Do all rattlers have to be coiled before srtiking?

Sandman
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Re: Do all rattlers have to be coiled before srtiking?

Post by Sandman »

Tropical pit vipers tend to be more lethal than our good ol buzztails. I guess we're lucky about that. Over the years I've had many unexpected encounters and fortunatly have never been bit. A little common sense goes a long way!
Goldseeker
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Re: Do all rattlers have to be coiled before srtiking?

Post by Goldseeker »

I had another encounter at 8am this morning. This is really gettin old. And yes, I killed it. And no, I aint a damn bit sorry. It was close. Think I will start a thread; I need to solve this once for all; short of moving.
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Re: Do all rattlers have to be coiled before srtiking?

Post by reptilist »

The snakes were there first; I say move!

There's lots of people who don't belong in the desert, nothing to be ashamed of, just a fact. Find a gated community deep within an old established community and you will probably be able to live there with peace and safety....Or at least with the common hazards of man to which you are familiar. I don't care for such a predictably safe life myself, nor is everyone cut out to be a desert rat.
Goldseeker
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Re: Do all rattlers have to be coiled before srtiking?

Post by Goldseeker »

reptilist wrote:The snakes were there first; I say move!

There's lots of people who don't belong in the desert, nothing to be ashamed of, just a fact. Find a gated community deep within an old established community and you will probably be able to live there with peace and safety....Or at least with the common hazards of man to which you are familiar. I don't care for such a predictably safe life myself, nor is everyone cut out to be a desert rat.

No. I have owned this house since 03. It was not here first I was. It aint 6 years old. I cannot live in a city, nor a gated community. But I do like Storey Park In Yucca Valley. Still desert but much more green, pine trees etc, and still close to the open desert for winter exploration. 25 miles west. My neighbor has a big yard dog. He said that might do the trick, get a bil 'ol hound dog.My dog now is mostly inside, 20 lbs. Not an outside dog.
Jerry Feldner
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Why continue to kill rattlers???

Post by Jerry Feldner »

Goldseeker, if you are not a bloodthirsty denizen of the desert and don't mind spending a few bucks in the name of safety, here is a website you might want to consult: http://www.whitneysnaketongs.com/

You can order tongs from these people which are perfectly safe and will not injure the snake. I have been using Whitney Tongs for well over thirty years. As a matter of fact, I still have the original pair of 48" tongs that I bought from Mr. Whitney. My 24" tongs are brand-new in comparison - only about 7 years old since my son snagged the original ones when he left home.

Let me bore you with some facts. Mr Whitney was an engineer and an animal lover. When he began making tongs, the only ones available were built so that they actually caused damage, including broken bones, to snakes secured with them. Mr Whitney designed and built tongs so that, no matter how hard one squeezes, the snake would not be hurt. He built them out of aluminum for light weight and the spring in each one has never failed. Mr W. died and his wife continued the business until she got too infirm when she contracted the mfg out to another firm. They used inferior materials and when Mrs. W. passed away, the daughter and her hubby reclaimed the business and started to make tongs the same way her Dad did. They even offered to replace tongs made by the other company.

Now, some more facts. Rattlesnakes typically have a home range of about 1 square mile. A snake may not hit every part of the home range every year, sometimes not going to a certain spot for years. I know of three separate studies done on four species of rattlesnakes which indicate that once a rattler is captured, it does not return to the point of capture. My son and I did a study (unpublished) which involved 240 rattlesnakes of 5 separate species over a period of 5 years. We marked each snake by painting the rattles with nail polish. We discovered that over the ten years since our study began, NONE of the snakes we captured ever returned to the original point of capture. We did not know of the results of the published studies at the time. In fact, out of 240 snakes, I have only been called to remove ONE identifiable snake and it was not at the original point of capture but not too far away (maybe 300 meters).

So, if you really don't wish to kill the snakes, you should get a pair of tongs and a bucket with a spin-on locking top (Chlorine buckets for pool chlorine are great and should be readily available). You should capture the snake, place it in the bucket and remove it to a spot not too far away but far enough away to make you comfortable. Most pool cleaning companies here can't seem to get rid of their buckets other than throwing them away. Just ask.
Desert Cruiser
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Re: Do all rattlers have to be coiled before srtiking?

Post by Desert Cruiser »

Or if you don't want to spend that much money http://tongs.com/40inchstandardtong.aspx

Having any kind of tongs would be better than killing them. All you need to go with that is a 7 gallon plastic bucket with lid to relocate them.

Don....
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Re: Do all rattlers have to be coiled before srtiking?

Post by Goldseeker »

I'm not bloodthirsty. I gave up hunting many years ago. I like the wildlife, the cottontails, squirrels, quail, hawks, the huge great horned owl that was here last Dec, chipmonks, the 4 doves that have raised babies in my backyard patio rafters, and all. I never caught a rattlesnake before, and I am afraid 1 wrong move and I would be bit. Esp a bigger one. They tell me the fireman and the JTNP rangers will catch them.

1 sq mile. thats 1/4 mile in either direction, not that far. I wonder how many are in the area, now? If you are ever out this way I would be more than happy for your opinion on the possibilities of more being here. Like I said, I just dont want any rattlers here. There used to be a red racer in the firewood pile, but I have not seen him for a while. We have rehomed 2 this year so far, the first was a black and white 30" snake that looked like a kingsnake, Terry said it was something else. The other a shovel nosed snake. Any more I will leave here. The house is tight, so they cant get in.

And Terry, I never said I was a desert rat. Read my user name. Thats why I bought this house. To be close to some areas that I have clues about. A short drive. I have never run from anything, and the snakes wont scare me away, just make me more cautious. Like I said, if I had known about Storey Park< I would have bought there. Just 25 miles further west. Maybe in a year I will go there, not now.
Jerry Feldner
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Re: Do all rattlers have to be coiled before srtiking?

Post by Jerry Feldner »

Don asked "...isn't there a green mamba, or are they not in RVN either? "

There are four mambas. They ALL live in Africa. You can look here for all the mambas>>>

http://www.jcvi.org/reptiles/search.php ... mit=Search
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Re: Do all rattlers have to be coiled before srtiking?

Post by reptilist »

Jerry, I've mentioned the same thing to Goldseeker...
He could become the neighborhood reptile relocator hero!

Don, I'm not impressed with the Midwest wide jaw tong. Whitney's are the best.
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Re: Do all rattlers have to be coiled before srtiking?

Post by Goldseeker »

Jerry Feldner wrote:Don asked "...isn't there a green mamba, or are they not in RVN either? "

There are four mambas. They ALL live in Africa. You can look here for all the mambas>>>

http://www.jcvi.org/reptiles/search.php ... mit=Search


And you to Jerry. If ever out this way, I would like an opinion of the terrian re snake habitat. I fear it is snake habitat :(
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