Reptile & Amphibian Forums

It's fall again and the rattlers here at the ranch are quite active. I have found three in the barn in the last couple of weeks. It is our policy to relocate these guys instead of killing them (much to our neighbors' dismay), and for this purpose I have a four-foot aluminum snake stick (similar to the "Grabber" that mobility-impaired folks use) to lift the transportee into a cooler. Does anyone have a suggestion as to what I can coat the ends of the stick with to make it less likely for the snake to slide through its grasp? I don't want to have to squeeze too hard, and as we all know, these guys can be quite powerful!
Thanks for any advice.

How about some Plastidip? Just as the name implies, you would dip the tongs in the stuff, and it would create a rubber coating similar to what you'd find on the handles of a pair of pliers. You can buy at Home Depot or Lowe's, and it's not very expensive.
Cheers!

the rubberized spray that I have used for hooks that is really for exposed tree limbs cuttings to keep insects from entering the sawed off area ? The plastic dip is a really good idea though.

While the plastic dip might do the job, I don't think it is a good idea.

Snakes are going to struggle when restrained. Even gentle grasping with a pair of specially designed snake tongs can break ribs and cause internal injuries (remember - a big snake's ribs aren't much thicker than a pencil lead!). Using a pair of "grabbers" that weren't designed for this task is even more likely to cause harm.

One of the beauties of the better tongs that are on the market is that, in fact, they allow the snake to slide somewhat within the tongs. If you plastic coated them, the snakes wouldn't be able to slip through and would struggle more violently, increasing the chance of breaking bones, damaging internal organs, and tearing the skin.

If you are really interested in saving these snakes (which I applaud wholeheartedly), you should get/make yourself a snake hook and learn to hook the snakes into a 5 gallon bucket with a lid or some sort of similar container. Then they can be safely moved to a new location.

You should also be aware, however, of recent studies with radiotagged rattlesnakes. It has been shown that snakes that are relocated never settle down and wander around trying to reorient (?) themselves. They apparently do not eat and have a greatly increased probability of being killed by cars, predators, other less benevolent humans, etc.

Therefore, when you "relocate" a snake, you should do it as close to the area it was found as possible to give it the maximum chance of survival. I like to try to release snake within 1/4 mile or less of their capture spot if they must be relocated. I don't know if that is really close enough to prevent their untimely deaths, but at least I tried to do the right thing!
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Chris Harrison