BajaNomad - RATTLESNAKE ALERT

RATTLESNAKE ALERT

Bronco - 3-5-2009 at 07:55 AM

A friend was walking her 3 dogs in the hills of Cantu, one small and 2 larger. The small on got hit 4
times and the larger got hit once each. The small one died the larger lived.
Because of the spring type weather apparently they are on the move. From the description it was a red Diamondback.

I was surprised that rattlers struck multiply times.

Lauriboats - 3-5-2009 at 08:04 AM

We see alot more of them in the warmer weather, last April I came across 4 of them, thanks for the reminder.

Russ - 3-5-2009 at 08:06 AM

Good info/alert. I also believed a rattler was only effective for one maybe two effective strikes. Maybe their poison sacks are full after sleeping the winter away. Interesting? I was just thinking about the booster this morning on the walk. Maybe the beach route now.

ckiefer - 3-5-2009 at 08:06 AM

Thanks to the small pup for taking it 4 times to save his/her master and canine friend.

CortezBlue - 3-5-2009 at 08:29 AM

Rattlesnake FAQ:

Living in the desert around Phoenix, we have to deal with snakes every spring. A few things to know about rattlesnakes

1. They are cold blooded and are looking for warmth and will be coming out to sun themselves. They are very slow moving when they are extremely cold or extremely hot. So during the warmth of a spring day they are very active.

2. The snakes are sheding their skins now and during this process are blinded. Due to this the snakes will strike using thermal sensors and in most cases will not rattle first. This is why more people are bitten during this time of year.

3. When we have children visiting during the spring I ALWAYS tell them not to grab under bushes, boulders etc. if they are playing with balls or any toys.

mulegemichael - 3-5-2009 at 08:49 AM

where is cantu?

Cantu

Bronco - 3-5-2009 at 08:55 AM

Its a small town on the road from Maneadero to La Bufadora.

Paulina - 3-5-2009 at 09:09 AM

Thank you Bronco, I just passed the order that there will be no off road walking, hunting, exploring on foot until we get snake chaps. I wonder if my horse half chaps would suffice?

P<*)))>{

Snakes

tehag - 3-5-2009 at 09:18 AM

Probably going to be out early this year. Pretty mild winter and warming up fast. Watch for the red harvester ants, they come out for the same reasons. When they appear, the snakes will be along soon. Don't put your hands or feet where you can't see clearly, and you should be OK.

longlegsinlapaz - 3-5-2009 at 10:57 AM

A construction worker came across a 5' diamondback in front of my gate in the Lomas Centenario area on December 15 <shudder>!!!!!! Because of the close proximity to my casa & my animals, he bought it a one-way ticket to vibora heaven!

bajaguy - 3-5-2009 at 11:07 AM

You should get your dogs anti-venom vaccinations/boosters as soon as possible. Additionally, you should see if you can enroll your dog in a rattlesnake avoidance training class.

I know they have the classes stateside, not sure about Baja. Check with your local vet, gun or hunting club for info.

DENNIS - 3-5-2009 at 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajaguy
You should get your dogs anti-venom vaccinations/boosters as soon as possible. Additionally, you should see if you can enroll your dog in a rattlesnake avoidance training class.

I know they have the classes stateside, not sure about Baja. Check with your local vet, gun or hunting club for info.

There's one somewhere in San Diego. I've seen it featured on the news.

longlegsinlapaz - 3-5-2009 at 11:40 AM

Quote:

And my impossible to keep inside my fence-line cat? :?:

My dogs never run loose, they're restricted to a solidly walled in area at the furtherest-most point from the front gates; it's the cat who makes a beeline to get outside my wall into the surrounding "wilds" that I believe would be more likely to encounter rattlers. :no:

Will have to talk with my vet about feline/canine anti-venom vaccine.

At a previous casa, I've seen how my dogs react to snakes, they tag-team in & out & it was impossible to get them to leave it alone....it took two people to physically pick them up & get them in the house while a third was shooting rattler with a pellet rifle. That incident played a huge role in the design of present casa & limited dog access to one well-protected & enclosed area behind my casa.

But interestingly enough, I have been able to train ONE of them to audibly alert me to scorpions & stand back while I smash the scorpion snot out of it with a flyswatter. :bounce:

The other dog doesn't go after scorpions.

BajaNomad - 3-5-2009 at 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

There's one somewhere in San Diego. I've seen it featured on the news.

Apparently there are a few. Simply Google:
dog rattlesnake avoidance

Here are a couple of results:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/outdoors/20080308-9999-...

http://www.kindredspiritsk9.com/snakes.html

bajaguy - 3-5-2009 at 11:55 AM

Legs.....I know that the avoidance classes worked for my Yellow Lab......maybe they have one for cats???.. :lol:

Oh, by the way, I would trade in that pellet rifle for a 20 gauge shotgun!!!!!

longlegsinlapaz - 3-5-2009 at 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajaguy
Legs.....I know that the avoidance classes worked for my Yellow Lab......maybe they have one for cats???.. :lol:

Oh, by the way, I would trade in that pellet rifle for a 20 gauge shotgun!!!!!

I'm not sure which ranks highest on my abhorrence list....snakes or guns! Besides, it was an amigo's pellet rifle....that's what's legal here. :yes:

Forgive me, but as much as I love my animals, I ain't driving them all to San Diego for a class!

Edit: Pellet rifle had small metal objects in it & it did the trick with a couple close head shots.

[Edited on 3-5-2009 by longlegsinlapaz]

vandenberg - 3-5-2009 at 12:47 PM

Cats are too fast for rattlers and have an instinctal way of avoiding getting bit. Ever seen lion cubs play around a cobra or a black mamba ?? Snake's strike never get anywhere near the buggers. Dogs are not quick enough.

BTW, killed several rattlers here in my yard with just a shuffle. Would not have done this if not for my dog. They keep a lot of unwanted vermin away.

[Edited on 3-5-2009 by vandenberg]

Barry A. - 3-5-2009 at 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by longlegsinlapaz

I'm not sure which ranks highest on my abhorrence list....snakes or guns!

[Edited on 3-5-2009 by longlegsinlapaz]

Legs------The difference between "guns" and "rattlers" is that rattlers act on their own, and are unpredictable----------"guns" don't act on their own, and are very predictable.

Personally, I trust "guns" more than "rattlers". :biggrin:

Barry

CaboRon - 3-5-2009 at 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg

BTW, killed several rattlers here in my yard with just a shuffle.

I didn't know you were a dancer :lol:

cantinflas - 3-5-2009 at 02:19 PM

Was it the Harlem Shuffle?

longlegsinlapaz - 3-5-2009 at 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.

Quote:

Originally posted by longlegsinlapaz

I'm not sure which ranks highest on my abhorrence list....snakes or guns!

[Edited on 3-5-2009 by longlegsinlapaz]

Barry

Barry, I can't argue with your logic, but I really couldn't vouch for the predictability of a gun in my hands!! :smug:

Ed, ignore those guys!!! I can relate....I killed one enormous vibora with a shuffle too....I stood shuffling on a planter 3' above it & used a shovel to behead it! :lol:

DianaT - 3-5-2009 at 05:06 PM

Quote:

This is the rattlesnake advoidance trainer we used--good people,

Patrick Callahan

For the anti-venom shots, our dogs first had a series of three shots and then a booster every six month----as our vet says, not always a perfect solution, but it helps and buys time.

BTW---we have our dogs vacinated in El Centro when we are there---it is A LOT cheaper than in San Diego.

Oh, we need to take our dogs back for another training session---they advise doing it at least twice.

Diane

estebanis - 3-5-2009 at 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaNomad

There's one somewhere in San Diego. I've seen it featured on the news.

That is too wierd I am heading up to See Tracy Saturday. She is a good friend and I take care of her website. http://www.highonkennels.us Follow the link to her Rattlesnake website page. Be sure to watch the video of Dogs being trained to avoid the snakes. You can get the Rattlesnake Vaccine at the Vaccination Clinics run by Petco for a good price. Around $30.00 or so. This will not keep you from having to get the dog to a vet but depending on many factors it will hopfully buy you time. I also keep injectible Benadryl to attempt to keep swelling down and the airway open...
Esteban

HCR - 3-5-2009 at 08:35 PM

My Brittany was bitten on the leg saturday. Because she had received the vaccine, the effects were not as bad as they might have been. Bandage off today, she's still on antibiotics and inflamation reducing pills.

Without the vaccine, effects would have been much worse, or so the vet thinks.

fishingmako - 3-5-2009 at 08:54 PM

I have been to Tracy also, I need to take my Dog back for a annual follow up, she will only do it if she has enough people attending, on Sat

vandenberg - 3-6-2009 at 08:13 AM

Quote:

I stood shuffling on a planter 3' above it & used a shovel to behead it! :lol:

Just a minor detail. Used my steelnosed workboots for the deed.

estebanis - 3-6-2009 at 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by fishingmako
I have been to Tracy also, I need to take my Dog back for a annual follow up, she will only do it if she has enough people attending, on Sat

Just start with an E-mail to her. She is in the process of scheduling her sessions now. That is one of the reasons I am going up to get the schedule for her website. That and do some training on my German Small Munsterlander Pointer Versitile Hunting Lap Dog... :spingrin:

Esteban

ELINVESTIG8R - 3-6-2009 at 12:21 PM

When do the rattlers come out of hibernation in Baja?

vandenberg - 3-6-2009 at 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ELINVESTI8
When do the rattlers come out of hibernation in Baja?

Same time as the grizzlies.

The shuffle doesn't work on them, steeltoed or not. :biggrin:

[Edited on 3-6-2009 by vandenberg]

Barry A. - 3-6-2009 at 02:55 PM

There are some that advocate the reintroduction of Grizz in California----------simply nuts, if you ask me.

I was the bear management officer in Glacier Natl. Park for one year (then I had a nervous breakdown :lol:

)----------those critters are BAD NEWS!

Barry

DanO - 3-6-2009 at 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.
There are some that advocate the reintroduction of Grizz in California----------simply nuts, if you ask me.

I was the bear management officer in Glacier Natl. Park for one year (then I had a nervous breakdown :lol:

)----------those critters are BAD NEWS!

Barry

I went on a pack ride in Glacier Nat'l, and our guide said if you see a grizzly and you're on foot, don't bother running, it'll catch you. I stayed on my horse pretty much the whole time except to go to the bathroom, with one notable exception: Our guide Gordon said we had to experience a little side hike into an abandoned mine up near one of the glacial lakes. As I followed him in with several of my buddies behind me, he lit our way with a Bic lighter, which he held down low as we walked, like he was looking for something on the ground. I asked a question:

"Hey Gordo, whatcha lookin for?"
"They said there'd be candles in here."
"They said? Does that mean you've never been in here before?"
"Yep."
"Ah. One more question: Is it possible there could be a grizzly holed up in here?"
"Sure, it's possible, I guess."

Whereupon I did a 180, yelled at my buddies to GTFO, and sprinted for the entrance. Gordon found this highly amusing, but keep in mind this was a guy whose favorite pastime was getting drunk and shooting antelope with an AR 15 assault rifle from the back of a jeep going about sixty miles per hour through high grass and trees. Not a very highly developed self-preservation instinct going on there.

ADD

Bronco - 3-6-2009 at 03:58 PM

The subject I started was a warning for folks who love their pets. And rattlesnakes that are now coming out of hibernation. with a little luck Dano and his pal will get bit on the ass.

Why do clowns have trouble staying on track.

Skipjack Joe - 3-6-2009 at 04:07 PM

Because they've run out of things to say on the subject.

DanO - 3-6-2009 at 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bronco
The subject I started was a warning for folks who love their pets. And rattlesnakes that are now coming out of hibernation. with a little luck Dano and his pal will get bit on the burro.

Why do clowns have trouble staying on track.

Me-ow! For the record, I didn't start the thread hijack. In any event, calling me a clown gives all clowns a bad name.

:lol:

Back on topic, I do agree (and I tell my kids) that rule number one is don't put your hands or feet where you can't see them. Another good one is stick to well defined trails rather than blazing new ones through brush or grass.

Now, where are my big floppy shoes, red rubber nose and tiny little car? Honk!

David K - 3-6-2009 at 06:13 PM

Quote:

Bronco, this happens a lot on message boards and you should be happy because it keeps YOUR post alive and at the top of 'Today's Posts' and on top of the forum it is in... So, all new Nomads or those that didn't see your initial warning will see it...

If nobody is reading the thread and participates with replies... then it will slide on down the line, and out of sight.

Thanks for your warning about the snakes... I have always seen them in April... so, this is a bit early!

On one trip (April '03) we saw three!!!

Mision Santa Maria:

Montevideo:

Las Flores, south of:

(by this point, Sarah was getting pretty comfortable around them!)

[Edited on 3-7-2009 by David K]

TMW - 3-6-2009 at 06:56 PM

Great piece on the dog training video. The way to outrun a grizzly bear is to make sure there is someone else between you.

Barry A. - 3-6-2009 at 08:34 PM

Quote:

Bronco------I apologize---------I thought you were warning folks about dangerous critters in the spring time. Not being a pet owner I did not associate your post specifically with "pets". I personally would much rather deal with a rattler than a grizz, and have many times dealt with both, and I was just pointing that out.

Again, I apologize if I caused the thread to drift off of your intended topic.

Barry

bearbait1 - 3-6-2009 at 11:08 PM

Back when I lived in the lesser 48 I trained all of my dogs to avoid snakes and it worked well. The good thing about rattlers is they are good to eat, fun to hunt and their hides can be sold.