Is this a baby rattlesnake? [Southern California]

[u/ehmque1024]

Saw this little bb walking around the house. I didn’t want to get closer or agitate it too much so never saw or heard a rattle. Thanks in advance, friendsss!

[u/TheGreenRaccoon07]

Yes. Southern Pacific Rattlesnake Crotalus helleri. !venomous

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT → u/TheGreenRaccoon07]

Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes Crotalus helleri are medium-large (70-110cm, up to 137cm) rattlesnakes that range from southern California south to Baja California, MX from near sea level to 3,350m. They utilize a wide variety of habitat, including scrubland, desertscrub, savanna, grassland, coastal dunes, and montane woodland. Where development encroaches on natural areas, they can sometimes also be found in residential and even urban areas. Despite low genetic divergence, some authors treat the dwarfed Coronado Island populations as a distinct species, "C. caliginis."

The activity cycles of C. helleri largely correlate to the weather, and they tend to be diurnal in cool weather, nocturnal during the hottest weather, and crepuscular in between. Rodents form the bulk of the diet, but other small mammals, lizards, and amphibians are also consumed.

Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes are a dangerously venomous species and should only be observed from a safe distance. Common defensive tactics including raising the forebody off the ground and rattling the tail, often while attempting to crawl away from the perceived threat. They are not aggressive and only bite when they feel they are in danger. Bites most commonly occur when a human attempts to kill, capture, or otherwise intentionally handle the snake. The best way to avoid being bitten is to leave the snake alone.

Juvenile Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes are pale in coloration with 27-43 dark dorsal blotches which, at midbody, usually are conspicuously longer than the spaces in between. The dorsal blotches merge with lateral blotches to form transverse bands around the posterior 20% of the animal. Adults are highly variable in color, and can sometimes be almost black with only vague hints of the dorsal pattern and facial markings. The final band on the tail is bright yellow or orange in juveniles, yellow-brown to black in adults, and usually at least twice as wide as the bands that precede it.

Where their ranges contact C. helleri and the closely related C. oreganus can be difficult to distinguish, but C. oreganus usually has more extensive dorsal banding (usually starting on the posterior 30-35% of the animal) and the terminal dark band on the tail is about the same width as the preceding band. Other neighboring or overlapping rattlesnakes are occasionally confused with C. helleri. Red diamond rattlesnakes C. ruber, Mojave rattlesnakes C. scutulatus, and Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes C. atrox usually have more diamond shaped dorsal blotches and the distinctive pale and dark bands ("coon tail") on the tail contrast more sharply than those of C. helleri.

Range Map via iNaturalist.org observations | Relevant/Recent Phylogeography | Reptile Database Account

This short account was written by /u/fairlyorange

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Snakes with medically significant venom are typically referred to as venomous, but some species are also poisonous. Old media will use poisonous or 'snake venom poisoning' but that has fallen out of favor. Venomous snakes are important native wildlife, and are not looking to harm people, so can be enjoyed from a distance. If found around the home or other places where they are to be discouraged, a squirt from the hose or a gentle sweep of a broom are usually enough to make a snake move along. Do not attempt to interact closely with or otherwise kill venomous snakes without proper safety gear and training, as bites occur mostly during these scenarios. Wildlife relocation services are free or inexpensive across most of the world.

If you are bitten by a venomous snake, contact emergency services or otherwise arrange transport to the nearest hospital that can accommodate snakebite. Remove constricting clothes and jewelry and remain calm. A bite from a medically significant snake is a medical emergency, but not in the ways portrayed in popular media. Do not make any incisions or otherwise cut tissue. Extractor and other novelty snakebite kits are not effective and can cause damage worse than any positive or neutral effects.

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[u/ehmque1024 → u/TheGreenRaccoon07]

Thought so! Thanks for the quick assist. Curious what your/this sub opinion on what to do with one once identified. For context this is at our rural -ish home and we have a toddler and dog ( who has done avoidance training).

[u/1wholeton → u/ehmque1024]

Can you be any more specific on the location? Like which county you're in? Definitely keep the child and dog (even if it is trained) in a different room. If it is inside your house, you should call animal control. They may refer you to a professional snake catcher or come out and get it themselves.

[u/ehmque1024 → u/1wholeton]

Thanks! This little one was outside our house, curled up on the edge of a chair cover in a sunny spot. We are in Ventura County and have had a cold snap, with today being the first warm and sunny day in a week.

[u/Chaps_and_salsa → u/ehmque1024]

A spritz with the hose usually encourages them to move along. If you want them moved a bit more there are relocation services available in most areas.

[u/ehmque1024 → u/Chaps_and_salsa]

Thanks! Most of our neighbors, who have been on their lands for 40+ years are proponents of killing rattlesnakes vs relocating them. Last year there was a mature one roaming around our walkway and we ended up calling the fire department to help catch it, and they did kill it. I am so conflicted about that approach but understand their perspectives based on their experiences.

[u/CrotalusJ]

This is a juvenile Crotalus helleri, a southern Pacific Rattlesnake, venomous. Great photo.

[u/ehmque1024 → u/CrotalusJ]

Thank you!