Conversations With Faith ~ Rattlesnake Wrangling

 

Faith: We're so glad you're safe, mommy. We watched you wrangle that rattlesnake the other day.

Me: Yes, I think I did a pretty good job; after I made a pretty stupid mistake. 

Faith: Yes, first you pulled those big boxes out of the Jeep and left them overnight.

Me: I know, I meant to take them to the dump recycle, but then I had to go and pick up our food and stuff from Walmart. I really meant to put the boxes back in the Jeep after I was done. 

Faith and Samson: But then you got so very tired, like you always do, and it didn't get done.

Me: Right, and leaving them overnight was my first mistake.

Faith: What was your second?

Me: Picking the box up without thinking.

Faith: And out fell the snake?

Me: Yes, and it was a lively one too. It got really scared, poor thing. It was rattling like crazy, almost looked like it was jumping up and down. Then it went under the Jeep, so I had to quickly jump in and move the Jeep away. I didn't want the snake to slither into the engine.

Faith: They never stay long in the engine though.

Me: No they don't like engines very much. But I wanted to keep an eye on the snake to protect you guys. 

Faith: I'm vaccinated! I got my shot!

Me: Yes, but you'd be surprised how much it could still hurt you. And then Samson can't be vaccinated, so I always try to keep you both safe. 

Faith and Samson: We know you do, mommy.

Me: When I was younger, around 70 or so, I would pick up the snakes with the flat shovel and carry them way out on the land and leave them there, never to be seen again. 

Faith: But now that you're 80, almost 81, you can barely lift that big shovel, can you?

Me: Yes, I can, but I'm not sure how far I can walk with it, carrying a snake. Then snakes tend to fall off, so you have to pick them back up again, and that could get difficult.

Faith: So you used the waterhose.

Me: Yes, water always works well on snakes. Spray some on them first, so they know what it is, then just spray behind them and they will move.

So I moved it down to the shade of the cottonwood tree and left it there. I don't think we'll see that snake again.

 

Faith: Thank you, mommy.

Samson: Yeah, thanks mommy. You always take good care of us.

Me: I love you, guys!

Snakes and Me

Some of you got worried when I described my encounters with not one, but two, juvenile rattlesnakes that had somehow made their way into my house. 

I don't blame you, I was worried too and still have not been able to figure out how they got in. 

Other than that, I have a good relationship with snakes. I know their habits here. Because they don't tolerate heat, you have to watch for them mostly in April and May and then in the fall as the summer heat subsides. 

I'm not outside, walking around at night, so I don't have to worry about them then during their active time.

Even so, sometimes snakes like to snooze in the sun or rest in a shady spot, so all summer long, I scan the ground that I plan to walk, it's a habit now and I don't even think about it. And I always check the dog yard in the evenings and early mornings as I let the dogs out.

While I would love to be a really good photographer, I have a good eye, but not the patience. To me, this is one of my best nature photographs. Even if you don't like snakes, I hope you can see it's beauty. It is a Northern Pacific rattlesnake, common in this area.

Unless you step on them, rattlesnakes are really good at taking care of themselves, saving their venom for their dinners, and taking care of you as well, but using their rattles to warn you off. If you heed their warnings, nothing bad will happen to you. 

Below, are a couple of pictures of me handling Rachael's constrictor snakes, the first is a Ball python. 

The second is a Gopher snake. At the time of my visit, in the winter, it was the most alert of her snakes

Rachael's snakes are some of the animals she rescued from the Donkey rescue under dire circumstances. But that's another story and not a fun one, so I will leave it at that. Good thing is that Rachael will care for these snakes for as long as they live.