Snakes Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Arizona Pest Control - Pest Management Services

Somebody is becoming quite the eating machine.

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Our resident and pet snake has decided to be more of a pig recently – she will eat every day if I fed her that often. I fed her twice within the last few weeks and she is content to eat and shed often. She came to us about 5 years ago, from a linen store here in Phoenix. They thought she was a rattlesnake because she mimics the tail vibrating – she is a Gopher snake. This picture above is rather unusual in that she decided to eat the rodent back to front, normally they go after the head and then swallow.

Holy rattlesnake – Batman!

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POW, CRACK – actually it was more like JUMP, Heart races and loose control of my —–

One of my first encounters with a rattlesnake, probably 5 1/2 to 5 foot and probably stood up at least a foot. Scared me – I guess it doesn’t matter if you have never heard that sound or not but you are likely never to forget it.

This is what happens when we don’t think!

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This is what happens when we don’t think!

How many times have you heard someone get tired of a pet and just discard it. Its a shame and really should be against the law, consider the pet and make a common sense decision. How long will it live, the larger cockatoos can live 30–70 years depending on the species or occasionally longer and Cockatiels can live for about 20 years and is that a commitment you have time for?

Well anyway back to the actual story for the home seal – 18 ft 8 inch Python (Associated Press) recently caught in Florida and weighed 128 pounds. This new Python exceeds the old one by an inch. The speculation is that during a hurricane a building was destroyed and the snakes got loose. But you hears stories similar to this frequently, sometimes even the giant alligator in the NYC sewers.

If you can no longer take care of the pet please do some homework there are usually shelters and rescue groups that will help. My best friends in Ohio take care of foster dogs and both of my dogs are rescues.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peace-and-Paws-Dog-Rescue/102601282167

https://www.facebook.com/SaveADog

Oh oh Demon dogs….

What am I, Exterminator, Public Health Professional or Conservationist?

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What am I, Exterminator, Public Health Professional or Conservationist?

I caught a story on USA Today on conservation regarding the Royals, Prince Charles and Prince William on their work with different charities and international law-enforcement and wildlife groups to propose a global partnership in stopping the $15 billion illegal trade in endangered wildlife.

While I do not profess to be saving large animals, we don’t always kill things. This last week I encountered two snakes and we moved one of them. The first was a very large Diamondback rattlesnake and then up next to the building was this smaller but just as deadly Sidewinder

We left the Diamonback alone but we relocated the Sidewinder, our mission is to reduce the food source and hopefully the snakes will move on. So it’s not always kill, we sometimes are able to move the honeybees or snakes to another location. We just have to learn to live with or work around the pest issues.

Interesting photo – ProBest Pest Management!

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Interesting photo – ProBest Pest Management!

Merry Christmas!

Every once in awhile you run across something unique and the picture is worth a thousand words. This is one of those pictures.

photo snake skin

photo 1 snake skin

Snakes shed their skin to grow and discard this skin by brushing up against something rough scratching the old skin into peeling. We in turn shed our skin piece by piece, small flakes just fall off as we grow. Did you know that spiders and scorpions shed their skin as well. Sometimes you will see what you think is a dead spider in a web and it’s actually a shedded skin. We have a tarantula at the office and it is a freaky site to see when it sheds its skin. It turns upside down and pulls itself out. A spider can actually regrow a leg if one is lost. As I said freaky. This was probably the case here with the architecture of this building, rough edges creating the ability to start the process of shedding. No idea what type of snake this could have been, but we run into snakes all the time in the field. Just remember they were here before us and we need to use caution when in their area possibly hiking or camping.

Snakes eat a lot of small prey including mice, rats and rodents in general. So they can be a benefit to us, in that they can keep the population of rodents down.

Rattlesnakes and pest control

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Rattlesnakes and pest control

Rattlesnakes just come with the territory out here in the Wild, Wild West and we do occasionally run across one or two or more a year. I try my hardest to relocate them, it’s not their fault that they get into our yards. They are usually just looking for food (rodents, ground squirrels etc) and they get trapped into enclosures or pool areas. We have them in electrical or water meter boxes, pool or drop down embankments and sometimes even in garages. A word of caution – don’t try this on your own! This takes skills and equipment and a very steady hand.

So let’s talk about two of the most dangerous – rattlesnakes…

Mojave rattlesnake – probably the most dangerous rattlesnake, it’s venom is neurotoxic. Generally found in the southeast of Arizona and with the expansion of its territories we could encounter them more often.
Western Diamondback rattlesnake – one of the largest venomous snakes in the U.S. and rivals its cousin the eastern Diamondback rattlesnake. It tends to be very aggressive and is one of the most common snakes in the Southwest.

There is an excellent book by Carl Ernst “Venomous Reptiles of North America” which I suggest you read if interested in snakes. I keep this book handy to identify any snake I think are dangerous or venomous.

What is a constrictor snake?

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What is a constrictor snake?

Did you know that 17 people have died in the US due to constrictor snake related incidents since 1978? The picture above is our Brown banded Black King snake and it
kills it prey by squeezing it to death. The snake wraps itself around its prey and every time it move or breaths, the grip gets tighter. Pythons and Boa Constrictors use that method while rattlesnakes bite and stand back waiting for the poison to work.

This probably grosses you out but it is life in our woods and desert areas, the law of survival. This snakes are able to dislocate their jaw and swallow prey many times their size.

Reptile Study w/Scouts

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Reptile Study w/Scouts

Reptile, snakes and bugs. Just like a boy or girl to enjoy bugs and wildlife in general, I have a niece that just loves to play with bugs. Maybe she can take over when I retire (if ever) right? Merit badges afford the Scout the opportunity to learn about certain subjects. One of the merit badges I enjoyed was First Aid to Animals, I worked with a local Veterinarian and really had a blast. I was there when he asked for help in delivering a calf and still to this day will never forget it.

I think that I earned 38 merit badges, 21 required for Eagle Scout. I had a great time in Scouts and I’m please that I was able to help a few more on their way.

All posts in “Snakes”

This is what happens when we don’t think!

What am I, Exterminator, Public Health Professional or Conservationist?

Reptile Study w/Scouts