sidewinder at Ehrenberg

[dogear52]

About 10pm and I had just turned off the gen. and inside the CT pouring a cup of coffee when I heard a sliding sound, looked out the screen door and there it was parked about 5 ft from the door on a 1x10 I use for a walkway to the door. It left and came back then hung around my truck/trailer for a couple hrs then out of sight. I'm super cautious now while here. It was a young one and I read where the young vipers unload a full dose of venom rather than partial or dry bites. Gives me the creeps just writing this. Keep mind/eyes focused......

 

[highdesertranger]

ah ok you are talking about a snake. when I read sidewinder I thought someone was trying to sell you the London Bridge or a gold mine. highdesertranger

 

[dogear52]

LOL....Just giving a heads up.

 

[masterplumber]

When I was a wee young lad of about 12 I was bit by a rattler. It was a young one that had crawled up into the engine compartment of a truck that had been parked for a while. Spent 3 days in the hospital, and the doctor said I was very lucky to not lose any permanent mobility of my hand and fingers, or even lose a hand. As the OP alluded to, the younger ones venom isn't any stronger, but they haven't learned to control it as well as the older ones, so they may hang on and pump more in. As I said, I was fortunate, as this didn't happen to me.

As dwellers many park for up to 2 weeks at a time, plenty of time for something to crawl up inside the engine compartment and make themselves warm. If you're in the habit of checking oil etc... before heading out again, as we all should be, it's a good idea to bag the hood and fenders with your hand for a minute before opening the hood when camped in desert areas. The one that bit me made no sound and I never saw it until after it bit me. In fact, at first I thought I received an electrical shock as I was messing with the fuses and because it was small it's rattle after the bite sounded like an electrical short. Stay safe out there.

 

[Patd4u2]

I was thinking about that happening , Isn't there some kind of pest repellent you could keep in a hand pump and spray around your vehicle once in a while to keep the mice, scorpions, snakes and other creepy crawler away from your vehicle?

 

[GotSmart]

I was thinking about that happening , Isn't there some kind of pest repellent you could keep in a hand pump and spray around your vehicle once in a while to keep the mice, scorpions, snakes and other creepy crawler away from your vehicle?

I thought that not poisoning the immediate environment was a benefit of being vandwellers?  Might as well be in the city.

 

[cyndi]

Ammonia is a naturally occurring product. In dirtville we would pour a boundary of ammonia around portions of the yard that we and the pets frequented. We did it a few times during the season. It seemed to work.

 

[Patd4u2]

I thought that not poisoning the immediate environment was a benefit of being vandwellers?  Might as well be in the city.

I said "pest repellent" not poison, something that they would not like the smell of and keep away.

 

[Patd4u2]

Ammonia is a naturally occurring product. In dirtville we would pour a boundary of ammonia around portions of the yard that we and the pets frequented. We did it a few times during the season. It seemed to work.

Thank you Cyndi, that is what I had in mind..

 

[sephson]

At work we scatter mothballs around. It works fairly well to keep the snakes off the grounds.

 

[LeeRevell]

Salt and borax are old classic methods.  The crystals irritate the snake's scales.  No poison involved.

 

[TMG51]

When I ran a hardware store, I had an old fellow come in one morning with a pest problem. He asked me if I knew of anything that would get rid of snakes. I replied immediately, "Mongoose."

"A mongoose? What's that?" he asked, legitimately interested. It seemed my deadpan expression had been more effective than intended.

"It's an animal," I elaborated. "It eats snakes."

His eyes widened with curiosity at the same time his brow furrowed with confusion. "Where do you get one of those?" he said.

"India."

At this point his expression waned and he asked me if I had any other suggestions. I followed up with another: "Do you have fire insurance?"

Anyway, in conclusion, I'm of no help to anyone on the subject, please carry on.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

An old wife's tale sez, if you put a rope circled around you on the ground snakes will not cross it.

 

[GotSmart]

An old wife's tale sez, if you put a rope circled around you on the ground snakes will not cross it.

I heard a horse hair rope.

 

[Patd4u2]

An old wife's tale sez, if you put a rope circled around you on the ground snakes will not cross it.

But what do you do if you want to go for a walk?

 

[masterplumber]

Well you could always travel with a flock of free range Guinea Chickens. Our neighbors growing up had them and they would play football, throwing the snake back and forth until it was dead. Unfortunately the coyotes would eat the Guinea Chickens so on second thought that might not be a good idea, unless you like feathers all over your campsite. Was just trying to be creative like everyone else. ; )

 

[justbreathe]

Hahaha! Thanks for giggles.

Get a walking stick and hit the ground as you go. The vibrations scare them off. Or so I'm told...

 

[speedhighway46]

When you go for a walk, make sure Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson accompany you; they saved my life with a rattlesnake years ago when I was out in the desert for a hike.

 

[GotSmart]

UH~~~ Check the laws first.  

Those little terrorists have more rights than we do.

 

[speedhighway46]

No problem with the laws years ago, but my Fruit Of the Looms definately required replacing!