What would you do if you wanted to throw some steaks on your backyard grill on a nice summer day, but were instead met with a loud rattling sound coming from inside the grill? That’s just what happened to these Arizona homeowners, who spotted a western diamondback rattlesnake living under their grill. Knowing the snake was large and venomous, the homeowners called a relocation expert for help with its removal. Find out what happened next.

It’s best to call the experts if you find a western diamondback rattlesnake living in or around your home.
©Clint H/Shutterstock.com
How Does a Snake Catcher Safely Capture a Snake?
Rattlesnake Solutions, based in Arizona, gives us an inside view of the world of capturing reptiles on their YouTube channel. In a posted video, Rattlesnake Solutions owner Bryan Hughes, urban rattlesnake specialist and snake researcher, records his day as he takes a couple of house calls helping out homeowners by removing snakes in their homes.
When Bryan arrives at the first house on his list, he brings his snake-catching equipment: a hook on a long pole, a bucket, and snake tongs. This snake is small and easy to catch. Next up is a much bigger challenge. At the second house of the day, Bryan is guided to the backyard where a rattlesnake has been seen living under the grill.

A five-foot-long diamondback rattlesnake is an unusual find, even for a veteran snake catcher.
©Rattlesnake Solutions / YouTube – Original
As soon as Bryan opens the door to the grill, we can hear the loud sound of a rattle. When Bryan moves the grill back and brings out the snake with his hook, we can see how big the snake is. “We’re gonna call this snake four feet ten inches,” Bryan says later in the video after measuring the snake. “That is then the largest confirmed diamondback that I’ve actually measured; that I’ve ever gotten a call on in Arizona in the 14 years that we’ve been doing this…that is just amazing.”
How Do You Measure a Snake?

By using a tube, snake experts can safely handle rattlesnakes for measuring.
©Rattlesnake Solutions / YouTube – Original
In the video, Bryan takes the snake back to his office and shows us how he measures it. He takes out a tube, which isn’t long enough for this massive snake. The snake thinks it’s escaping and goes through the tube headfirst. From there, Bryan can get hold of the back of the snake and safely stretch it out for a measurement. Including the tail, Bryan thinks this diamondback is about five feet long. As large as this is, diamondbacks can reach up to seven feet long.
What Types of Rattlesnakes Live in Arizona?
The large rattlesnake in the video was a western diamondback rattlesnake. They are a species of pit viper and detect prey by sensing the heat differences of living animals. Western diamondbacks are found in the southwestern U.S., where they live in various habitats, including urban areas. Though they try to avoid people, they will bite when threatened. They are venomous, and their bite is dangerous to humans. However, antivenom is available and should be administered shortly after a bite occurs.
Western diamondbacks are not the only rattlesnake species that live in Arizona. Arizona has more rattlesnake species than any other state. The most common are the sidewinder, western diamondback, Mojave, and black-tailed rattlesnakes. All rattlesnakes are venomous and require treatment if bitten. You can identify a western diamondback by the black diamond-shaped blotches along its body.
When Should You Call In a Professional to Help Catch a Snake?
While most snakes are not a threat to people and should be left alone, there are times when they need to be safely removed from an area. If a snake is living in or around your home, it’s best to call a professional to have it relocated.
In the video, Bryan explains that the western diamondback living under the grill was likely there looking for a shady spot to get out of the heat. There may have been rodents around, attracted by fallen bits of food from the grill, which also would have made it an appealing location for the diamondback.
Relocating Snakes in Arizona

Gopher snakes are another commonly found snake in Arizona, but gopher snakes are not rattlesnakes and are non-venomous.
©rawaccess/Shutterstock.com
Rattlesnake Solutions typically relocates snakes to a safer area, away from humans, where the snakes can live without encountering many people. However, Bryan explains this particular snake may have a difficult time adjusting to a new home due to its age, which he estimates to be around 30 years old.
Another part of the service the company offers is not only relocating snakes, but helping homeowners understand how to keep snakes out of their homes and yards in the first place. The company does this by studying snake behavior. By keeping this large rattlesnake, they may learn a lot of useful information about its behavior, such as how high it can climb and what sort of fence might keep it out. However, Bryan says that if he can find a good place to release the snake, he would like to do so.
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