Rattlesnake school...

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I guess it''s a little late to ask about this, ''cuz Widget is already enrolled and is going for her lesson today! Poor baby!!!

I live in the hills and rattlesnakes are a real danger around here. I''ve already seen one this year, and it isn''t even June.

They use live snakes, recently milked and muzzled (!), and shock collars on the dog. Hopefully only one or two zaps will do the trick.

I HATE shock collars...but have seen the horrible effects of snakebites, and think a zap or two is probably worth it.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? She''s healthy, but ten years old.

Presuming I don''t chicken out, I''ll be back with a report and pictures...

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[Kaleigh]

I know nothing about this sort of thing, but do think it''s a good idea. Widget won''t take long to get it. I have invisible fencing, and my Callie learned very quickly ( like in one day. ) If the shock is like those on invisible fencing collars it''s not too bad. I hope she does well, let us know how it goes!! Rattlesnakes???

 

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Thanks Kaleigh! LOL...we''re back and Widget is just fine, and I''m recovering pretty well..

Pretty anticlimatic, actually. The whole "lesson" took about ten minutes, and most of that time was spent calming down W''s overwraught mother!

She very quickly became "averted" to snakes...even though her ''zapping'' didn''t even cause her to yelp. Three snakes were involved: the first coiled and rattling

(mostly sight/sound aversion), the second quiet inside a mesh bag (smell aversion). And a third one out in the open again, I guess for reinforcement.

A handler took her through the "snake course", while the trainer observed and handled the Button. When the unconfined snakes weren''t "working", they were under upturned buckets.

Sadly, no picture taking was allowed..

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[pricescope]

Date: 5/20/2007 6:44:06 PM
Author: widget
Thanks Kaleigh! LOL...we''re back and Widget is just fine, and I''m recovering pretty well..

Pretty anticlimatic, actually. The whole ''lesson'' took about ten minutes, and most of that time was spent calming down W''s overwraught mother!

She very quickly became ''averted'' to snakes...even though her ''zapping'' didn''t even cause her to yelp. Three snakes were involved: the first coiled and rattling

(mostly sight/sound aversion), the second quiet inside a mesh bag (smell aversion). And a third one out in the open again, I guess for reinforcement.

A handler took her through the ''snake course'', while the trainer observed and handled the Button. When the unconfined snakes weren''t ''working'', they were under upturned buckets.

Sadly, no picture taking was allowed..

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? snake privacy?

hey thanks for coming back, i was nervous

 

[widget]

Date: 5/20/2007 6:53:47 PM
Author: Pricescope

? snake privacy?

LOL...either that or they didn''t want pics to get out and enflame members of the SPCR (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Reptiles).

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[door knob solitaire]

EEeeeuuuu!

I was outside our fence gathering construction site trash that is now apparently ours...it was a warm sunny day...I was filling my little tisket, a tasket, a trash basket...oh I am usually whistlling...and I hears a beautiul noise, I turned and as I did I said..."Oh a baby rattle..." you know as in a gizmo that humans use to appease babies? I looked around at all the construction (new housing development...) and there wasn''t a woman or baby or soft thing in sight...

Whoaaa Sea Biscuit....I high tailed it outta there. It was a wicked little viper just lurking in the shade. So, I suppose I too took a course like your Widget...no more rattlers for me! This one was not under a bucket, or freshly milked.

I have never heard of such training...but I am thrilled you took the measures you did. What a great mom you are! I am calling around in my area, tomorrow!

DKS

 

[Dee*Jay]

Good lord Widget you are one brave woman, I don't care how much milking or how many buckets were involved!

Every year the HH and I visit some friends in Phoenix for Thanksgiving and on our annual trek up whatever mountain they choose to climb on Turkey Day morning my greatest fear (well, OK, next to just having a heart attack from being so vastly out of shape and being forced up a mountin at top hiking speed by three people who think running marathons is *fun*) is comming across a rattler. Eeekkk!!!

 

[strmrdr]

saw a show on it on animal planet.
sounds like a good idea to me.

 

[FireGoddess]

Wow, how interesting. Better safe than sorry though - I''m glad it went okay!

 

[Pandora II]

My parents have a "PetSafe" system for their 3 cats - basically a wire round the graden connected to a box inside and each cat has a collar with a little box. If they go too close the box on the collar beeps, then if they don''t move away it gives them a shock.

I think the shock is pretty strong, but they aren''t too bothered by it. One sits and lets the collar beep away so as to run the battery down and then get out. Wretched beast!

However, we haven''t lost a single one to traffic in the last 15 years because of it.


PS I''m also a huge snake fan - I have 2 beautiful pythons who are super-friendly. I''m very careful with venomous though - they tend to be very badtempered.

 

[sparkles]

Heeby jeeby. I hate snakes....yuuuck I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it. Good idea to take the course.

My 9 year old daughter asked me non stop for a pet. She wanted a snake and wanted it to sleep with her in the bed. She is a reptile lover. Have no idea where she gets it from, but sees great beauty in reptiles.

I guess it doesn't help that whenever I find something in the garden and she is home I call her and we follow whatever it is around the garden until it disappears.

We got a dog!

 

[monarch64]

Wow, I''m glad to hear everything turned out ok! Just the thought of rattlesnakes--*shudder.*

 

[sumbride]

That''s a really cool idea... didn''t know they had such a thing! I hope she never needs the knowledge she''s acquired!

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 5/30/2007 11:17:09 AM
Author: sparkles
My 9 year old daughter asked me non stop for a pet. She wanted a snake and wanted it to sleep with her in the bed.

Had to laugh here. I have taken my python to bed with me once in a powercut in the winter when it was sooooo cold. What a nightmare - he only slept about 2 hours and then wanted to get up and explore! They knock things over and make loads of noise - as well as the worry they will get lost somewhere. In the end I tied him into a sock!

They are great pets though - very quiet, eat once a month or so and don''t care if you ignore them for a few days. They all have very different personalities and some species are very unpredictible (burmese and boa constrictors in particular). I keep Royals who are super-placid.

My mother hated snakes till she met mine and now she is besotted with them.

 

[firebirdgold]

I seem to remember that there''s now a vaccine for dogs against rattlesnake venom. Anyone else know about this? Obviously training the dog not to go near snakes is the best way to go, but if you have a lot of rattlers around I might check this out too.

 

[Pandora II]

Anti-venom is a bit of a problem as it has to be kept carefully, has a definite shelflife and is expensive.

I don''t know about dogs, but people often also end up allergic to horses as the antivenom is produced in them and so contains horse serum.

I haven''t heard about a vaccination - off to find out