Posted on 05/12/2013 11:42:56 AM PDT by george76
In mid-March, she was bitten by a Mohave rattlesnake just feet from her apartment while trying to save her cat.
"You can feel it grip on. It's like cutting through butter. It grabbed my thumb and went down through the tendon. When it turned around it nicked me on the other side," said Wallace.
The Mohave's venom put Wallace in a coma. She spent a total of nine days in the ICU and had to be readmitted to the hospital three more times. Wallace was left with no feeling in much of her hand.
A few months prior Wallace told CBS 5 her downstairs neighbor was bitten.
"She was getting out of her car and she stepped out and it bit her," said Wallace.
Snakes aren't just slithering around outside. A man who lives in the complex showed CBS 5 a picture of a snake he found behind his son's crib, as well as another photo he snapped Saturday night of a snake on the sidewalk nearly at his front door.
"If they put in the lease that there are scorpions and bedbugs, why are you not saying we have a snake problem
(Excerpt) Read more at kpho.com ...
That Mohave rattlesnake is one bad motor scooter. Deadly.
Rattlesnakes, scorpions and bed bugs. Sounds like Washington, D.C.
Scorpions, bedbugs and rattlers... some of your pets are loose.
This one has both neuro toxin and hemo toxin and will kill a small dog in less than 5 minutes. Happened to someone we knew in Az when we lived in Yuma. These are nothing to mess around with...meaner than junk yard dogs they are.
Yeah. I saw a show on TV once about these Mohave rattlesnakes. I guess if you are bit, you better hope they have the right anti-venom nearby and can get it into you quickly.
I'm only sort of kidding about the cacti... :)
But I haven't heard stories of any particularly bad rattlesnake problems in the larger McDowell Mountain Ranch housing development that is closer to the actual mountains, so I'll guess the problem could be roof rats. If the apartment complex isn't cleaning up the citrus fruit that drops, it attracts the rats, which in turn attract hungry snakes coming out of hibernation. If the complex keeps up its maintenance, snake sightings should be very rare.
I grew up in Scottsdale ( the poor end of town) and rattlesnakes are not unknown in the area. I still live in the state in a small town surrounded by lower sonoran desert.
I the thirty years I have lived in my home I have seen about four rattlesnakes in the yard. Every one was being played with by the cat. I am convinced the cats bring them in from the wash nearby. Its amazing to watch, as fast as the snakes are, the cat is quicker. It is the biggest reason I keep a cat or two around.
I suspect if she had not tried to “save” her cat, both she and the cat would have been fine.
If you're going to live near wild areas you must train yourself and your kids to be aware, it isn't optional.
Must be a food source for those snakes in that apartment complex too. Mice? Snakes tend to crawl into houses through mouse holes, since they can fit through them and are following the mouse’s scent trail.
My nephew brought me up an 18” water moccasin the other day, not knowing what it was. He got a lecture.
Well, thanks for taking the suspense out of what my next nightmare will be!
I grew up in Tucson on the edge of town (just inside city limits) and have NEVER seen a rattler anywhere NEAR the house - and our area had significant desert around it.
I think I saw one ONCE in Redington Pass.
Of course, I shot him. Gotta love them .22’s.
It’s the desert, ya know?
Them kinda critters live there. Best thing to do...off them.
And don’t feel bad about it. They’d return the favor.
Good LORD!!!!
That could have ended very badly- glad he is safe.
The rattler took off via a short cut across our pool. He was quite a fast swimmer!
It’s just an Arizona thing - watch where you step...:^)
I think I saw one ONCE in Redington Pass.
Regulator,
We live in NW Tucson on a large lot and the pics were taken there. We regularly see rattlers...:^)
I live a few miles from this location now. However I am in an established neighborhood that’s been here 25 yrs. No snakes, no scorpions, no nasty anything/ Anyone who lives near the city borders and next to a desert preserve are going to run into these things . I once lived next to the desert and would have scorpions, tarantulas and king snakes on my patio plus a pack rat or two. Would see havelina and coyotes, but no rattlers
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.