Frequently Asked Questions About Snake Removal
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1) Education is one of the best tools to help keep humans, pets & wildlife safe, while encouraging conservation.
2) Snake Guru has come a long way by being honest and open with folks allowing you to save TIME & MONEY. In many situations, people report an encounter with a nonvenomous snake, or a situation where, quite honestly, we don’t need to come out.
IF Snake Guru needs to help, we take pride teaching our community about the unique wildlife only found in our area! The icing on the cake, educating people within a community is one of the best ways to promote conservation. This is especially true for snakes as there’s a high amount of fear and misunderstanding about these creatures.
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We will be there ASAP, usually under 30 minutes. We understand, being faced with a potentially venomous animal is an emergency.
Our philosophy, if we cannot be there in a short amount of time, we want to help connect you with the correct, professionally licensed individual(s), and work in the most collaborative way possible within our community.
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People online claim they willl relocate the snake for free. Why should I choose Snake Guru?
Snake Guru is fully insured and licensed by the Arizona Game & Fish Department. Snake Guru has over 14 years of specialized training and expertise.
1) More likely than not, the individual who’s offering to help for free is NOT licensed, insured or specially trained. If an accident occurs, ask yourself, who’s on the line? Who’s on the hook for paying the hospital bill for a snake bite, commonly $100,000 or more!
2) Did a crime occur? In many areas reptile species are protected. Support organizations who actively support wildlife conservation. Don’t enable opportunities for poaching and zero degree of accountability.
3) Finally, do they know how to properly relocate wildlife? Are they helping the animal survive?It may sound simple, but many animals die without having a solid release plan. You probably don’t want to hurt the animal in question, that’s why you’re willing to ask for help. Call Snake Guru to give the animal its best possible chance of survival by choosing someone who knows the conservation research.
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NO!
You should hire a professional unless you have professional training working with wildlife, specifically, a venomous snake!
Long-term, most people don’t realize getting bit by a venomous snake changes their life from that moment forward.Financially, expect to spend A LOT of money. It’s not uncommon for medical bills to cost be $100,000 or more! You better hope your insurance helps cover a portion of the costs.
Depending on the species of snake, irreversible tissue damage can occur, or worse, a person’s life can be at stake. Certain proteins in snake venom are known to cause tissue destruction which aid in prey digestion. While humans are not seen as prey by snakes, their venom has the same effect on a human body. -
Currently, we service the Phoenix Metropolitan area:
Anthem, Apache Junction, Avondale, Buckeye, Carefree, Cave Creek, Chandler, El Mirage, Fountain Hills, Gila Bend, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Guadalupe, Litchfield Park, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Peoria, Phoenix, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Sun City, Sun City West, Surprise, Tempe, Tolleson, Wickenburg, and Youngtown.
Don’t see your area listed above? We may travel to you if the circumstances are right. If not, we’d like to help connect you to the proper person if possible. Give us a call. (928) 533 - 6276 -
WRONG!
Snakes can envenomate people after they’re dead! Yes, that’s right, snakes can still envenomate you after they’re dead. Case reports around the world have documented this phenomenon. Please don’t be another person who embarrassingly shows up at an emergency room and has to tell the staff a dead snake bit you.
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There are strict state and federal regulations that dictate what can be done with certain species of wildlife. In Arizona, the Game & Fish Department directs wildlife, such as snakes, to be released as close to the capture site as possible, but far enough away that the snake never needs to be relocated again.
In addition, careful considerations are taken into account when choosing a release site to give the animal the best chance of success long-term.
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My professional input, if you are going to use a snake repellent it should be capable of repelling ALL venomous species of snakes with a high degree of effectiveness & very specific instructions.
As of January 2024, this ‘silver bullet’ of a repellent does not exist. Read the fine print of any snake repellent on the market and you’ll see it doesn’t even come close to our recommendation.
At worst, they provide a false sense of security & don’t address the underlying issue of why a venomous snake may be attracted to a residence.
The herpetology community has also published multiple studies showing the ineffectiveness of snake repellents on the market, in addition to many homemade remedies passed down through folklore.
Bottom line, snake repellents don’t work. If snakes are being seen regularly, underlying shelter, water and food sources need to be assessed.
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Mothballs contain the chemical naphthelene or paradichlorobenzene. While Snake Guru doesn’t want to argue with grandpa, multiple studies have investigated the efficacy of mothballs. Time after time, results show mothballs DO NOT work. The Centers for Disease Control also notes mothballs can also cause children, pets and/or wildlife to become sick or injured.
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The most precious commodity in the desert is water. If a snake learns about a pool, pond, fountain, etc. on your property, you better believe it will try to get a drink.
If you absolutely cannot get rid of the water source on your property, Snake Guru is here for you. Our team can help install snake fencing to protect your yard from a venomous snake. You may also consider purchasing this product if you’ve ever found a critter in your pool.
Nonvenomous, coachwhip, Masticophis flagellum. Captured during a drift fence biodiversity study.
Rattlesnakes + Education =
Big Win for Conservation
Many species of snakes around the globe meet their demise out of fear and myths perpetuated for far too long. Snake Guru, LLC takes human-wildlife as an opportunity to help educate our community on the benefits snakes provide on a local to global scale.
Fun fact!
Rattlesnakes are famous for the loud sound they make to warn off a predator. Unfortunately, there are times when a rattlesnake isn’t capable of making their iconic noise. As this picture shows, this snake’s rattle has been broken off. It’s normal for rattles to break, for example, after the snake encounters a predator. In this particular case, the rattle broke off entirely leaving the snake unable to make noise until it goes through a few sheds.