Working with snakes safely

Working with Snakes Safely

The standard speech

Venomous snake bites are quite rare, and highly unlikely to result in death. For example, one is 30x more likely to die from lightening strike and 160x more likely to die from an accidental gunshot wound, than a venomous snake bite (“Snakes” & “Statistics”). The following quote puts most of those bites into context, “The vast majority of venomous snakebite victims are males between the ages of 17-27 years who are bitten during deliberate attempts to handle or kill snakes. Many of these young men are under the influence of alcohol” (Johnson & Main, 2009). What little risk remains by not handling venomous snakes in attention-seeking shows of machismo, can be further reduced by using some basic tools.


Foot Wear

Whether or not one should purchase snake boots, how tall of boot to purchase, etc., is a matter of personal estimation. Taller boots provide more leg protection (at least on level ground), but also may offer less mobility. Falling down poses risks of its own. If one is specifically and purposely going into tall grass or other areas where venomous snakes are both common and difficult to see, snake boots may be a good idea. Cabelas has inexpensive snake boots of various sizes. Even so, the best policy is slow, steady, and careful movement in such areas.

Cabela's snake boots

The mechanical arm

Generally, the best thing to do with any snake is to simply leave it where it was found. However, sometimes a snake will be found lingering on a roadway, in the presence of devious humans, or in one's basement! In the event that leaving the snake where it was found is not an option, most nonvenomous snakes can simply be picked up with one's hands. However, let's say it is a dark night, a car's brights are shining in your eyes as it fast approaches you, the snake is holding its head up in a intimidating position and refuses to scoot off the road, and you have only moments to react. These are the type of situations where mis-identification could easily occur. Anytime a snake cannot be positively identified, and legitimately needs to be moved, the best course of action will be the mechanical arm a.k.a the snake hook.

Professional-grade snake hooks can be purchased from a number of sources at reasonable prices. However, it is also easy to construct them from old golf clubs, metal bars, or as I will demonstrate below, 20$ worth of materials from HomeDepot.

Here is our list of materials:

• A blunt-ended paint brush roller (~2$)
• A package of JB Weld (NOT JB Kwik) (~4$)
• A fairly thick, 4' wooden Dowel (~4$)
• A small hack saw (~7$)

The materials

The construction is fairly straightforward. It's important to use JB Weld as the Kwik product has only half the strength (J-B Weld Company - Frequently Asked Questions).


Steps

1. Using the hack saw, cut the paint roller's metal piece off. Remember that at least 2” will need to go inside the wooden dowel for support.
2. Using an appropriate sized bit, probably 1/4” or smaller, drill a hole deeply into the center of the wooden dowel's end.
3. Insure the paint roller's metal piece fits into the entrance hole.
4. Thoroughly mix equal proportions of each JB Weld tube together on a clean paper plate.
5. Roll the lower potion of the metal piece into the JB Weld mixture to get a heavy coat.
6. Insert the metal piece into the wooden dowel. Use a paper towel to swear excess JB Weld around the top of the wooden dowel for water protection. Remove excess JB Weld using the towel.
7. Allow the dowel to set upright for 24 hours in a warm, dry place.

This will create a “snake hook” strong and long enough to manipulate most snakes. The snakes can then be picked up by sliding the hook (gently) under them. The snakes should never be lifted high in the air, because a fall could harm them. It's also possible that a snake lifted high might begin traveling down the snake hook towards the handler! Since the snake hook must be scooted under the snake, it is very important to make sure there are no sharp ends, barbs, or protruding metal fragments. Obviously, no snake hook used for captive specimens should be applied to wild snakes. This could result in the spread of disease in either direction. Additionally, snake hooks are not suitable for lifting most cover objects. With the home made version especially, the entire end could come out! Even if it does not, objects tend to slide off of snake hooks and could injure whatever is hiding below. A four tined cultivator can be used for lifting tin and small boards. However, heavier boards and rocks will slide off even it. These items can only be safely lifted by hand (obviously, just leave them alone if you cannot control them or have to bury your hands underneath of them to lift.)

Sources

Johnson, S.A., & Main, M. B. (2009). Dealing with Venomous Snakes in Florida School Yards. Retrieved from WEC 199/UW225: Dealing with Venomous Snakes in Florida School Yards .

Snakes of Missouri Retrieved from Snakes of Missouri

Statistics, Gun Control Issues, and Safety. Retrieved from FIREARMS TUTORIAL (University of Utah Medical Library)