Last night I captured and relocated my FIRST Western Diamondback rattlesnake! A friend that lives in my community called after her French bulldog discovered the snake on her patio and it buzzed a warning. When I checked the area, I found it hiding under a wicker basket, with just the tail showing. Moving the basket allowed me to use my snake tongs to place it into a secure bucket, followed by a successful release about a mile away.

GREAT experience, with a pretty calm snake that only rattled once as I lifted it up and placed it in the bucket. Once I’d removed the top and tipped the bucket over, the rattler knew right where to go. The brush area shown offers food, shelter, and there's even standing water nearby! It was 3.5-4 feet long and very cooperative. Thanks for the training Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary!!!

That’s a very particular set of skills you have there (to paraphrase “Taken”’s Bryan Mills) - well-done!

But good work. Can't say I'd be up for that.

Pulli, I've said this a few times in the past-

Buddy, I'll grab a beer with you anywhere indoors, but I aint goin' for a walk in the woods with you!

You have an odd pension for finding stuff that would really hurt!

Neat! Thanks for the post.

Very cool, glad you released it. Last year my Doodle found one on our patio, I picked it up with kitchen tongs and moved off it our property. It was a Great Basin and quite a bit smaller than yours.

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:
Pulli, I've said this a few times in the past-

Buddy, I'll grab a beer with you anywhere indoors, but I aint goin' for a walk in the woods with you!

You have an odd pension for finding stuff that would really hurt!

LOL! Thanks! We just have a lot of interesting stuff here in the Sonoran Desert. Yesterday, my wife found a pseudo-scorpion in the house. These harmless arachnids have pincers like true scorpions, but no tail, stinger or venom. I saw one outside earlier in the week. We also see tailless whipscorpions that are similar in that they have neither tails, stingers, or means to inject venom and are also totally harmless to humans and pets.

quote:

Originally posted by UTsig:
Very cool, glad you released it. Last year my Doodle found one on our patio, I picked it up with kitchen tongs and moved off it our property. It was a Great Basin and quite a bit smaller than yours.

That's a pretty "neo-nat" rattler! Some members of the family are exceptionally beautiful! We have Northern Blacktail rattlesnakes and their coloration is just stunning!

No, No, No.

I admire those who are educated enough to appreciate these animals for what they are.

They scare the b'jesus out of me.

quote:

Originally posted by UTsig:
Very cool, glad you released it. Last year my Doodle found one on our patio, I picked it up with kitchen tongs and moved off it our property.

Not even with barbecue tongs???

Yeah... nope. Not even with ten foot tongs.

Big fat no burger for me. No snakes for me at all. Once I went out in the woods behind my place and sat down on a small log. Looked over and there was a small garter snake curled up not a foot from me. I about had a heart attack in the middle of my panic attack.

Nope. I see one of those on my patio, I'm reaching for my shotgun not my kitchen tongs. My dogs are just too damn curious. Especially the blind one. "Off my property" wouldn't be nearly far enough away.

Good for you, but I don't think I'll be moving to Arizona anytime soon.

Wow! Kitchen tongs!

quote:

Originally posted by pulicords:
We just have a lot of interesting stuff here in the Sonoran Desert. Yesterday, my wife found a pseudo-scorpion in the house.

Camel spiders are another "interesting" bug here (might be what you are describing as a pseudo-scorpion. They look dangerous as heck and move very fast. Let my wife spot one and she will beat Usain Bolt to the 100 meter line.

Rattlers round here get the lead treatment, plain and simple.

pulicords, have you ever had one that you relocated return? That would be my concern.

You have more guts than I do. Good for you for relocating the critter instead of destroying it.

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by pulicords:
We just have a lot of interesting stuff here in the Sonoran Desert. Yesterday, my wife found a pseudo-scorpion in the house.

Camel spiders are another "interesting" bug here (might be what you are describing as a pseudo-scorpion. They look dangerous as heck and move very fast. Let my wife spot one and she will beat Usain Bolt to the 100 meter line.

Here’s a pic of a pseudoscorpion. Not the same as a Camel Spider though both are generally harmless arachnids, though Camel spiders have powerful jaws that can deliver a painful pinch. Pseudoscorpions can’t even do that.



fiasconva: I've only relocated this one rattlesnake, but moving them about a mile and a half away from where they were caught virtually guarantees they won't return, but the conditions surrounding the location can and does result in other snakes finding it a good place to visit.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: pulicords,

I've relocated a few rattlesnakes to the great snake fest in the sky.

The good guys, King snake and his kind, I leave alone.

Those sure are pretty. The snakes, that is.