Not quite as big as the others. I heard him rattling and thought “Oh no, I have heard that sound before”. I grabbed Hansel who was sitting there watching him rattle and threw him and his sister in the car to safety. Horses are in the barn. Started hosing him down to get him to move on. Goin back out to check but I think it is still there.
I knew I should have mowed the grass. I will do that when I get rid of him.
He/she has moved on. They don’t like being hosed down very much. When they think the coast is clear they leave. I am being very careful where I step. Not letting the cats out for a while. I will get out the riding mower and mow in the shorter grass. The noise and vibration from the mower will tell them that this is not a good environment and they should move into more cover.
Very warm and dry here for months and they are looking for a place with lots of prey and to overwinter. Not here!
Ugggh. That would completely stress me out! Sounds like you handled it very effectively.
The first one to show up a few years ago really freaked me out. I ran to get my 22, it would not fire. Then I was even more freaked out. After I called the snake removal people and they came out and the snake was gone - I was able to put a plan together if another one appeared. Step 1 - put the cats up. Step 2 - put the horses up. Step 3 - stay out of strike range and start hosing it down. They leave if you get them wet enough and then go away. If they feel threatened they will keep rattling and not move. If a cat or dog is in the vicinity they feel threatened and will not move. Get them good and wet and leave them and they will decide that there are better places to inhabit and slither off. I have not found them aggressive at all. They do a lot of rattling to warn you off but do not come after you. Get the animals safe and keep your distance and you will be fine.
And keep that grass mowed short. OOPS!
At our southern New Mexico desert home, we’ve had 5 this year, so far. That is the most ever. Rattle snakes are dispatched quickly and expediently with either a gun or a shovel. Heads are detached and the entire head and body are carefully buried or put in the trash. No exceptions and no moving them on. On the other hand, we love our bull snakes, king snakes, coach whips, and any other variety. They get to live here in peace, preferably in the barn and around our hay stacks.
We spent the summer in the mountains just north of us at about 6500-7000 feet elevation. There were at least 2 up there, both similarly dispatched…
Jeeze - you guys are brave! Rattlesnakes and water moccasins completely unnerve me. I had an encounter with a wolf spider yesterday and I am still traumatized. Whenever I judge in snake country, I gingerly enter the judges booth or bathrooms. Never seen one at a horse show, but I expect to lol.
Be careful !
I HATE SNAKES !
Do wear your tall boots wherever Rattlesnakes might be lurking. Having been bit once, you DO NOT want to go thru the treatment and healing. And if once bit, you are MUCH more susceptible to the venom damage, death, with a second bite.
You might ID your local varieties of Rattlesnakes, then call the local hospitals to see if they carry anti-venom for those snake varieties? Anti-venom (back when I got bit) needed to be snake specific to be really helpful. The ER folks did NOT believe me when I told them it was an Eastern Diamondback because “Those snakes are extinct around here.” That was Baton Rouge Louisiana. Not believing me held up treatment with correct anti-venom! I finally got a visit from a Gov’t Wildlife guy with a picture snake book, so I could point out the one who bit me. He was VERY excited, those snakes had not been seen locally in YEARS! I just read an article about Eastern Diamondbacks big population recovery in Louisiana!! Ha ha
Having anti-venom on hand for your kind of snakes will help speed recovery faster. It is expensive, hospital may argue about keeping it stocked. It does have expiration dates, could be a dead loss to the hospital if not used. Last I knew, each shot was $2500.00. I needed a lot of shots. Do you have a lot of bites in your area? That could help or hinder hospital wanting to stock anti-venom shots.
Louisiana had a quantity of poison snakebites, were used to dealing with them. I made the National statistics for that year! Common bites were Copperhead and Cottonmouths in the cane fields, not Rattlesnakes. And the way people responded to me after finding I had been snakebit was bizarre! Like i could rub off on them! A couple cleaning ladies ran out screaming! Literally!! Others wanted to tell me of relatives who died from getting bitten. A group of interns visiting in the “dark of night” were chock full of questions! “Did it hurt, was I hurting elsewhere, what did we do after the bite?” I was not at my best being sleep deprived from visitors! I think folks down there consider snakebite a death sentence, to die of fright or may totally give up fighting it.
Do NOT try suckling out the venom, it could kill the rescuer! Ice the bite, keep bite location BELOW the heart if possible. I had to sleep sitting up for a week with bites on the foot. Lots of shots and blood draws every couple hours to see if the venom was killing blood cells, checking and drawing on leg to track swelling. Bite itself felt like a wasp sting, the least painful part of things! No hallucinations, spasms or fading away as seen in movies.
I do not wear my tall boots around the property. I usually wear sandals or slip on tennis shoes. I do have tall rubber boots from tractor supply that I will sometimes slip on when I go outside. Our varieties of rattlesnakes are the western diamond back (common), prairie rattlers (less common, but still around) and Mojave Green rattlers (also less common but moving east as they are pushed out of their Arizona habitats). I read somewhere that the Mojave snakes have venom that is neuro toxic (like a cobra), other rattlers are musculo-toxic. I also read that the Mojave snakes are cross breeding with the western diamondback, that’s pretty scary. The diamond backs are brown with black diamond shaped markings. The Mojave greens are sort of a greenish brown color, with darker markings. Prairie rattlers are lighter tan and have lighter markings. They actually blend in with the sand more.
Our local trauma center carries the antivenom, as do some smaller hospitals in the region where bites are more common. I’m sure our local military hospital does too, as the troops are often out in the desert and a good part of Ft. Bliss is now located out east of El Paso. I’m sure the constant construction out there keeps the snakes moving around. There are not a lot of bites in and around the city, it’s pretty developed. The ones I’ve heard about have been in the hand as people usually get bitten by reaching for the snake that is in the garage or outbuildings.
Interesting fact: rattlesnakes can only strike as far as their body length, that’s why they coil up when they feel threatened. The coil gives them the “spring” like motion that makes it seem like they can jump a long way. The key is to stay back from them when dispatching. If they are little, a hoe or shovel can do the trick. Bigger ones are well managed with a shotgun to the head at a relatively close range.
I have a terrible bone spur on my right foot so the only shoe that does not press on it is my TSC mid calf boots so that is my usual footwear. Sometimes tennis shoes, sandals are very uncomfortable so I don’t wear those.
These incidents have just happened in the last few years. But I could have had appearances in earlier years and because I was at work I did not see the snakes before they moved on. Now that I am retired I am here most days. The snake experts told me that the timber rattlers around here have a range that they travel of several miles looking for mates and food. I am sure the clear cutting of land is contributing to them showing up and my broken lawn mower provided them tall grass to hide in. They don’t like to stay in areas that have other predators (i.e. my cats) and will move on if conditions are not favorable and food is not available. So my visitors are passing through and not setting up shop. They do not seem to be aggressive - they rattle forever when they feel threatened - but I am sure they would bite if stepped on. Mine will move on if I remove the cats to a safe area and spray them with my hose and then just leave them alone. The land is rural out here and there are more favorable places for them to live than my yard.
You did a good job keeping your wits about you.
A youngish Copperhead was on the limestone path between my house & barn one October day. I cut its head off and looked for siblings over the next few days. Non poisonous snakes are always welcome here but not the dangerous ones.
I don’t miss the Pygmy rattlesnakes that tried to live in our barn in Florida. Evil buggers. My good Arab cross mare dispatched one in her stall. I found the snake pancake when I was cleaning. I checked her over very carefully but she was fine. She did a good job.
On the other hand, a determined rat snake trucked right on by me one day when I was heading into feed before a tropical storm. He stopped and looked at me like, “do what you must but I’m getting out of the storm.” I left the harmless rat eater be.
Since we moved up North, we’ve only seen non-venomous snakes. I shoot them on sight. With my phone camera. They have no idea why I find them so charming. 
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
