By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

April 23, 2023 (San Diego) -- Now that the rain is moving out, are you ready for some hiking, biking, golfing, or yardwork? Hold on before you head out and watch your step! You may be greeted with a surprise. Rattlesnakes are coming out and I’m not talking about those “special” people in your life personally or professionally that slither around ready to take a swipe at you!

Rattlesnakes are found in most U.S. states, but California is “blessed” with more than its fair share. Rattlesnake season in California starts in April, however they can start as early as March and runs through October.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

May 11, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -- Recent rains have provided snakes the opportunity to mate a little longer. Generally, rattlesnakes emerge from hibernation into April, or when the average daytime temperatures reach and remain about 60 degrees Fahrenheit and higher.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

August 16, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) -- “Listen for sprinklers, they sound like sprinklers,” says Tom Minga, a rattlesnake specialist.

Minga, a Flinn Springs resident, who owns Snake Solutions Removal & Relocation, recommends listening for rattlers when you are out in nature or even in your house.   

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Mojave rattlesnake

June 28, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – The canine rattlesnake vaccine has been administered to over 100,000 dogs since it came on the market in the early 2000s. While only about 1 percent of dogs had side effects, the bad news is “there remains little fact-based data to support the efficacy of the vaccine to date,” according to Valerie Wiebe, Pharm.D with the University of California, Davis. In other words, it’s not clear if the vaccine actually works.

East County News Service

June 15, 2017 (Escondido)  -- Did you know your dog can be trained to recognize rattlesnakes by sight, sound or scent AND to avoid them? A course on rattlesnake avoidance training for dogs - featuring live rattlesnakes that have been disabled from biting - will take place on July 8^th in Escondido.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

Snakes' eyes – they’re watching!

April 10, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- We know all about those snakes at work that slither around trying to work their way into promotions, office social circles and politics, or even belly up to the boss. They’ll do anything (even bite you in the back) as long as it benefits them.  But the snake I’m talking about is actually more fearful of you, however just as dangerous and you need to exercise caution around them: rattlesnakes!

Safety tips for you and your pet

By Carl Person and Karen Singleton

Photo: California Fish & Game Dept.

July 9, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) --With the arrival of warm weather, we love to be outdoors and take our pets with us to explore and enjoy the beauties of nature. Trails and parks abound in southern California and offer a wide array of different habitats, from low deserts to high Alpine pine forests. Daily, people and their pet companions converge on these sites by the droves. The exhilaration of being in these pristine outdoor environments often makes us forget that, within these treasured getaways, there is a potential for disaster.

Photo, left: rattlesnake in Ramona, by Elena Pena

By Miriam Raftery

September 3, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Neurotoxic snake bites, known as “super bites”, were formerly  rare in our region, found mainly in the Mojave Desert. But 10 News reports these serious bites are occurring now in suburban areas of San Diego and East County.

A dog with a neurotoxin bite in Del Cerro, for example, went into shock and had difficulty walking. The dog was treated at Pet Emergency and Specialty Center in La Mesa, where vets told 10 news that three of the ten snakebites treated in the past week have been neurotoxic bites.

Source: County News Service

May 3, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) --As temperatures rise, all sorts of wildlife emerge in the spring., which marks the start of rattlesnake season in San Diego County. As the reptiles come out of hibernation, it’s not uncommon to spot them locally, though bites are rare. Most sightings happen between now and October.

The County’s Department of Animal Services has removed dozens of rattlesnakes from residents’ homes and yards so far this month, said Dawn Danielson, Animal Services Director.

April 23, 2013 (Spring Valley)—A 5-year-old girl was bitten on the foot by a snake yesterday while playing in a grassy common area of a condo complex at 8700 Spring Canyon Road in the La Presa area of Spring Valley.  CAL FIRE/San Miguel Fire District firefighters responded to the call shortly before noon.  With help from residents, firefighters from Station 16 located and confirmed it to be a rattlesnake.

The child was transported to Sharp Grossmont where she is receiving anti-venom.  "She is doing well, according to the mother," Leonard Villareal with San Miguel Fire told ECM today.

San Diego County Animal Services indicated there was a huge jump in snake calls yesterday. As the weather warms up, the snakes become more active.

Animal Poison Control Center offers several tips to avoid chance encounters with snakes:

By Sam DiGiovanna, East County Magazine In House Fire Chief

August 8, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--As spring and summer time calls people and snakes alike to the outdoors, encounters with snakes become inevitable. California has a variety of snakes, most of which are benign. The exception is California’s only native venomous snake - the rattlesnake.

• CSU faculty members set to vote on strike (Sacramento Bee)
• Jerry Brown turns to robocalls and mailers to qualify his ballot initiative (Sacramento Bee)

• San Diego County: Rents are Rising (KPBS)
• Palomar campgrounds reopen after successful fundraising drive (KPBS)
• Rattlesnakes cruise for females, find people (North County Times)
• Caregiver sentenced in elder abuse of Pearl Harbor victim (San Diego Union-Tribune)

August 2, 2011 (Ramona) -- ECM intern Elena Luz Pena snapped these "striking" close-ups of an unusually colorful rattlesnake at the home of her fiance's father in Ramona. 

This two-foot-long critter's message is crystal clear: don't tread on me!