When you’re out and about in this heat, you need to make sure you are watching where you step. The warmer temperatures in San Diego are drawing rattlesnakes into areas where they haven’t been for months.
“We haven’t had a year like this in a long time,” Alex Trejo, the owner of So-Cal Rattlesnake Removal, told NBC 7. “The fact that it was so wet and rainy and cool for so long, it pushed the snake season further back.”
Once temperatures started hitting 70 and 80 degrees, Trejo said that’s when rattlesnakes could be seen on local trails trying to warm up or find food and water.
“What happens is when it’s cold outside, the snakes are low active. They can’t really move. Everything is much harder for them, but as soon as the sun comes out, they’ll come out. They’ll soak up the heat,” he explained. “Then that gives them the energy to go about their day.”
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He added that if you stay on designated pathways while hiking or biking, you will likely be able to avoid the venomous snakes. They prefer to remain hidden for the majority of the day, in between rocks or in brush.
“The most important thing with rattlesnakes is visibility. If you can see that snake, you just saved the day,” Trejo said. “If you don’t see that snake, now you’re in trouble.”
Trejo told NBC 7 that he has been rattlesnake wrangling since he was 7 years old. While he has come within inches of the snakes, sometimes even touching them with his bare hand, he has not once been bit.
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“A rattlesnake will only bite you as its last case of defense,” Trejo said. “Accidental bites do happen, usually that happens though when people are gardening or if they’re on a trail, they’re not aware of their surroundings.”
The signature rattling sound of rattlesnake is something that Trejo added is critical to listen for. Especially as temperatures climb into the 90s and 100s in some parts of the county, sending the snakes to residential areas to look for a place to cool down.
“I would get 10 calls a day, like snakes just started coming out everywhere. People who’ve never had snakes on their property were finding snakes,” Trejo said. “Because we have easy water access, abundance rodent supply.”
He also added that there are plenty of shaded areas at homes, like patios, for snakes to cool down.
What to do if you see a rattlesnake in San Diego County
But, if you do come across a rattlesnake either on your property or on a trail, do not approach it. Give it space, and let it pass.
“These are highly venomous animals. You are not to take that lightly. A lot of people think that, ‘oh, it’s just a rattlesnake. We’ve dealt with hundreds of them,’ but then one bite happens and now the situation is just horrendous,” Trejo said.
Trejo shared with NBC 7 that he responded to a call in San Diego on Friday to remove a rattlesnake that bit a man who was walking on his property the night before. The man was taken to a hospital where he was placed on a ventilator in the ICU. The man’s family asked NBC 7 for privacy, but did say it was ok to share that he has since been taken off of the ventilator and is in stable condition after receiving 24 bottles of antivenom.
“The snake was still there. I was able to grab it. I showed the family, I said, “hey, here’s the snake. This is most likely the one that had bit the gentleman,’ and then I was able to remove it,” Trejo said.
He added that not all bites lead to as severe of a reaction as that one did, some can even be without venom, but the bottom line is simple, if you see a rattlesnake: “Leave. Do not mess with it,” Trejo said.
So-Cal Rattlesnake Removal offers services throughout the entire region, 24/7, because Trejo said snakes are most likely moving and visible in the early morning and late at night. They include removal and relocation, as well as property inspections. San Diego County Animal Services also has a brochure on their site that lists more tips on what to do if you spot a rattlesnake in the area.
