relatively new community surrounded by desert, with additional development continuing throughout the area.
As desert is converted into neighborhoods, young snakes dispersing across the landscape can occasionally find themselves navigating brand-new yards, walls, roads, and homes that weren’t there before.
Marissa safely relocated this little Mojave Rattlesnake.
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.
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.
A late-night call came in for a Mojave Rattlesnake that a neighbor had attempted to contain with a bucket before deciding to leave it for the professionals. CJ was surprised to find the snake on the east side of North Valley Parkway, as the closest natural habitat there is much more mountainous than what Mojave Rattlesnakes typically prefer. After safely securing the snake, he relocated it to more suitable habitat within its estimated home range on the other side of the parkway, where a deep rodent nest beneath a shaded Foothills Palo Verde provided an ideal place to settle in.
The Mojave Rattlesnake was doing its best to stay hidden from the homeowner’s small dog and watchful eyes. Fortunately, Jon was able to safely remove the snake and relocate it into a deep rodent burrow within its estimated home range. He thinks he may have missed the perfect action shot of the snake shooting straight into the hole.
Feeling lucky with our Mojave scores today.
This Mojave Rattlesnake was found by the homeowner right near the side gate just outside the backyard. The home sits next to a large natural desert wash, so activity like this isn’t too surprising.
By the time Apryl arrived, there was basically a full neighborhood gathering watching the snake. The same area had a larger Western Diamondback Rattlesnake removed just a week prior, so this spot has definitely been active.
Apryl secured the snake and removed it from the community, then released it into a desert preserve area within its estimated home range.
We were called out by a real estate company at a new development after a small rattlesnake was found right at the front entrance of a model home. The agent on site was very kind and comfortable enough to place a wire trash can over the snake with a rock on top to keep it contained, and even poured water along the sides to help keep it cool while waiting for us to arrive.
When Alivia arrived, she was directed to the shaded entry where the snake was contained and was able to gently lift the can and transfer the rattlesnake into a bucket for transport. She also took time to walk the property and check for any additional snakes, with none found.
The community is surrounded by active construction within ideal desert habitat along the White Tanks Preserve, which naturally increases encounters like this.
Alivia safely relocated the young Mojave Rattlesnake to a wash within its estimated home range in the nearby preserve, well away from homes and construction, and released it into a pack rat nest under a tree after offering it some water.
We were called out after the homeowner went to take out his trash the night before and spotted a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake tucked under the lid of his underground trash can. When he checked again the next morning, the snake was still there, so he gave us a call. As it started to heat up, it seems very likely the snake tried to move into deeper cover and ended up falling into the can, leaving it unable to get back out.
When Marissa arrived, she was able to safely remove the rattlesnake and even rescued a gecko that had fallen in as well. The home sits right next to a drainage that leads into the open river bottom, providing a clear path for wildlife movement through the area.
Marissa safely relocated the rattlesnake to a wash within its estimated home range, away from nearby homes.
A Mojave Rattlesnake in a garage in San Tan Valley. The homeowners had just parked and were getting out of their car when they noticed the snake nearby. It never moved the entire time and the whole interaction was very calm and uneventful. When Austin arrived, the snake was still exactly where they had first seen it and he was able to secure it without any trouble. The neighborhood is small and surrounded by desert, so he hiked the snake back out into the surrounding habitat and released it into a packrat nest well away from homes.
