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ot, non political. Swimming with snakes ! Zona !

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rgc7

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Jun 23, 2012
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I really had an eye opener this morning. I got out of bed, walked into the yard, and walked around my pool to check that nothing was in the water. The pool looked clear as a bell. So I jumped in. Lo and behold ! A Diamond Back rattler swam about two inches past me.
I just just froze , and watched the snake settle on the opposite side of the pool about two feet away from me.
The stairs were about 12 feet away from me on the far end of the pool ! I walked slowly backward
Towards the stairs watching the snake, and hoping and praying that he stayed put and did not swim
Over by me ?
Thank the Lord, that I got to the steps, and slowly, very slowly, got out of the pool !
Once out, I got my deep net skimmer, skimmed the snake out, placed him over a low wall surrounding my yard, and killed the snake with the back end of the net pole.
I then jumped back into the pool just to not be fearful of swimming in my pool, but it was still an
Umconfortabe feeling !
From here on out, I'll skim the pool and bang the skimmer around the sides and corners before
Jumping into the pool !
Boy ! Did that snake give me a wake up call !
 
Last edited:
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Glad you escaped, and glad you got it.

Its not nearly the same thing, but years ago an old and poorly tended building was torn down in my old neighborhood to make way for new construction. Its fleeing rats caused a temporary rat infestation in the neighboring buildings. So one hot summer Saturday night sitting on the couch with my windows open, I heard rustling coming from my kitchen. Went to investigate, and an absolutely giant rat - the type that could play NT in a 3-4 - ran behind my oven. I grabbed some shoes and a broom, opened the back door, started hunting for it. I pulled to oven out from the cabinets, opened the door thinking I might chase it out (they're fast), but it was nowhere to be found. I went room by room, closet by closet. Nothing.

For a long time, every creak and every shadow, in my mind, signaled the triumphant return of the rat king.

If it had been a diamondback, I would have had to move. I'd been seeing snakes everywhere. .
 
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rgc7 said:
I really had an eye opener this morning. I got out of bed, walked into the yard, and walked around my pool to check that nothing was in the water. The pool looked clear as a bell. So I jumped in. Lo and behold ! A Diamond Back rattler swam about two inches past me.
I just just froze , and watched the snake settle on the opposite side of the pool about two feet away from me.
The stairs were about 12 feet away from me on the far end of the pool ! I walked slowly backward
Towards the stairs watching the snake, and hoping and praying that he stayed put and did not swim
Over by me ?
Thank the Lord, that I got to the steps, and slowly, very slowly, got out of the pool !
Once out, I got my deep net skimmer, skimmed the snake out, placed him over a low wall surrounding my yard, and killed the snake with the back end of the net pole.
I then jumped back into the pool just to not be fearful of swimming in my pool, but it was still an
Umconfortabe feeling !
From here on out, I'll skim the pool and bang the skimmer around the sides and corners before
Jumping into the pool !
Boy ! Did that snake give me a wake up call !
Click to expand...
Damn, couldn't imagine and I live in FL. I know I'll get flack but the only good snake is a dead snake!
 
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IRISHJD98 said:
Glad you escaped, and glad you got it.

Its not nearly the same thing, but years ago an old and poorly tended building was torn down in my old neighborhood to make way for new construction. Its fleeing rats caused a temporary rat infestation in the neighboring buildings. So one hot summer Saturday night sitting on the couch with my windows open, I heard rustling coming from my kitchen. Went to investigate, and an absolutely giant rat - the type that could play NT in a 3-4 - ran behind my oven. I grabbed some shoes and a broom, opened the back door, started hunting for it. I pulled to oven out from the cabinets, opened the door thinking I might chase it out (they're fast), but it was nowhere to be found. I went room by room, closet by closet. Nothing.

For a long time, every creak and every shadow, in my mind, signaled the triumphant return of the rat king.

If it had been a diamondback, I would have had to move. I'd been seeing snakes everywhere. .
Click to expand...
 
rgc7, you will that will make you think twice before jumping in on-going
 
Irish John,
I was born and raised in the slums of NYC, and those buildings were infested with rats, so I had no fear of them. They were a fact of Life.
Out here in Arizona , we have hugh Pack Rats, so I set rat traps all around the house. That is what I was checking the pool for this morning, because the Rats are attracted to the pool for water out here in the desert. So I fish out a dead rat from time to time. Usually, the Pack Rats stay outdoors, so we have not had
Any in our house.
Snakes are another thing ! When the house was under construction, I darn near stepped on a large Diamond Back not paying attention to where I was walking. The snake was just sunning himself and I came
About two feet from him before I caught him out of the corner of my eye and made a quick sidestep !
However, swimming with one was a very kind of helpless feeling, and those things can really swim
Very well. I am one lucky guy not to have been struck when I jumped into the water and started to splash around ! God was with me !
If so, I could now be dead or suffering great pain , and even survivors of rattlesnake bite can lose
A body part.
 
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Zona,
I am usually very cautious , but this morning , I just did not see the darn snake. I usually open up my
Skimmer basket, but I think that the pool looked so clean that I did not open the basket up. The snake
Was most likely in the basket and when I jumped into the pool, the basket flapped most likely opened,
And the snake came out ?
I'll have to get some type of hook to pull open the basket cover rather that do it by hand. Had I stuck
My singers into the holes to open the basket, I could have been struck on the hand ?
Are you also in the foothills ? Snakes have really been out and around this year ?
 
Quest ,
You got that right ! If there out in the Wild OK ! If I see one on my property, he is a danger to my family,
and I kill him ! They are just both too dangerous and deadly to have on ones property !
 
rgc7 said:
I really had an eye opener this morning. I got out of bed, walked into the yard, and walked around my pool to check that nothing was in the water. The pool looked clear as a bell. So I jumped in. Lo and behold ! A Diamond Back rattler swam about two inches past me.
I just just froze , and watched the snake settle on the opposite side of the pool about two feet away from me.
The stairs were about 12 feet away from me on the far end of the pool ! I walked slowly backward
Towards the stairs watching the snake, and hoping and praying that he stayed put and did not swim
Over by me ?
Thank the Lord, that I got to the steps, and slowly, very slowly, got out of the pool !
Once out, I got my deep net skimmer, skimmed the snake out, placed him over a low wall surrounding my yard, and killed the snake with the back end of the net pole.
I then jumped back into the pool just to not be fearful of swimming in my pool, but it was still an
Umconfortabe feeling !
From here on out, I'll skim the pool and bang the skimmer around the sides and corners before
Jumping into the pool !
Boy ! Did that snake give me a wake up call !
Click to expand...
Rattlers are actually kind of timid, he wouldn't have gone toward you, but he would have defended himself if you had gone toward him and he didn't have as escape route. If they have an escape route they will usually use it. Copperheads are not timid, stay clear of those suckers.
 
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twalsh said:
Rattlers are actually kind of timid, he wouldn't have gone toward you, but he would have defended himself if you had gone toward him and he didn't have as escape route. If they have an escape route they will usually use it. Copperheads are not timid, stay clear of those suckers.
Click to expand...
This depends in part on the area you're talking about. I hate snakes, and rattlers in particular. We live in the Sierra foothills in Northen Calif. and we see and kill about two rattlers a year on our property. The ones here are exactly as you describe. They are pretty timid and for the most part defensive. I grew up in the desert in Southern Calif where the rattle snakes are a hell of a lot more aggressive. Don't know about the ones RGC deals with in Arizona. Regardless, I probably would have had a damn heart attack if I had that encounter in a damn pool, or lake, etc... or a panic attack which would have caused the rattler to strike. Good for RGC's calm outer response!
 
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rgc7 said:
I really had an eye opener this morning. I got out of bed, walked into the yard, and walked around my pool to check that nothing was in the water. The pool looked clear as a bell. So I jumped in. Lo and behold ! A Diamond Back rattler swam about two inches past me.
I just just froze , and watched the snake settle on the opposite side of the pool about two feet away from me.
The stairs were about 12 feet away from me on the far end of the pool ! I walked slowly backward
Towards the stairs watching the snake, and hoping and praying that he stayed put and did not swim
Over by me ?
Thank the Lord, that I got to the steps, and slowly, very slowly, got out of the pool !
Once out, I got my deep net skimmer, skimmed the snake out, placed him over a low wall surrounding my yard, and killed the snake with the back end of the net pole.
I then jumped back into the pool just to not be fearful of swimming in my pool, but it was still an
Umconfortabe feeling !
From here on out, I'll skim the pool and bang the skimmer around the sides and corners before
Jumping into the pool !
Boy ! Did that snake give me a wake up call !
Click to expand...

That is why it is very important to apply 'Snake-Guard' before entering a pool in areas where snakes are known to habitate.
 
Quest,
I hope that you are not in the path of the hurricane coming up the East Coast ? Hope it doesn't hit,
But if it does, stay safe !
 
Does SnakeGuard work ? How and where does one apply it ?
 
twalsh said:
Rattlers are actually kind of timid, he wouldn't have gone toward you, but he would have defended himself if you had gone toward him and he didn't have as escape route. If they have an escape route they will usually use it. Copperheads are not timid, stay clear of those suckers.
Click to expand...
 
I was actually not serious, but as turns out there actually are products that do repell snakes.
They are spread or sprayed.
 
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Telx, Jwalsh,

You guys are correct that the rattlers will in most cases try to avoid humans, but being in the pool
With one is a pretty confined space, or at least it seemed that way to me ? Luckily, my splashing around
Before it swam by me did not cause it to strike ! Probably , more lucky that I didn't strike it with my hand
Before I saw it.
My wife loves to garden, and I am constantly warning her to save the gardening for the late Fall,
After the snakes hibinate. When I first moved out here , I had an air conditioner repair man do some work for me. He and I got into a conversation, and he told me that he had been an organic gardener. He had a plot of land some distance from the main road. He used to drive his moped to get to his property.
One day he was out there weeding and a rattler struck him on his arm. He called 911' got on his moped , made it to the main road and fell unconscious.
Luckily , the responders got to him on time, got him to the hospital where he got the anti venom
Shots. He was close to dying, but survived. However, he almost lost his arm. The scars on his arm were really bad. He told me that he never goes near any type of garden anymore.
 
I've never seen a rattler in the wild, but have seen both copperheads and cottonmouths near the river near my home. It sure feels good sitting in my house typing on the computer!
 
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I had a diamond back in my backyard last year. I had to kill it it mean lucky for me my dog saw and barked and jumped away
 
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Patrick,
When I lived at the beach in NC, we had copperheads that could be aggressive , but my understanding is that their venom is not as deadly as rattlers, and cotton mouths are not only more aggressive but the most deadly of the three !
One of my neighbors lived on a large property in South Africa. He told me that he was told That is you get struck by a Black Mumba, " Remain calm,sit under a shady tree, and you will be dead in about three minutes !"
Talk about a deadly snake !
Out here we have two deadly snakes the Diamond Back and the coral snake. We see lots of rattlers, but rarely , and hopefully never, come in contact with a coral snake !
 
zonairish said:
I had a diamond back in my backyard last year. I had to kill it it mean lucky for me my dog saw and barked and jumped away
Click to expand...

Zona,
Good thing your dog alerted you ! We are right up against the foothills surrounded by Dinosaur mountain, Superstition Montain, and , of course, Rattlesnake Mountain ! I though that the last one was just a
Colorful name, boy, was I wrong, that mountain is really true to its name!
How did a big city guy like me end up living out here with all these darn snakes and scorpions ?
One thing though, the views and the weather are outstanding !
Just an aside, my grandson is at ASU, and worked about a month with a gardener in Tucson this summer !
 
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rgc7 said:
Quest ,
You got that right ! If there out in the Wild OK ! If I see one on my property, he is a danger to my family,
and I kill him ! They are just both too dangerous and deadly to have on ones property !
Click to expand...
Here in FL, the majority of pool owners have it screened in. How does it work in AZ?
 
Coral snakes are extremely dangerous. Their venom attacks the nervous system if I remember correctly. You don't hear much about them and that's a good thing.
 
rgc7 said:
Quest,
I hope that you are not in the path of the hurricane coming up the East Coast ? Hope it doesn't hit,
But if it does, stay safe !
Click to expand...
Thanks rgc...we are on the NE side of Florida and it should hit SW first. Hate to sound selfish but hopefully that slows it down before getting to us.
 
Snakes are cool as hell. I see all kinds in Mississippi. I have some rattle snakes that live under my house. They know I give them an all animals Sanctuary. God doesn't like the Bible because it gives snakes a bad name. Superstition is the death of Knowledge and beauty. Love nature--God created it , including snakes.
 
Quest4Twelve said:
Thanks rgc...we are on the NE side of Florida and it should hit SW first. Hate to sound selfish but hopefully that slows it down before getting to us.
Click to expand...

Quest,
I know what you mean about hoping it hits in another place. When I lived at the beach in NC,
We always hoped that it a huricane hit that ir would hit North of Cape Fear. It it. Hit South of Cape Fear
We got the brunt of it.
Since we now live in Arizona, the beach house got to be too much of a hassle, so we just sold it about
Six months ago. The flood insurance was just going through the roof, I can just imagine after Harvey just
How much the flood insurance will be ! Then if Irma hits, the flood insurance will even go higher !
Stay safe !
 
Bodizephax said:
Snakes are cool as hell. I see all kinds in Mississippi. I have some rattle snakes that live under my house. They know I give them an all animals Sanctuary. God doesn't like the Bible because it gives snakes a bad name. Superstition is the death of Knowledge and beauty. Love nature--God created it , including snakes.
Click to expand...
 
Bodi ,
I too love animals and tried to give a baby wild cat sanctuary in my back yard. He look hurt and
Hungry, but when I tried to feed him he just ran away.
Snakes are another story. One snake bite can really ruin ones life rather quickly.
We are both big Chesty Puller admirers ( I guess I already told you that I crossed paths with him on
A number of occasions) . In any case, I read someplace that he also had a lot of snakes around his house !
Semper Fi, Brother !
 
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