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Snakes

Take steps to help ensure your safety with our desert neighbors

Arizona is home to a wide variety of snakes.  These animals serve an important and effective role in rodent control. Without such predators, the disease and destruction for which rodents are responsible would increase.

Because many homes are built on or near wild land, and with the number of desert parks available for recreational use, reptile encounters are highly likely.

Help keep snakes away from your home with the following tips:

  • Eliminate rodents – a snake’s preferred food source – from around your home.

  • Move woodpiles and throw out junk from your yard to remove potential homes for snakes and their prey.

  • Erecting a wall will deter snakes from entering your yard. Solid walls 4 feet high with a 4-inch lip angling outward will discourage most snakes. Sink the bottom of the wall into the ground. Fill any tunnels burrowed by rodents.

  • Install gates snugly against the ground.

  • Keep walkways clear of brush.

  • Light pathways around your home.

If you encounter a snake, take the following steps to ensure your safety:

  • If you are in an undeveloped area, such as the desert or a park, leave the animal alone. Restrain your pet until the snake moves on. Warn others in the area.

  • If the snake is in a residential area, observe the reptile at a distance (at least 6 feet) and try to identify what type of snake it is. Do not try to kill or capture the snake yourself.

  • If the snake is determined to be poisonous and it poses an immediate risk to humans or a pet, call 911. Be sure to watch the snake’s movement, as it cannot be removed if it cannot be found.

  • If you or your pet is not in danger, leave the snake alone and allow it to make its way back into the desert.

If you or someone else is bitten by a poisonous snake, call 911 and seek medical attention immediately.

For more information, please contact the Scottsdale Fire Department at (480) 312-FIRE (3473).  

"A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Maricopa County" is available through the Arizona game and Fish. Visit www.azgfd.govleavingcos.gif (340 bytes) for more information.

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