Have you ever made a snake catching tool (for home use)?

a naturalist here in Arizona told me that it is misguided and useless to 'relocate' rattlers. They're extremely territorial and if you move them, they either come back, or die. the rattlers, not the naturalists.

Reply to
Robert Macy
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Die sounds good...IMHO all poisonous snakes should die. Ol' Noah made a few mistakes in his collection of critters.

Reply to
Roy

There is a ton of misinformation out there, and, this one appears to be incorrect (just as the baby-rattlers-are-more-dangerous myth is).

I read the articles on relocation, where they inserted tracking devices in adult rattlers, and most survived. I also read articles where they tracked baby rattlers, and even more survived, than did the adults.

What the tracking articles said was that the older a rattler gets, the more it seeks out the same type of den as it was in before. They wander about until they find just such a den. This wandering exposes them to dangers, so you want to minimize their wanderlust. The experts suggest we move them to a familiar style of location, where they can find a den sooner than if we move them to a non-familiar style of location.

When I spoke by phone to a number of rattler relocation experts, they all told me that a few hundred yards should be far enough that the rattler wouldn't likely return.

In fact, one even featured "my" young rattler in his blog post!

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Reply to
Danny D

You must be a rat fan.

Arizona was pretty effective in killing all the rattlesnakes, then they were over run with rats that were decimating their signature cactus.

Reply to
gfretwell

If I successfully relocate a poisonous snake, he's just as good as "dead" to me, as he won't harm me or anyone else after I put him in the ravine.

He's as much a part of the ecosystem as I am. I walk in that ravine all the time; I just don't want him around the kids in the yard (although I hope something gets that pesky gopher, which, I might add, is apparently immune to pool chemicals poured down his holes!).

Besides, killing a single snake, statistically, will have zero effect overall on the snake population (likewise as saving that one snake of course).

However, I'm still studying whether a relocated snake will return to the original location, even if his relocation site is suitable (as I believe mine is).

Here's a specific study on rattlesnake-relocation efficacy:

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Their results are a bit confusing because, in one sentence they advocate short-distance relocation (5 miles); yet, in another part of the study, they state that even shorter-distance relocation (

Reply to
Danny D

Plus, it adds to the population of varmint who would otherwise be dinner for the poisonous snakes ...

Nonetheless, these snakes don't seem to be endangered, at least not here in California ...

Reply to
Danny D

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