Rattlesnake question (not futbol obviously)

[j_dog]

Quote:
After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

I am serious, could this happen with a rattlesnake? Saturday, I went to town to watch Huntsville play its bi-district baseball game. When I got home, my wife calmly said she had a snake for me to kill. Now I normally leave them alone, as long as they leave me alone.

There in the yard peacefully curled up was this HUGE snake. He had been there for about an hour while my wife continued to work in her flower beds! Turned out to be a rattler, with nine rattlers. I didn't measure it, but it was probably at least five feet long, and very big around.

My wife had walked right by him, within two to three feet, and he just lay there! No movement, no rattle, no nothing! I said no movement, but he did move his head a bit so he was alive. But anyway, if a small explosion was reported north of Houston, that was just my wife screaming. Like I said, if he stays in his territory, I leave him alone. But my backyard is my territory. So I "dispatched" him. That is how I know exactly how many rattles he had.

But why in the world would he just lie there, seemingly in a daze, perhaps almost asleep? A friend suggested he had just dined on one of our many squirrels and was digesting it. Possible? What was going on?

I know many of you folks live in real rattler country. Any ideas? Maybe he was just tired of living?

[g$$]

Shoot him or chop head off?

[j_dog]

Originally posted by g$$
Shoot him or chop head off?
chopped, one lick. i am an old east texas boy so i know how to use an axe. :)

[espn1]

What was the temperature that day. Snake don't do much during cool weather. He was probably sunning. He could have been digesting something, or a combination of both. I've handled a lot of snakes and during cool weather they don't move very fast at all.

[g$$]

Originally posted by j_dog
chopped, one lick. i am an old east texas boy so i know how to use an axe. :)

Good for you, that's what I do too (or hoe/shovel). I hate snakes, flat scare the hell out of me. I would rather hunt wild boars & be less scared than I am of snakes!

[j_dog]

It definitely was a fairly warm day, perhaps in the eighties. Certainly no less than the seventies.

[STANG RED]

That behavior is a little odd for a rattlesnake. it's possible he may have been digesting and that may have had something to do with it. Also, keep in mind that snakes are reptiles and rely totaly on ambient temp. If it was 70 deg. the snake is 70 deg., which is quiet cool for a reptile. The hotter it is, the more active they are usually. It is also possible that he just could have been sick.
The best defense to help keep snakes away is to have outdoor cats. I grew up way out in the sticks just west of Sweetwater. Probably 50 or more snake dens within a mile of our house. But the only time we ever had a problem with snakes around the house was if we didnt have moma cats around. Toms are usless!!! Between the Coyotes and Bobcats we went through cats pretty fast though, so we were always having to replenish our supply. We always let the momas have as many babies as they could, but even then we would still run out every once in a while, and sure enough we would have snake problems without cats around.

[g$$]

Originally posted by STANG RED
That behavior is a little odd for a rattlesnake. it's possible he may have been digesting and that may have had something to do with it. Also, keep in mind that snakes are reptiles and rely totaly on ambient temp. If it was 70 deg. the snake is 70 deg., which is quiet cool for a reptile. The hotter it is, the more active they are usually. It is also possible that he just could have been sick.
The best defense to help keep snakes away is to have outdoor cats. I grew up way out in the sticks just west of Sweetwater. Probably 50 or more snake dens within a mile of our house. But the only time we ever had a problem with snakes around the house was if we didnt have moma cats around. Toms are usless!!! Between the Coyotes and Bobcats we went through cats pretty fast though, so we were always having to replenish our supply. We always let the momas have as many babies as they could, but even then we would still run out every once in a while, and sure enough we would have snake problems without cats around.

Same thing with rats, mice, etc. Cats are good for something I guess!

[j_dog]

Originally posted by g$$
Good for you, that's what I do too (or hoe/shovel). I hate snakes, flat scare the hell out of me. I would rather hunt wild boars & be less scared than I am of snakes!
actually, I held his head down with a shovel with my left hand, and sent him to peaceful sleep with with the axe in my right hand. but I thought that might be too much detail for some folks.

But, seriously, I just watch them go if they just leave me alone. I figure they catch enough rats and other vermin to earn their place in nature. But my backyard is the WRONG place.

[j_dog]

My first thought was that he was just sick. Then maybe just too old? Can you tell the age by the rattles? What is old for a rattlesnake?

[STANG RED]

Originally posted by j_dog
My first thought was that he was just sick. Then maybe just too old? Can you tell the age by the rattles? What is old for a rattlesnake?

They get a new button on their rattle every time they shed, which is all dependent on when and how much they eat. Most will do it 2 to 4 times per year, but some may only do it once, and some my do it more than 4. It just all depends on their meals, and they are very poor hunters, so that can vary from year to year greatly. The oldest one on record was something like 22 or 23 years old, but he was raised in perfect conditions in captivity. 10 to 12 is pretty old for a rattlesnake in the wild.
The biggest natural rattle I ever saw had like 26 buttons on it, but that is very rare. Most will get caught between rocks or something and get snapped off before getting more than 8 to 10 buttons on them. And they just naturally deteriourate in time as well. They are just dry dead skin, much like our fingernails.
Those real odd rattles that you may see on display from time to time that may have 30 or more buttons, are ones that somebody has carefully matched up using many different rattles, and have just snapped them together. you can usually tell pretty easily if you look close.

[j_dog]

Thank you for explaining about the rattles. The part at the end (away from the head) looks like it may have been broken off.

I appreciate everyone's comments. I knew we had to have some rattlesnake experts out there. :)

I recognize all those Sweetwater type names, but where are the Navasota Rattler people? :D