See How Nearly 100 Rattlesnakes Were Found Under and Removed From This Woman’s House

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If the idea of a snake in your house frightens you, how would you feel if you had 92 of them living under your home? In the video above, a homeowner in Santa Rosa, California called an animal rescue group to help her out. She’d been seeing a rattlesnake around her house and contacted the non-profit Sonoma County Reptile Rescue for assistance.

Al Wolf, the director of the non-profit group, showed up to check it out. What he found wasn’t just one rattlesnake, but a den of 92 living under the woman’s house. It took four hours to get them all. Wolf finally managed to wrangle all 92 snakes (59 were babies) and release them into the wild, well away from homes and people. What the video doesn’t show is that Wolf came back to remove 11 more snakes before the house was rid of its rattlesnake population.

Are Rattlesnakes Common in California?

The rattlesnakes in the video were under a home in Santa Rosa, California, which is in Sonoma County. Sonoma County is home to over 30 species of snakes, but only one species of rattlesnake, the Northern Pacific (Crotalus oreganus) rattlesnake. The Northern Pacific rattlesnake, or Western rattlesnake, lives in central Califonia all the way up through Oregon, Washington, western Idaho, and British Columbia.

The Northern Pacific rattlesnake is the most common rattlesnake found throughout California. There are also six other species that live mainly in the southern part of the state or desert areas. These include the Western Diamond-backed, Mohave Desert Sidewinder, Colorado Desert Sidewinder, Southern Pacific, Great Basin, Red Diamond, and Panamint rattlesnakes. All seven species are venomous, and a bite could be fatal without antivenom medicine.

Why Do Rattlesnakes Like to Live Under Houses?

Rattlesnakes may seem scary to us, but they don’t want anything to do with humans. A rattlesnake will try to give a warning rattle before attacking. However, if you take the snake by surprise, you may find yourself a victim of a snake bite. It’s best for humans and snakes alike when rattlesnakes live in their habitat in the wilderness, far away from people.

However, there are times when rattlesnakes make their way into neighborhoods and sometimes end up making their den in unfortunate locations, like under someone’s house. In the video, Wolf explains that these rattlesnakes were probably attracted to the area under the house because it had a lot of rocks. Making their den there, they started having babies, and the rattlesnake population grew.

Aside from the rocks, the snakes were attracted to the area under the house because it’s a shady and cool spot. Humans also attract rodents, which make up a big part of a rattlesnake’s diet. Yet, most of the time, a rattlesnake or two making its way under a home won’t result in a den of nearly 100 snakes. It was very unusual to find so many in one area.

What Are the Signs You Have Snakes Living Under Your Home?

Snakes try to stay out of the way of people but sometimes end up living around humans. There are ways to know you may have a snake living in your crawl space. Snakes shed their skin when they grow, so if you find snake skin, you’ll know you’ve got a snake around. You might also notice slither tracks in the dust or hear noises from them moving around.

Another tell-tale sign, which the homeowner in the video noticed, is a complete absence of rodents. If you don’t see any mice or rats around your house, it may be thanks to a resident snake.

What Time of Year Are Baby Rattlesnakes Born?

Rattlesnakes in northern California have babies in the late summer, from August to October. It was October when the den of rattlesnakes and their babies were found under the California home. Rattlesnakes give live birth. Sometimes they go it alone, while other times they form rookeries where the mothers and babies live together. Researchers have found mother rattlesnakes will even babysit for each other. One keeps an eye on the babies while the other leaves the den to hunt.

How Many Babies Do Snakes Have at a Time?

Northern Pacific rattlesnakes can give birth from 4 to 21 babies at a time, which explains how Wolf found 59 snake babies living together under the house. The mothers care for the babies for about a week or two. However, babies sometimes live close to their mothers and hibernate in the same den over winter.

How to Avoid a Rattlesnake Bite

If you encounter a rattlesnake in the wild or around your home, immediately take a step back. A rattlesnake will only attack when it feels threatened. By stepping back, hopefully you can show the snake you aren’t a threat. If you have a rattlesnake living in or around your home, call a wildlife expert or rescuer can capture the snake and release it in the wild.

If you are bitten by a rattlesnake, seek medical attention immediately They are venemous snakes, but antivenom drugs are an effective treatment when given within a few hours of the bite.