Who's Afraid of the Big Bad...Rattlesnake?

There are lots of benefits to living close to nature: the quiet, open space, easy picnic access. But occasionally the access to nature means confrontations with critters that are less than cuddly.

The warm weather means it's time for rattlesnake season. After a winter hibernation, snakes are more active in the warmer, summer months as they move around hunting for food and prey. Snakes also reproduce during this time – an average snake can produce between 10 and 100 offspring in a typical season.  

Over the last few weeks rattlesnake sightings have been on the up-tick, according to the Sonoma Index-Tribune:

On a recent Wednesday night, Barbara Hinkley took her 1-year-old Labrador, Angus, to the Elizabeth Anne Perrone Dog Park in Glen Ellen. Shortly after letting him off leash, something slithering caught her eye.

“I saw something move across the dirt,” she said. Upon closer inspection, she saw the familiar form of a rattlesnake. “They have that viper head,” she added.

Others are seeing the uprise, including Sonoma County Reptile Rescue, a Sebastopol-based nonprofit which rescuses the less-than-loveable critters.

 “We’re getting called out eight or nine times a day right now,” Al Wolf, director of the nonprofit rescue, told the Index-Tribune.

If you see a snake, don't panic. Here are some tips to having a calm encounter with our scaly friends.

• Make an owl box – owls will rid farmland of pests better than snakes. 

• If you see a snake, back away, slowly. 

• Be wary, but don't overreact: Rattlesnake bites are rarely lethal in humans 

• Keep your pets safe – rattlesnake venom is much more dangerous for pets because of their smaller body mass.

• Don't touch it, poke it, or engage with the snake in any way

• If you get bitten, get yourself to the the , where they keep venom antidote in stock

A rattlesnake vaccine is currently in production for pets who are regularly exposed to snakes. If you're worried, ask your vet.

To contact Sonoma County Reptile Rescue’s emergency line for rattlesnake removal, call 321-0504 or check them out online at sonomacountyreptilerescue.com.