Rattlesnake Precautions

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Re: Rattlesnake Precautions

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ElPaso2008 wrote:
reptilist wrote:You'll probably find out that your worries are greater than the reality. I live in a small neighborhood that is out in the desert...Are there rattlesnakes? Of course! Do I find them lurking on my property? Not once in 4 years.
If a person can learn to wield a shovel to kill a rattlesnake, then he can learn to use snake tongs and a bucket. I don't understand why more people who live on the frontier don't have snake tongs.
Terry, this is not a neighborhood exactly. I'm on the side of a mountain on a small homesite. The motorhome will just be a few feet away from the brush. I hope you are right, of course, but I want to make sure they can't get under the steps and get surprised when I step down.



Perpare for the worst, ( they probably will at some point) and hope for the best. (take all the precautions you can, and minimize the risk)
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Re: Rattlesnake Precautions

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ElPaso2008 wrote:
reptilist wrote:Yep, I don't know how many men I've spoken to that tell me how they'd break out a shotgun....Oh brother...So simian!
I couldn't agree more.



Remember Steve Irwin. All the precautions and he still got nailed. If Terry is totally honest, and I believe he is, one day he will come on here and explain why he too finally got nailed. He who lies down with dogs, usually gets fleas. He who hoochie-coo's snakes..... :roll:
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Re: Rattlesnake Precautions

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Desert Cruiser wrote:We had a neighbor in the foothills in CA that built a house on a hill not to far from us. He apparently had a rattlesnake den on the top of hill too! He used to brag about how many snakes he killed with his shotgun while working on the house. Then one weekend we hear the ambulance siren coming form town (16 miles away) and went to see if a good friend was in some kind of predicament. But it was this guy on the hill. He'd shot into the snake and some of the shot bounced back and got embedded in his face. Nice going, huh? I still think the safest way is to get tongs and move them!

Don....
Where would a person buy a set of tongs for rattlesnakes? And what kind of bucket are you guys talking about? It must have some kind of lid I would think.
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Re: Rattlesnake Precautions

Post by ElPaso2008 »

gordon c. snelling wrote:Come on Terry you know tongs and bucket arent manly enough for most people.
Seems like to me it would take a lot more guts to handle the snake with the tongs. Anybody could shoot one. But I'd like to know more about the tongs and bucket before attempting it. Everyone does understand that my question wasn't about killing rattlesnakes, right? I'm in agreement with you. Why kill one if there are alternatives? My concern is what to build under the steps of the motor home in case they do decide to make a little temporary home under there. I'm thinking right now the right size boards standing vertically behind the steps and about three feet on either side should do it.
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Re: Rattlesnake Precautions

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Snake tongs can be purchased at http://www.tongs.com or by calling whitco mfg. co. (they have a website too). The buckets are standard 5 gallon buckets and then you add the screw top lid "Gamma Seal". You will want tongs in the 42" range....If you get them too long then you won't be able to reach the bucket to put on the lid while your other had squeezes the grip of the tongs. I also have a pair of 24" forceps to handle the little rattlesnakes, as sometimes tongs just won't pick them up.

I don't live in a normal neighborhood either...My backyard is native Arizona.

Goldilocks, comparing Steve Irwin with me is like comparing you to Tarzan, it's just a ridiculous thing to say.
I am not a grandstanding person looking for attention by daring do...I'm just a steward of nature doing God's work.
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Re: Rattlesnake Precautions

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reptilist wrote:Snake tongs can be purchased at http://www.tongs.com or by calling whitco mfg. co. (they have a website too). The buckets are standard 5 gallon buckets and then you add the screw top lid "Gamma Seal". You will want tongs in the 42" range....If you get them too long then you won't be able to reach the bucket to put on the lid while your other had squeezes the grip of the tongs. I also have a pair of 24" forceps to handle the little rattlesnakes, as sometimes tongs just won't pick them up.

I don't live in a normal neighborhood either...My backyard is native Arizona.

Goldilocks, comparing Steve Irwin with me is like comparing you to Tarzan, it's just a ridiculous thing to say.
I am not a grandstanding person looking for attention by daring do...I'm just a steward of nature doing God's work.

I was not comparing you to Steve Irwin, just saying those who live by the sword die by the sword. Those who always mess with snakes, might get bitten. Thats all.
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Re: Rattlesnake Precautions

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Bill, that's no more valid than saying, "Those who drive cars will die in a crash".
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Re: Rattlesnake Precautions

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Be honest. How many close calls have you had? How many times have you been suprised?

BTW, next Sunday, a little over a week from now, I will be going to Indonesia for 2 weeks, to visit my fiance, and do the final prep work, for bringing her here. She is in Jakarta, and we will be together 24/7 visiting her family, friends, etc, in the city. (I dont like big cities) BUT, one day she wants to take me into the "village" which is out in the country. I know what to look out for here, what is the dangerous snakes there. They have tigers I know, she said the village is safe, but again, obviously I will be unarmed there. She is born and raised there and knows whats going on, but what are the deadly snakes and anything else there, and do they have the big crusher snakes, python's etc? Thanks in advance.
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Re: Rattlesnake Precautions

Post by reptilist »

Indonesia has lots of snakes and scorpions....Enjoy!
(Yes, they have some large constrictors too.)

To be honest....I have never been bitten or even nearly bitten....I use the right tools for the job and am a very safe person.
One time I was using my short tongs (2') on a snake and I grabbed it near it's aft end as it was gliding off...It wheeled around and bit the tongs a bit further up the shaft than I like.
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Re: Rattlesnake Precautions

Post by Goldseeker »

reptilist wrote:Indonesia has lots of snakes and scorpions....Enjoy!
(Yes, they have some large constrictors too.)

To be honest....I have never been bitten or even nearly bitten....I use the right tools for the job and am a very safe person.
One time I was using my short tongs (2') on a snake and I grabbed it near it's aft end as it was gliding off...It wheeled around and bit the tongs a bit further up the shaft than I like.



NO NO NO NO NO! its not *enjoy* I was asking what are the dangerous ones?
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