Planet Pala: Snake Safety

Every spring in Pala animals begin to stir and travel, including snakes. Pala has numerous species of snake, such as gopher snakes and king snakes. All of our snakes are beneficial, and most of these species are harmless. Pala does have a few species of rattlesnakes that are venomous and potentially dangerous; however, rattlesnakes do not want to bite you and are easy to avoid.

Rattlesnakes  prefer to stay hidden, move around at night, and prey on small mammals like rats and mice. These animals can carry dangerous diseases and destroy crops. In fact, every spring animals test positive for plague on nearby Palomar Mountain. When rattlesnakes and other animals eat these rodents, they are most likely to catch the sick and injured ones, thus preventing the spread of disease. Unfortunately for us and rattlesnakes, they can also be deadly to people and pets.

Many people kill rattlesnakes – and many other snakes they assume are dangerous – as a first option. Most people who are bitten are harassing or killing a snake, and many of those are young men who have been drinking. Even a dead snake still has venom in its glands for a short time after death. As a result, people have been bitten by dead snakes. Walking away is the safest option.

The first line of defense against snakes is to keep them away from your home. Remove trash and debris from your property, keep vegetation trimmed, and keep rodents out of your home. If this doesn’t work and you still walk out one morning to find a rattlesnake in your garage, you now have another option.

During the regular work week when he is available, our wildlife biologist can safely remove rattlesnakes from in and around buildings. We also have safety equipment to assist with some other wildlife issues, like taking injured birds away for care or taking an angry squirrel out of a pool.  We are also happy to talk about ways to bring the wildlife we want closer to home, like how to set up a native garden for butterflies, and how to keep unwanted wildlife away from our homes.

If you have a snake or small animal emergency that we might be able to help resolve, please contact our office at: (760) 891-3510 or (760) 891-3550.