SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Rattlesnake season is upon us here in San Diego County, and like clockwork, social media pages are filling up with sightings of the slithering critters. In our area, rattlesnakes are most active during the spring and summertime, and they'll typically mate in the fall.
“See there’s that rattle, oh, he gave a little thrash. So that’s the infamous sound," said rattlesnake wrangler Alexander Anthony Trejo with SoCal Rattlesnake Removal, as he held up a one to two-year-old rattler he removed from a customer's home.
“These guys are a highly venomous pit viper. The pit viper means they have heat-seeking pits on the front of their face, so all that means is they’re able to detect a prey and strike lightning fast.”
CBS 8 tagged along for one of Trejo's house calls Wednesday to a home in Alpine.
“Three large fat rattlesnakes that my landscape guy came across and he stopped working and I don’t blame him,” said homeowner Linda Brown, who's home backs up to a large canyon.
“If they’re in here, they’ll buzz at me,” said Trejo as he scoured through typical hiding spots like thick vegetation and under rocks.
“A lot of snakes love rock piles because rock piles are a great refuge for them. They’re sturdy, they’re fortified, they’re impenetrable," said Trejo. "The snakes can get under there and escape if they need to.”
After a thorough search of the brush and around Brown's home, the snakes were nowhere to be found. Trejo told CBS 8 they were probably spooked.
What to do if you spot a rattlesnake
“It’s always important, if you see a venomous animal like a rattlesnake, you leave it alone, you give it space,” said Trejo. “If you're out on a trail somewhere, the number one thing you need to do if you ever see a rattlesnake is to avoid it at all costs. It doesn’t benefit you, it doesn’t benefit the animal to go up and try to mess with it, move it. If you see a snake, let it do its thing.”
As far as what he does with the snakes he captures, he told CBS 8 that he humanely relocates them to suitable habitat.
“We always give the animals a second chance at life," said Trejo. "I’ve been given a second chance. Everybody deserves a second chance, and so do they even if you believe it or not.”
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