Snakes are active in town

[cedar]

In Wrightwood, the rattlesnakes are most likely the Southern Pacific.  They are quite dark overall when adults, but still have the patterns - just harder to see.  The young ones have a typical rattlesnake patterning that is easier to see.

Most rattlesnakes in Wrightwood are extremely calm and don't rattle a warning.  I believe this is because the ones that rattle quickly have been killed or relocated over the last 100 years.  Personally, I prefer the ones that rattle a warning of their presence!!!!!

The good news is the most likely people to be bitten, have been drinking and 'messing' with the snake.  So if you keep a good eye out for them and don't bother them, you are very unlikely to be bitten   

[TimG]

Yeah, it was probably a Southern Pacific -- I didn't know that the young ones are still lightly colored.  Had that very distinctive diamond pattern and was very dusty brown other than the black.  Very well camouflaged against the pine needles.

[ChrisLynnet]

I'll bet it was a So. Pacific then. A few years ago my dog and I got rattled at twice on the Pacific Crest Trail above Grassy Hollow, and a lab puppy was struck in the face that same day in the same area. I felt like I was in a horror movie.

[catsmeow]

a friend of mine who lives in Pinion hills,her cat got bit by a rattle snake last night..She took the cat to the animal hospital in AV..they are doing some kind of laser treatment as well as surgery to drain the venom..

[ChrisLynnet]

Oh, poor thing. I hope the cat is OK. BTW did she see it happen and she's sure it was a snake? I had a cat who was stung by a scorpion a few years ago in the paw. Had some nervous moments at the emergency vet, but the cat pulled through.

[SpeedRacer]

We met a lady at the vet in Phelan.  She lives on the west side of Wrightwood near the church and said that her dog was being treated for a Southern Pacific bite.  Close to $3000 for treatment so far.

[Joe Schmoe]

Today I ran across one of the smarter snakes I've seen.  I saw it on the road it front of me so I changed lanes.  As I got closer it lifted it's head up like it saw/felt me coming.  I passed it and it looked like a Corn Snake.  In my rear view mirror I saw it doubling back the way it came (a center median) and IN A HURRY - very fast.  Most snakes I've run across don't act that smart....rattlers, for example, tend to either stop, stop and coil up...or keep slowly crawling across the road.

[ChattyCathy]

Another Mojave Green in my yard today.  This is the second this year, the 5th in a year and a half.  This was INSIDE the yard, and luckily I heard the rattling before the dogs were close. 

A snake expert friend came and got it.  I asked how to keep the snakes out of my yard, and it was recommended that I build a 3- to 4-foot block wall around the area I need rattlesnake-free.  Right now that area is the yard for my dogs, as I usually have numerous foster dogs and abandoned dogs that I've got to keep safe.  It was also recommended that I put all of my dog igloos on pallets, as the snakes can easily hide under the igloos.

I would gladly take any donations of cinder blocks and pallets.  It will take me a very long time to save enough money to build this wall, and I have no clue where to get the pallets.  In the meantime I'll be checking the yard every day before the dogs are out.  Thankfully a friend was able to quickly come over and remove the snake.  I've personally had to move 2 of them, and they scare the beejeebers out of me.

I live in Pinon Hills, not Wrightwood.

[tcaarabians]

Sheesh.. so far so good here in P.H. No rattlers.. gophers and red racers yes.  There is an interesting piece in Thursday's MP by Doc Burch
about rattlers and dogs and the anti-venom.  Note to self: watcg where you step. best, cheryl o7o

[Chesslike]

http://www.rutherfordcounty.org/pets/pdfs/Controlling%20Snake%20Problems%20Around%20Homes.pdf

http://snakefence.net/

http://www.justbelowthesurface.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83:do-snake-fences-work&catid=43:farm-wildlife&Itemid=61

[MojaveSidecar]

Dont know if this is an old wife's tale or not ... but somebody told me that planting hay around an area would keep snakes out.

[lynnc]

The local vets carry rattlesnake vaccines for dogs.  My dogs have had theirs and we are taking the Rattlesnake Avoidance class tomorrow.  The vaccines will help keep the dogs from getting as sick as they would without it.  They will still need immediate care, but they have a greater chance of getting better.

[Iris]

Dr Burch wrote about this vaccine in last weeks Mountaineer Progress. There is one type that it is not effective for and though he still recommends it in the right areas, he does not for others. I do not recall if it was the Mojave or not. He defines areas of the Tri-Community and snake presence. Worth a read for dog owners wanting to know more.

ChattyCathy, I lived a few years in Oak Springs and loved it, all except the snakes. I had three encounters there. Scary stuff.

[YardBird]

Cathy,

I'm coming up the hill this afternoon and if I can find someone to help load them, have 11 pallets I'll gladly donate!  Some are better than others but they'll still get your igloos off the ground.

I think I still have your number from the fencing thing but you might want to drop me a PM if your interested.  I also think I remember how to get to your place??

YardBird  / Carol

[lagomorphmom]

Why wouldn't the snakes curl up in the pallet?

[YardBird]

Disclosure:  I was raised on the desert and I married a "city-slicker".

I'd give just about anything to have a video of us cutting a 4 foot Gopher snake out of half-inch plastic webbing he had used to cover my berry bushes.  There was no way the snake could get out of it's predicament by itself, and no way I could leave it there.  After the (almost) fight and two hours, he held it while I cut it away, sniveling the entire time.  He couldn't believe how strong it was and it must have been trapped for a few days before I found it.  After our experience, I'd go with the plastic webbing!

I laughed when I saw that "snake-fence" picture.  A one foot wire fence with holes that large?  That's "snake-oil" if I ever saw it!  And a wall?  I've been eye-to-eye with a Gopher snake at least 6 feet off the ground, making his way out of huge Mulberry tree. (probably the same one as above.) I often see them climbing into the Italian Cypress trees too, hunting for bird eggs I'm sure, but they can have all of the Starlings they want as far as I'm concerned! 

When we bought our place, (it's 2 1/2 acres) 10 years ago it had mature landscaping so over-grown we couldn't hardly get in the driveway and tumble weeds blown in 10 feet high on the fences.  The first thing I did was cut it narrow and at least 2 feet off the ground, and got a burn permit for the T-weeds.

I'm not afraid of the snakes if I can see them. They are really interesting to watch. (I didn't know they actually drank water until I witnessed it. I thought they got moisture from what they ate.)  Kings, Gophers, Red-racers, and Glossy's are welcome anytime.  Not so much for the Rattlers though. On the road or away from here I leave them alone, but not on the property.  In ten years we've only seen 2 and I promptly sent them to reptile heaven.

The Gophers snakes are most plentiful (I had a encounter with one today), but that could change rather quickly if the Road Runner that's adopted our place as his doesn't quit dining on the babies!   

[Nolena]

Snakes are people, too. 
They are just little animals with no legs.
And they keep us from being over-run with rodents.

[ChattyCathy]

Thanks for all the info!  I'm going to look into that snake fence, though I really don't want to deal with a rattlesnake caught in it.  I've also had a baby rattler in my yard (the first Mojave Green I'd ever seen in person and had to remove myself) and I'd guess it could fit through the snake fence.  I also wonder if rodents would chew threw it.

I am definitely guilty of attracting snakes.  I have a constant flow of water for the dogs from the swamp cooler to a bucket which then overflows into a wading pool.  The dogs have constant clean water and can cool off in the wading pool, but the snakes can "smell" the water, and that is what is attracting them.  I don't know how to remedy this since my swamp cooler will expel water, and with the numerous dogs, I need the constant water flow.  My house is the only house on a 10-acre lot, and the property across and one side is vacant, so there is no water around me - they are attracted here.

I also have a rodent problem due to the chickens I have.  Rats are attracted to their food.  I've had a heck of a time getting rid of them.  I have a "Rat Zapper" and I've gotten rid of a lot of them that way.  I let my cats out, and they caught quite a few - but then I lost a cat (hopefully not to a coyote) so I don't let them out anymore.

My yard is full of holes that the dogs have dug, so my yard is very uneven.  I'm going to have to fill in the holes and even out the ground.  I asked the same thing about the pallets - can't snakes curl up there - and yes, they can, but they can be seen. 

I've had snakes all over my property, not just the dog yard.

1.  baby rattler in fenced-in yard
2.  In a clear area near my garage
3.  On the first step of my back porch
4.  In the garage
5.  Today's snake in the yard at the fence line

They really, really, really, really scare me.  I'm working on getting all the other stuff off the ground so they have no hiding places.

[ChattyCathy]

I should have checked this earlier.  I sent you a PM with my phone number, but it sounds like I'm too late.

Cathy,

I'm coming up the hill this afternoon and if I can find someone to help load them, have 11 pallets I'll gladly donate!  Some are better than others but they'll still get your igloos off the ground.

I think I still have your number from the fencing thing but you might want to drop me a PM if your interested.  I also think I remember how to get to your place??

YardBird  / Carol

[tcaarabians]

Chinese geese will kill snakes .. tho they're a bit noisy. They also make good security alarms. Roadrunners will swallow a rattler whole.
I've seen one running with a snake in its bill. Quite a sight.

I read thru the link for the 'snake fence'.. couldn't find a price anywhere. It sounds like it might work as it constricts around the snake
supposedly and traps it.  I'm not quite sure how that works. I'd also be a bit concerned about its longevity in our hot, hot summers and
cold, cold winters. Plus we virginia creeper and lilacs along the fenceline in the dogs yard so I'm not sure how we could install it.

Perhaps the very small chicken wire, doubled and tripled so as to make the openings super small would work. But, they might just slither over
it.

ChattyCathy: If you missed out on the pallets,,, you can use 4 x 4's .. but I'm not sure that would keep a snake out. We found a 5-foot
gopher in the sink yesterday in the mobile home/chicken coop. So, it had to have climbed up there somehow. Course, we like gopher
snakes.  And, I love watching the red racers. They are aptly named. I don't like rattle snakes. cheryl o7o