By Charlotte Herdliska
Summer is Coming! As the weather starts to warm up, Snakes will start waking up after a winters nap (though it wasn’t a very long nap) and looking for a meal. I can tell you that they are out there, the Corona de Tucson Fire Department has had numerous “desert pest removal” calls already. We are averaging about 1 – 2 snake calls a day. What to do if you find a snake in your yard, on your property, in your car or in your home? Call 911!
Stay away from the snake! Do not bother the snake! Do not poke or throw anything at the snake! Call 911 and tell the dispatcher that you have a snake, let them know where the snake is/was located. If you can safely observe the snake, please do so and tell the arriving crew the location it was last seen.
I put together the following information from various internet websites, I have fact checked with other local experts and believe that this information is correct.
What you may not know about snakes:
Kingsnakes are not venomous, and they are known to eat Rattlesnakes, isn’t that great? A Rattlesnake will stay out of a Kingsnake’s territory, another great fact! Snakes eat mice, rats and other small mammals, another good thing about snakes. Because snakes are reptiles, they are cold-blooded, which means they can’t make their own body heat the way you do. So many of them live in warmer areas, (like Vail, Arizona). Snake sleep studies have found that sleep comes in waves, at least 16 hours every day, and this may increase to 20 hours after the feeding.
How long do snakes live? Snakes reach sexual maturity within two to four years, depending on the species and living conditions. In perfect conditions, adult snakes live anywhere from 20 to 30 years, predators and the encroachment of humans severely limit the number of years most snakes live. Some snakes lay eggs. Snake eggs are not hard like bird eggs. They are soft like leather. The baby snakes break out by using a special egg tooth. They lose the egg tooth after they are born. Some snakes (like copperheads, boa constrictors, rattlesnakes, and garter snakes) give birth to live babies. They do not lay eggs.
In the United States, venomous snakes include rattlesnakes, copperheads, coral snakes and cottonmouths, (also called water moccasins). Non-venomous snakes don’t have venom or fangs, but they still have rows of very sharp teeth on the top and bottom of their mouth some can be aggressive (racers) and should be left alone.
Please contact your local Fire Marshal for a free Home Safety Survey
Corona de Tucson Fire: cherdliska@coronafire.org 762-9370
Rincon Valley Fire: Travis Mooney (520) 647-3760
