Uncle Ron Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 Apparently the rattlers moved in permanent to the tunnels our dog dug in her old kennel...And came out to enjoy the Arizona sunshine with the upper 70 degree weather...Just bit our long time cat buddy, Jose, and killed him...He died very fast....Didn't make it over 3 feet from the tunnel....We had him over 10 years and he was a good cat...I'm gonna saturate the tunnels with gasoline and set them off...Tried flooding them with water today without results...Not much cheers today at the loss of our good buddy who brought me mice every day even if I wasn't hungry....Unc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendo Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 Unc, Do what we used to do for gophers, stick a road flare down their holes. That ought to get them out . Hendo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 Sorry to hear about your cat Ron. Our animals are part of our families and the grief is as real. That's very sad.Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 Ron. This heat spell is plenty warm enough to bring the buzztails out. I was very watchfull Saturday while detecting , and got a good scare when I stuck my coil in some dryed weeds and the resulting rustling of the dead material sounded just like a rattler. I didn't know I could jump 6 feet backwards anymore. I don't worry too much usually this time of year, but temps 10 degrees higher than normal changes everything. Sorry about your kitty, but at least it doesn't sound like he suffered much. Try heaping dirt on top of the tunnels and filling them in. Rattlers aren't good at digging and they always use holes that were dug by rodents and badgers etc. Doubt that they can make their way through a dirt mound. ----Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZNuggetBob Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 Apparently the rattlers moved in permanent to the tunnels our dog dug in her old kennel...And came out to enjoy the Arizona sunshine with the upper 70 degree weather...Just bit our long time cat buddy, Jose, and killed him...He died very fast....Didn't make it over 3 feet from the tunnel....We had him over 10 years and he was a good cat...I'm gonna saturate the tunnels with gasoline and set them off...Tried flooding them with water today without results...Not much cheers today at the loss of our good buddy who brought me mice every day even if I wasn't hungry....UncHi Ron sorry about your cat. I'll pm you a solution for your problem. AzNuggetBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnigmaticEngineer Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 Hey Ron. I know I don't know you personally, but you've been a good source of information during my quest to be a better prospector. I am sorry to hear about your cat. Like DOC said, our animal friends are part of our family and the greif is real. I hope you and yours are coping well.Nathan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredm Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 Unc, gasoline will just evaporate...try some thing that is heavier than air, like propane or ether...just be sure there aren't any sparks or ignition sources or you will get a big surprise...Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicDan Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Sorry to hear about your cat. Please be careful with gas. I have been on many calls for people that were flashed burned with gasoline. I have a little different approach for you. I do not post often, but really wanted to jump in here. Get some king snakes on your property. They do not bite humans. If you find a King, you will not see a rattlesnake in that area anywhere. Rattlesnakes will high tail it out of there when they smell the king. I have watched King snakes kill rattlesnakes twice their size. Ranchers love King snakes. You also need to find out why you had a rattlesnake. He was most likely there because you have a food source. Again a King will take care of that.I have a background in herpetology. If you want to talk about your snake problem, you are welcome to call me or email. I can stop by your property sometime and take a look if you like. When you get rid of the one that is there, another will move in as long as there is a source of food available. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Ron Posted January 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Dan, this problem began a couple years ago when the A-hole neighbor quit using the public garbage service and just created his own dump...Then he got evicted but had to clean up the garbage--couple years worth--So he rented a big loader and buried the garbage...Of course, the round tailed ground squirls moved in by the hundreds and they're still there...That's when we started have rattler problems...I think they went to our dog kennel because there was water there, then discovered the very deep tunnels our dog had dug and moved in...We never have allowed pet food to be out there anywhere...I'm just gonna fill the holes in after I dump that naptha-based snake repellent in...Thanks for the info...Cheers, Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZNuggetBob Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Dan, this problem began a couple years ago when the A-hole neighbor quit using the public garbage service and just created his own dump...Then he got evicted but had to clean up the garbage--couple years worth--So he rented a big loader and buried the garbage...Of course, the round tailed ground squirls moved in by the hundreds and they're still there...That's when we started have rattler problems...I think they went to our dog kennel because there was water there, then discovered the very deep tunnels our dog had dug and moved in...We never have allowed pet food to be out there anywhere...I'm just gonna fill the holes in after I dump that naptha-based snake repellent in...Thanks for the info...Cheers, RonWow Ron you didnt mention the dump when we talked. My brother just got done with a similar job down the street. an old guy I new decided to do the same thing and used a gully behind his house for a dump for years and when he passed away his relatives solved the problem by just covering it up with dirt. that just made it a bigger problem. it was filled with large items also and created cavities under ground. well the squirrels and chipmunks moved in first and then the snakes followed. anyway my brother just spent almost a month digging it back out with a backhoe and hauling to the dump for the real estate people. the method I advised may not work if its that big of a problem? I agree with Dan, king snakes would be a great way to solve the problem. just have to come up with the king snakes. AzNuggetBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicDan Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Wow Ron you didnt mention the dump when we talked. My brother just got done with a similar job down the street. an old guy I new decided to do the same thing and used a gully behind his house for a dump for years and when he passed away his relatives solved the problem by just covering it up with dirt. that just made it a bigger problem. it was filled with large items also and created cavities under ground. well the squirrels and chipmunks moved in first and then the snakes followed. anyway my brother just spent almost a month digging it back out with a backhoe and hauling to the dump for the real estate people. the method I advised may not work if its that big of a problem? I agree with Dan, king snakes would be a great way to solve the problem. just have to come up with the king snakes. AzNuggetBobCalifornia Kings are easy to come by. If you need some, let me know where about you live and I will see if I know a herper in your area. You just need one or two, as long as they have food they will make themselves at home. Rattle snakes will be no where near that place. Kings, not Bull (aka Gohper) snakes. I am out all the time on snake hunts, rescues, and research projects. I can save you a few if I find them. I'm sure there is a herper in your area that would be happy to help you out. Kings do not bite. You can freely pick them up in the wild. The worst that will happen is they will poop on you. The other alternative is to dig up all that trash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Ron Posted January 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Yo Dan...We have one or two small king snakes around tha I have seen, but we obviously could welcome more...Let me know what you have available...I like those black and white guys...Cheers, Unc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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