FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS- CALL 9253660607
Why are snakes in my yard?
Snakes don’t understand the idea of “fences” and “property.” Your yard is just a habitat extension. Snakes can be displaced by construction or habitat alterations like development and land clearing. Snakes also may be in search of food, water or shade. The majority of snakes in yards are after food, water or shade. Simple alterations to the yard can make a yard less snake hospitable. Cutting plants off the ground, removing ground cover, overgrown plants, rock and wood piles all help at eliminating shade and places for snakes to stay temperature stable. Furthermore, eliminating food and water is a major help at keeping snakes out. Rodents are a primary food source for rattlesnakes as they age and having rodents in the yard continues to bait snakes into the yard. Mitigating rodents helps A LOT. Properties with rodents commonly get snakes. Simple alterations like clearing leaf litter, cleaning out and sealing storage spaces, removing rodent food like fallen fruit from plants, cleaning the food left from bird feeders and more can help keep snake food out of the yard. Rodenticide is NOT recommended due to the secondary effects on native wildlife. Don’t leave water out for the snakes and water plants according to the time of year, so the excess water dries out. Basically, don't give them a drink. That may be hard if you have a pool, so you may have to look into full prevention snake fencing. I found a baby snake! Is mom around? Am I living on a den? Calm down and take a breathe. Are there sometimes multiple snakes on properties? Yes, there can be. Rattlesnakes are not very territorial and they can be found together in some areas and yards. However, in general, most snakes are alone in the average, small, residential yard. Not always, but most often. It is important to note, rattlesnakes give birth in late summer to early fall. Any small snakes seen in spring are typically youngsters from last fall. Young snakes do stay with mom till they do their first shed then often disperse and explore. However, many do stay near the birth site for protection or if born late in the season. Not all rattlesnakes birth with other females. Typically, they birth together for protection, but habitat destruction and alterations can force females to sometimes camp in a yard and give birth, but this is rare. Females like to give birth in old rock and burrow networks away from people where they can be safe and protect their young. They are super caring mothers. Therefor, it is highly unlikely that you are living on a den. Because you found one snake can there be more? Could be but hard to say. A lot of people live their entire summer with a rattlesnake hanging in the neighborhood without knowing. Snakes don't want altercations and are very shy and want to be alone. If you live in a snake area, always have an eye out and stay snake safe. Are baby rattlesnakes more dangerous? No. You would not want to be bitten by any rattlesnake, no matter the size. Rattlesnake bites are painful and can cause major damage. Young rattlesnakes have smaller heads and smaller venom sacs. More importantly, snakes can control the amount of venom they inject from the day they are born. Venom is very expensive to the body and taxing to produce. They cant afford to waste it unless the snake feels it is needed to eat or survive a altercation. There is also the ontogenetic aspect to the venom. In summary, the younger snakes have venom that targets smaller prey like reptiles and the venom changes as they age and hunt mammals. Adult snakes can pump more venom, have venom that targets mammals and can control the venom at will. So no, babies are less dangerous than adults. However, don't get bit by a rattlesnake at all. Do snake fences work? Yes, if the rattlesnake fences are installed “correctly” snake entry can be prevented. "Correctly" means all 4 sides, FULLY sealed gates, with a guard brace for the gate to lay on, be trenched deep (as deep as you can go, ideally 1 ft), be 3-4 ft off the ground, and don’t have plants growing through or over the fence. Incorrect installations are common (sadly), as most snake fences are installed by contractors who don’t know snake biology. It is important that people understand snake fences are for RATTLESNAKES, not other species. Rattlesnakes can climb but aren’t as good as species like kings and gophers. Gophers and kings climb often and can often get over snake fences. Furthermore, snake fences are commonly installed and trap snakes inside as contractors don’t check yards before or after fence instillation. In summary, very good at mitigating snake entry if you want to pay a lot of money and get it done correctly. Can I buy kingsnakes and put them in my yard to keep snakes away? No. Kingsnakes you see for sale are captive bred specimens for the pet trade. Releasing captive specimens is bad as captive snakes are fed on rodents and can be resistant to and carry captive exotic diseases. It’s illegal. Don’t do it. Does snake repellent work? No. There is no evidence snake repellents work. In fact, many snakes have been found on snake repellent treated properties. Snakes don’t taste like us humans and most repellents contain chemicals that are designed by plants to repel herbivores. Furthermore, using chemicals like mothballs is illegal due to the damage on the soil and ecosystem. Doesn't work. Save your money. Why do venomous snakes matter if there are nonvenomous ones? This question comes up commonly. Snake species all fill different niches and hunt different prey. Even if it is the same prey, snakes have evolved to hunt in different ways. These animals have evolved over thousands of years to fit ecological niches. Snakes provide food for other animals and eliminate diseases that rodents spread. Snake persecution is a common reason snakes are killed. Again, snakes don’t want anything to do with people, but it makes sense most people don’t want a rattlesnake in the yard with dogs and kids. But do you need to take a shovel and beat it to death? No. You wouldn’t do that to a puppy and probably shouldn’t to a snake. They do feel pain and express fear if you understand the behavior. The majority of snakes are slow growing and take 2-5 years to be able to reproduce. Deaths due to human fear can damage populations over time. Plus snakes save us humans from so many diseases, support other species we love, and remove pests that damage our economy and food. What do I do if a dog or person are bitten? SNAKEOUT™ staff are not vets! However, we see a lot of snake bites on dogs and some on people. We actively support the National Snake Bite Support Group's and Snake Bite Foundation's work on snake bites and pet/human relations. We highly recommend checking their websites and Facebook groups for best treatment and methods towards snake bites. In Northern California, we only have Northern Pacific rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus). The other species are relatively harmless and may only cause minor abrasions or superficial wounds. If you are bitten by a snake and do not know the species, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE OR KILL THE SNAKE. Safety is the top priority and the doctors/vets don't needs to know the species of rattlesnake. If you can, take a photo from a safe distance. If not, do not stress. If you cannot confirm the species and are feeling pain or can confirm it is a rattlesnake, CALL 911 and try to keep your heart rate down. Elevate the wound 45 degrees and try to relax. Take off all items that can constrict due to swelling: jewelry, rings, watches, bands, ect. Wait for 911 and let the doctors treat the bite. It is highly recommended to join the National Snake Bite Support Group's Facebook page to post your bite and receive the appropriate advice on how doctors should treat the bite. Snake bites can result in death, but they are exceptionally rare in the USA when treatment is received. If your pet is bitten, again PLEASE DON'T ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE OR KILL THE SNAKE! The animal's safety is priority. For animals, remove the collars ASAP due to the swelling. Take the animal to the vet ASAP. SNAKEOUT™ highly recommends having a 24/7 vet that carries antivenom on dial when living in snake country. Again, it is highly recommended to join the National Snake Bite Support Group's Facebook page to post your animals envenomation and receive advice on treatment. It is important to note there is a lot of misinformation on snake bite treatments. SNAKEOUT™ has seen first hand dogs and people with dangerous misinformation. It is highly recommended to visit National Snake Bite Support Group and Snake Bite Foundation websites and educate yourself on snakebite treatment. Should I/my dog take Benadryl for snake bites? No. Benadryl is not effective treatment for snake bites. Snake Bite Foundation has written about this. Sadly, even many modern vets continue to advise Benadryl for rattlesnake bites. Often the misinformation is due to outdated information and old misinformation being recycled. Venomous snake bites are not the same as bee stings and Benadryl will NOT HELP. If a person/animal is bitten by a rattlesnake, antivenom is the most important thing. If you have any other questions or want us to add anything on here, please give us a call and ask! 9253660607 |
Tiny baby albino Crotalus atrox. Notice only one button on the rattle. At this size, the snake cannot rattle!
Mr Cheeze's fangs
Damaged snake fence. Gap underneath the fence allows for snake entry.
Damaged snake fence. Gap underneath the fence allows for snake entry.
Spicy, one of our rattlesnakes, teaching kids snake safety and to respect wildlife.
Mr Cheeze, one of our rattlesnakes, teaching a young pup to leave rattlesnakes alone. Dogs can commonly run into snakes on hikes and around the home.
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