Living With Snakes
HELP! There’s a snake in my yard — what should I do?
Killing or moving snakes is a quick fix, not a solution. Where there’s one, there’s likely to be more. Most bites happen when people handle or try to kill snakes, so to keep your family safe try these alternatives.
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Make your yard less attractive to snakes
- Don’t feed or water pets or wildlife on the ground
- Don’t create shelter for snakes or their prey with debris piles
- Lush vegetation and water attract snakes and their prey too
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An Arizona black rattlesnake hunting on a woodpile.
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Fence snakes out
- 4ft high with solid buried footing
- Smooth solid or 1/4in (or finer) galvanized mesh
- Cover drainage areas with 1/4in (or finer) galvanized mesh
- Look for trees and shrubs that give climbers a way in (all snakes can climb)
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Photo courtesy Rattlesnake Solutions — they’ll install snake fencing for you in Tucson and Phoenix, AZ.
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Learn to live safely with your wild neighbors
- Use lights when walking at night
- Create clear, wide paths for safe walking
- Watch where you put your hands and feet
- Use a long stick to disturb vegetation and any animals hiding within it
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How to Live With Snakes
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It is not only possible to live with venomous snakes, but can be very rewarding. Snakes are important predators and prey — their presence indicates a healthy and productive ecosystem. Learn to live with them and appreciate your encounters.
THE SECRET LIVES OF SNAKES
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Rattlesnakes have friends (video available for media use).
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Male rattlesnakes may court females for days or weeks (video available for media use).
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Even fights are non-violent and rarely result in injury (video available for media use).
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Rattlesnakes give birth to live babies and take care of their kids (video courtesy Brendan O’Connor).
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