Rattlesnake(s) Under the Shipping Container

[ustmd]

Definitely working on the "not getting bite" part.

I have so many moth balls in the area now, you can litterally smell it before you can see it:laughing:

 

[Redneck in training]

I wouldn't kill the snake. I hate rodents so I would consider the snake a friend. He is there because there is apparently food near by.

 

[johnrex62]

I wouldn't kill the snake. I hate rodents so I would consider the snake a friend. He is there because there is apparently food near by.

If this particular snake was not deadly and living in close proximity to people, I would agree with you. However, unless the OP has the ability to safely relocate this particular snake to a more remote habitat with small chance of it returning to the container, I would recommend termination of the snake.

A person's well being is much more important to me than the reduction of a rodent population. There are other means toward that end. I typically cohabitate with gopher snakes, grass snake, coach whips, etc... but I do not willingly provide housing near me for rattlesnakes, copperheads, cotton mouth or coral snakes. These species may apply elsewhere. When I see them on the road or woods, I tend to avoid them and leave them alone. When I see them near my house or buildings, they become an endangered individual.

 

[ustmd]

I wouldn't kill the snake. I hate rodents so I would consider the snake a friend. He is there because there is apparently food near by.

Normally, I would relocate the snake or let it go. Unfortunately, he is to big to try to move any distance safely and with a 4 year old running around, the equation changes.

 

[forgeblast]

Your not kidding about the price of the antivenom. We were going to go rockclimbing, and we wanted to make sure that if on a ledge we could not see and we got bit that we would be protected so we checked into the antivenom. whew not something you would want to keep on hand its $$$$. then again look at how you have to get it, milking snakes to me isnt a job i would want.

 

[Damifino]

Normally, I would relocate the snake or let it go. Unfortunately, he is to big to try to move any distance safely and with a 4 year old running around, the equation changes.

With a 4 year old in the equation, I will stick by my earlier post, I,m not one to kill every critter that comes around, but hey, were talking about a poisionous critter here capable of killing adults and kids . "Cookem Dano"

 

[AHNC]

"Rattlesnakes and under" gives me the willies...still. In '79 I was a contractor in N CA. I was working alone up on the mtn on a small place that had been a servants qtrs at some point in its early days. A fuse had blown and the 4 fuse box was down under the floor opposite the crawl hole thru the foundation. There was no screening on the access hole and all I had was one of those old D-cell flashlights that you had to keep banging to keep going. I had to get this done so with great trepidation, in I went. I got across the probably 16" crawl space and got the fuse changed, turned around and there were two rattelsnakes. One on either side of the access hole. My light was out, dusk, and I had no way of knowing if there were others. Except where the daylight was I could not see. I tried my absolute best to push the floor up. Finally, I had to get myself squared away (I admit that it was exceedingly difficult) and start to one side in hopes that there were no others on the chosen side, and that the two were willing to give way. I made it out with no scars, well the physical kind anyway. I learned a lot about myself under there, most of it not good

Good luck with your problem. Oh, and next year I'm moving back to CA and have a house that has a 16" crawl space I will have to spend a bunch of time under. Plenty of lights and the Smith model 63 or 60 with snake shot...at least! Actually, I've heard you can hire some darned fool to do this kind of work!

 

[RobertBrown]

If this particular snake was not deadly and living in close proximity to people, I would agree with you. However, unless the OP has the ability to safely relocate this particular snake to a more remote habitat with small chance of it returning to the container, I would recommend termination of the snake.

A person's well being is much more important to me than the reduction of a rodent population. There are other means toward that end. I typically cohabitate with gopher snakes, grass snake, coach whips, etc... but I do not willingly provide housing near me for rattlesnakes, copperheads, cotton mouth or coral snakes. These species may apply elsewhere. When I see them on the road or woods, I tend to avoid them and leave them alone. When I see them near my house or buildings, they become an endangered individual.

Well said Johnrex62, I agree 100%. There is no shortage of rattlesnakes and it's not like you are going out and rounding them up.
As far as relocating goes...that's your call but we've read about the risks and how much it can cost if you get bit. Would have been a lot cheaper to lose the finger. So that finger is worth 70k. You could build a very large snake proof building for 70k and keep your fingers.
Just shoot it first chance you get.
There are lots of non venomous rodent eating snakes that will benfit from the demise of this varmint.

 

[Reg]

Yes, all of that...
Won't the mothballs ALSO drive out a large percentage of the rodents as well ?
Perhaps MORE than the snakes would gobble up if you kept the snakes ...speculating here.

I'd just go with the mothballs, then watch and wait.

 

[Jeff Quinn]

"Rattlesnakes and under" gives me the willies...still. In '79 I was a contractor in N CA. I was working alone up on the mtn on a small place that had been a servants qtrs at some point in its early days. A fuse had blown and the 4 fuse box was down under the floor opposite the crawl hole thru the foundation. There was no screening on the access hole and all I had was one of those old D-cell flashlights that you had to keep banging to keep going. I had to get this done so with great trepidation, in I went. I got across the probably 16" crawl space and got the fuse changed, turned around and there were two rattelsnakes. One on either side of the access hole. My light was out, dusk, and I had no way of knowing if there were others. Except where the daylight was I could not see. I tried my absolute best to push the floor up. Finally, I had to get myself squared away (I admit that it was exceedingly difficult) and start to one side in hopes that there were no others on the chosen side, and that the two were willing to give way. I made it out with no scars, well the physical kind anyway. I learned a lot about myself under there, most of it not good

Good luck with your problem. Oh, and next year I'm moving back to CA and have a house that has a 16" crawl space I will have to spend a bunch of time under. Plenty of lights and the Smith model 63 or 60 with snake shot...at least! Actually, I've heard you can hire some darned fool to do this kind of work!

My best hope would have been that the smell of massive amounts of human feces would have driven them away!

That Model 63 with CCI 22 shotshells will pattern much better than the 38 shotshells from the Model 60.

Jeff