Found Baby Rattlesnake in my Breakfast Room

[CodeSection]

Every day I take late lunches and go home to let my dogs out. Today after going out with them for them to do their thing, we all walked back into the breakfast room. A that moment I received a business call and while I was on the phone I saw a baby rattlesnake by a chair leg. It looked to be about 12-13" in length. While talking, I quickly moved the chair and stepped on it. Then I started stomping on it with my smooth sole shoes. It would just slither a very short distance until the next stomp came down on it.

After about five stomps, I just decided to keep stepping on it to prevent it from moving until I finished my call. After the call, no stomping or smooching it with my foot worked. But it was injured enough for me to take an extended dustpan and sweep it into it and then dump it in the trash can outside.

We generally have one adult size rattlesnake every 12-18 months outside. This was a first to have any type or size of snake in our AZ home.

All our dogs have been rattlesnake trained for scent, sight and sound. I have a call into our trainer as I suspect a baby rattlesnake will not have the same scent of an adult. Also, I'm not sure any of the dogs would think "snake" because it was so small as compared to what they were trained with. Lastly, since the rattle had not formed, there was no sound.

Update: As I was writing this my trainer called and confirmed my concerns. He said to be careful as there is a female rattlesnake around someplace and they generally have around 10-13 live births at a time. He said when they are born, they are around 10+" in length..

 

[Sailingeric]

The wife and I have talked about maybe moving to AZ in the future, better not show her this.

 

[InspectorJon]

Rattle snakes will continue to move for quite a while after being dead (head removed). Other snakes would also I suppose but I have never killed any other kind.

 

[CodeSection]

The wife and I have talked about maybe moving to AZ in the future, better not show her this.

If you live in any of the cities were neighborhoods are developed, they are not a problem and are non-existant. Once you get into the desert areas, things change and you experience many different creatures. I've lived at different desert locations since 1980.

When people hike in the mountains or desert area, 99% of the time they have no idea they walked past a rattlesnake. Like anything else in this world, you need to be aware of your surroundings.

AZ is a great place to live. The downside is if you live in the southern part, it gets hot in the summer. A lot of shorts and t-shirt weather even in December and January! Check it out!

 

[madscientist451]

A 20 gauge shotgun will come in handy when you find the rattlesnake nest.
But that little guy would have looked cute curled up in the bottom of a bottle of mesquite honey mead.....

 

[CodeSection]

Rattle snakes will continue to move for quite a while after being dead (head removed). Other snakes would also I suppose but I have never killed any other kind.

You are so right! After each stomp it tried to slither away. But after stepping on it and trying to scuff it with my shoe after the call did it stay in place but still wiggled. I think you are correct that at that point it was dead and the natural reflexes were taking over.

For those that may not know, there are a lot of YouTube clips that show how easy it is to get bite when you think the snake is dead after cutting off its head.

 

[CodeSection]

A 20 gauge shotgun will come in handy when you find the rattlesnake nest.
But that little guy would have looked cute curled up in the bottom of a bottle of mesquite honey mead.....

You make a good point. Maybe not a shotgun, but a 6-8", 1-1.5" PVC pipe schedule 40 with an end cap along with piano wire (or the thinist you can buy at Home Depot) you can make a noose to decapitate it as well as control it.

I've been wanting to make two of those (one for the house and one that stays in my SUV) but have procrastinated. In the past the rural fire department would come out and remove them.....those that we didn't run over with our vehicles.

 

[AzOr]

I did a lot of mt biking in Tucson in the 90’s and 2000’s. Would come across rattlers at least once a week.

As many know, the smaller ones are much more aggressive. The bigger guys(4ft +) slowly slither away when you ride close. The little guys would immediately coil up.

 

[bracconiere]

still hopeing i never see one.....

 

[CodeSection]

I did a lot of mt biking in Tucson in the 90’s and 2000’s. Would come across rattlers at least once a week.

As many know, the smaller ones are much more aggressive. The bigger guys(4ft +) slowly slither away when you ride close. The little guys would immediately coil up.

The young rattlesnakes do not control the amount of venom they inject so they go full bore. Whereas the adult rattlesnakes control the amount of venom they inject. Sometimes they give a dry bite with no venom.

Well, my MinPin has been sniffing all around the breakfast room tonight. I'm sure she is smelling the rattlesnake from this afternoon. Hopefully, there is not another one inside. I guess I will start turning on lights when I walk around at night from room to room. This too shall pass....

 

[Sailingeric]

If you live in any of the cities were neighborhoods are developed, they are not a problem and are non-existant. Once you get into the desert areas, things change and you experience many different creatures. I've lived at different desert locations since 1980.

When people hike in the mountains or desert area, 99% of the time they have no idea they walked past a rattlesnake. Like anything else in this world, you need to be aware of your surroundings.

AZ is a great place to live. The downside is if you live in the southern part, it gets hot in the summer. A lot of shorts and t-shirt weather even in December and January! Check it out!

I grew up in south Georgia, you had to watch out for rattle snakes, water moccasins, and cotton mouths, just to name a few, even in your back yard. And if you have a pond or river near by, also alligators. So many ways nature wants to kill you down there.

 

[AzOr]

The young rattlesnakes do not control the amount of venom they inject so they go full bore. Whereas the adult rattlesnakes control the amount of venom they inject. Sometimes they give a dry bite with no venom.

Well, my MinPin has been sniffing all around the breakfast room tonight. I'm sure she is smelling the rattlesnake from this afternoon. Hopefully, there is not another one inside. I guess I will start turning on lights when I walk around at night from room to room. This too shall pass....

Yup and spring is usually when I’d see the most.
I love the NW but I do miss the desert quite a bit.

 

[AzOr]

still hopeing i never see one.....

You’re in S AZ and you’ve never seen a rattler?
just look down and listen.

always came across tarantulas after a good monsoon as well.

 

[CodeSection]

I grew up in south Georgia, you had to watch out for rattle snakes, water moccasins, and cotton mouths, just to name a few, even in your back yard. And if you have a pond or river near by, also alligators. So many ways nature wants to kill you down there.

Whoa...I have no clue about water moccasins or cotton mouths other than they are dangerous. Snakes and alligators .... no thank you.

I guess it really depends on how and where you were raised that some places seem more dangerous than others. For the locals, it is probably no big deal since they have learned what to watch for and how to go about their regular lives.

 

[CodeSection]

You’re in S AZ and you’ve never seen a rattler?
just look down and listen.

always came across tarantulas after a good monsoon as well.

We have tarantulas and several of their holes in our grass AZ yard and desert property. I generally see them at night when I take the dogs out starting about now and throughout our long summer in AZ.

I love the beautiful large males that are a darker brown with a slight red color on their legs. They routinely climb up the exterior of our house. We don't bother them , the dogs don't bother them and they don't bother us. We peacefully coexist.

 

[bracconiere]

You’re in S AZ and you’ve never seen a rattler?

i did see one when the neighbor drove me through the dirt roads, S.O.B. had the window down in the car and the rattler was coiled.....i told him i would sue him for the $100k if that jumps in the car and bites me!! lol

 

[bracconiere]

I guess it really depends on how and where you were raised that some places seem more dangerous than others.

i think you're right...like flordia and alaska, i'd want to open carry a hand-gun, not for people but critters.....

 

[bracconiere]

I love the beautiful large males that are a darker brown with a slight red color on their legs. They routinely climb up the exterior of our house. We don't bother them , the dogs don't bother them and they don't bother us. We peacefully coexist.

don't tarantulas keep the actual dangerous scorpions in check?

 

[mirthfuldragon]

You know, I complain about the Chicago winters and the fact that it is currently all of 43° here right now, but the worst thing that has happened in my yard is my dogs trying to make friends with a skunk.

 

[CodeSection]

You know, I complain about the Chicago winters and the fact that it is currently all of 43° here right now, but the worst thing that has happened in my yard is my dogs trying to make friends with a skunk.

Oh, we have those at our AZ and CO home as well. In CO, our Ring cameras has been picking up one skunk at least once a week for the past four weeks walking around our property. We've been told it is looking for a mate.....go figure.

 

[CodeSection]

don't tarantulas keep the actual dangerous scorpions in check?

I have no idea. We have scorpions as well. In the nine years we have been at our current AZ home, we only found one scorpion in the bedroom. When we lived way out east, we would find them inside the house all dried up under the windows every few weeks. I remember only one time walking barefoot and kicking one across the tile floor.

My in-laws had a home in central Phoenix that had scorpions daily. It seems everyone in their area/street had them. They would be in the house, in pots outside, in the car wheels...anywhere and everywhere they could get. My MIL was stung only once when getting into bed one night. Again, it is just being aware of your surroundings.

 

[bracconiere]

We have scorpions as well. In the nine years we have been at our current AZ home, we only found one scorpion in the bedroom

glad when i first moved in i saw a tarantula...neighbor told me i'd probably be good.....

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

where i live in pa we have black snakes (rat snakes) that get 5 to 6 feet long, i am on the bottom of a mountain that has the juniata river below it. rare for us to see rattle snakes but we occasionally see copper heads. my fiance is deathly afraid of any of them. even the little guys. i have had black snakes in my house (not cool when they surprise you) but they are harmless. i pick them up and throw them back in the woods. the first time this happened i wasnt familiar and killed the snake as a natural reaction. after doing some reading black snakes are larger and territorial so they keep the dangerous snakes away. not saying i want them close to or in the house but i no longer kill them and havent seen a poisonous snake in years.

 

[AzOr]

i did see one when the neighbor drove me through the dirt roads, S.O.B. had the window down in the car and the rattler was coiled.....i told him i would sue him for the $100k if that jumps in the car and bites me!! lol

Haha- I’ve always been told they can only strike at a distance of 3/4 of their total length but I’ll never test that theory.

 

[CodeSection]

where i live in pa we have black snakes (rat snakes) that get 5 to 6 feet long, i am on the bottom of a mountain that has the juniata river below it. rare for us to see rattle snakes but we occasionally see copper heads. my fiance is deathly afraid of any of them. even the little guys. i have had black snakes in my house (not cool when they surprise you) but they are harmless. i pick them up and throw them back in the woods. the first time this happened i wasnt familiar and killed the snake as a natural reaction. after doing some reading black snakes are larger and territorial so they keep the dangerous snakes away. not saying i want them close to or in the house but i no longer kill them and havent seen a poisonous snake in years.

We have King snakes that kill rattlesnakes. Some people say our bull snakes kill them too. Of course we have roadrunners that think the rattlesnake is fine cuisine!

 

[seatazzz]

Many many years ago we lived in North Salt Lake City, on the side of one of the foothills of the Wasatch Range. My cousin and I were up in the hills looking for red ant hills to kick over (yes we were stupid). I had my foot poised back to kick over a big one, and heard the dreaded rattlerattlerattle. I have never run so fast in my life, screaming like the little girl I really was. Never saw the thing but the noise was enough to scare the p*ss out of me (literally, had to go change my pants).

We only have garter snakes around here, and I won't kill them; they eat the nasty bugs. Also won't kill spiders for the same reason.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[Immocles]

^ Strong agree.

Terrified of snakes. Crippling phobia terrified. If I ever actually ran into one in my house, I would honestly need to move. Hell, if I found one on the block, I'd consider to move. I'll forever have a crooked arm and partially numb hand because of it. The occasional bull snake slithers around the MN river here, so I dont bother going to the river. I think the SW area of the state has some rattler types as well. I honestly think this prairie area of Minnesota is probably the only rural area in the country that I would feel moderately 'safe' when it comes to snake encounters. All we really have here are garters, and those are too much for my mind to wrap itself around.

Kill 'em all. I'll take my chances with whatever pests they are holding at bay.

 

[CodeSection]

^ Strong agree.

Terrified of snakes. Crippling phobia terrified. If I ever actually ran into one in my house, I would honestly need to move. Hell, if I found one on the block, I'd consider to move. I'll forever have a crooked arm and partially numb hand because of it. The occasional bull snake slithers around the MN river here, so I dont bother going to the river. I think the SW area of the state has some rattler types as well. I honestly think this prairie area of Minnesota is probably the only rural area in the country that I would feel moderately 'safe' when it comes to snake encounters. All we really have here are garters, and those are too much for my mind to wrap itself around.

Kill 'em all. I'll take my chances with whatever pests they are holding at bay.

My grandfather and his brother farmed 2,000 in the St. Charles area. He never mentioned problems with snakes. But I agree with you, I don't like snakes. We have bull snakes occasionally in our backyard too. They can be feisty when you try to encourage them to move on.

It has been decades since I returned to the area and when I did, I was attacked by the huge, huge bird like creatures the very first night I got there. The attack was so vicious, that I had injuries all over. We left the next day as I was afraid.

It turns out those "things" that attack me were huge, I mean huge mosquitoes! You know there is a problem when the bug zappers around there are very large and have nearly a 1.5" square grid to allow the mosquito to get through to the electric charged panel. You probably only need two of those creatures to use as fish bait!

 

[Inkleg]

Having grown up in the south all my life I don’t think there’s a native mammal, reptile or insect that I haven’t handled, played with or relocated.
I removed a black rat snake from the show room floor and a opossum from the engine bay of customers vehicle just to name a few. All get a free pass from me except copperheads.

Here’s a game we play in my yard. Where’s Waldo copperhead edition. There’s a 18 inch one in the picture. The bigger one was in the back yard 2 years ago.
I’ve gotten to where I can judge yearly copperhead population by the amount of chipmunks running around. This will be a bad year for snakes. Found this years first one one street over walking to the park yesterday. He didn’t survive the beheading.

 

[CodeSection]

Wow! That little one in the lower to middle left really blends in well......now that IS scary! I suppose they give no warning before striking, correct?

 

[AzOr]

At least the “good” thing about rattlers is they have always given me really good warnings.

I’ve never gotten within striking distance (that I know of) without hearing the signature “get the hell away from me or I will ruin your week” sound.

Unlike scorpions and a lot of other dangerous critters mentioned here.

 

[Inkleg]

Wow! That little one in the lower to middle left really blends in well......now that IS scary! I suppose they give no warning before striking, correct?

All snakes even nonpoisonous ones will rattle their tails when they feel threatened. But with no built in rattle attached you'd be lucky to hear a weird buzzing in the leaves just before you're bit.

 

[CodeSection]

All snakes even nonpoisonous ones will rattle their tails when they feel threatened. But with no built in rattle attached you'd be lucky to hear a weird buzzing in the leaves just before you're bit.

Yes, our garter snakes and bull snakes will rattle their tail. But as you say, if you do not see them, you may not know they are there. The black king snakes just race away...

 

[Saunassa]

I guess I will take my chances with the ticks, deer fly's and mosquitos of northern Minnesota. Can apply repellent and be for the most part ok.

 

[ehall]

code section, have you figured out how the rattler got inside? and plugged it up?

 

[CodeSection]

code section, have you figured out how the rattler got inside? and plugged it up?

I believe I know where it came in. The previous owner of the house had a break in 11+ years ago where someone kicked in the custom built French doors in the breakfast room. Since one door's wood splintered and a replacement door could not be found nor could the original carpenter that made them, a repair was made as best they could. However, that left a small gap at the bottom between the doors. See below.

I probably should replace the sweeps on the outside of the doors, but I believe the problem lies where the wood piece at the bottom splintered. In the 9+ years we have been in this house, this is a first. Maybe a piece of insulation molding might work.

 

[ehall]

I'm gonna guess that room isn't air conditioned! Yea, I would find a way to get that repaired. I'm in PHX and we don't get any critters in our house except for crickets. but I've got everything pretty well sealed off.

 

[CodeSection]

I'm gonna guess that room isn't air conditioned! Yea, I would find a way to get that repaired. I'm in PHX and we don't get any critters in our house except for crickets. but I've got everything pretty well sealed off.

Yep, the critters were probably just sitting out there enjoying the cool breeze coming out the door. I'll have to move the molding up my To-Do-List.

 

[corkybstewart]

Whoa...I have no clue about water moccasins or cotton mouths other than they are dangerous. Snakes and alligators .... no thank you.

I guess it really depends on how and where you were raised that some places seem more dangerous than others. For the locals, it is probably no big deal since they have learned what to watch for and how to go about their regular lives.

Water moccasins like to sun in tree branches, and they love to ride the river with people so they have a bad habit of dropping into boats that pass under those branches. I watched with uncontrolled mirth as one dropped into my brother's canoe and he and his wife ejected like they had been shot out of cannons. I live in SW New Mexico and have only seen one snake in the past 2 years-a coachwhip in some brush 100 feet from our house.