Scott and Tanith,
That certainly would not be a viable alternative as I know of no house hold AC unit that could chill a house fast enough or to a temp low enough to slow them down till animal control can get there which could be as little as 5 minutes and as long as several hours in some cases. However having somone get other family memebers out of the house while waiting if you choose to wait for animal control is ceertainly not a bad idea.
The suggestion about the AC has more than one purpose. Maybe you will agree that even if it does not cool the house rapidly enough, there is another good reason for it.
As for cooling a room in which a snake is found, in my home I could cool most of the rooms by a few degrees within 10 to 15 minutes. A few degrees from about 72 to 68 would be a marked change for the snake, don't you think. Sure it will remain active but will be less likely to be as active in my opinion. Consider that animal control is one of the most understaffed units of law enforcement, and it may be over a half hour before they arrive on scene even in an urban area. Now if you live out in the boonies, it may take them over an hour to arrive. Any cooling of a snake that MAY help it to be less active would be a good idea to try. Cooling the room will not harm the owner of the house, nor the snake, and that is even if it does not help the snake to become calmer. Regardless as to whether or not it calms the snake, it probably will not make the snake more aggressive or anxious. Yet there is that chance it may help to make it less active just a bit. More importantly, it may also make the homeowner a bit more calm, and therefor less likely to do something stupid. Upon arrival of the emergency service workers or animal removal people, it may also help them remain a bit more calm or at least comfortable while catching that snake. No one needs sweaty hands when doing such a thing. Now if animal control arrives in 5 minutes, so what you wasted 5 minutes of extra electricity. Heck, I cannot even get the local police to arrive within 5 minutes, let alone animal control.
As to broom as I stated a " long handle" 5 to 6 feet in length would be perfect. the method is simple lay the can on its side and brush the animal in. By doing that you stay our of range of a bite and get the snake safely secured.
So now tell me, how many people have a broom that is 5 to 6 feet long lying around? They likely would either be janitors or snake keepers. Much better not to move that snake without the proper tools and experience but to call animal control and let them do it. Also, who of the inexperienced know what distance is required to keep out of the snake's strike range such as when placing that can? I'd bet most snake keepers/hunters cannot reliably judge the size of a snake by eye alone, let alone figure its strike range, so how would a scared homeowner do so.
Certainly I am its a very safe and effective method one i use on my own Easterns and when i lived in California one that worked very well on the Mojaves and Southern Pacifics.
While I know the technique is probably easy for you, and you consider it safe and effective - that is for you or other experienced snake keepers. In other words it is easy, safe and effective for someone who has practiced it first with a docile snake, and then on venomous. Even extremely experienced snake collectors sometime have major problems bagging rattlers or other anxious/nervous species by steering them into a collection box/bag /can. The more you mess with the snake, the more likely you are to be envenomated if it is a hot. Most non-snake people will be in a bit (no pun intended) of a panic if they think the snake is venomous; others watch too much Steve Irwin and may be too bold. I think you need to check your personal and professional liability insurance if this is what you recommend to non-snake type people.
However again if the animal is controlled in a trash can then the safety factor conciderablly is increased for all.
Sure having the snake in a can increases the safety margin. The thing is getting the snake into the can. Again I have to say, that what you can do with ease, is not necessarily something that a person who has never been around snakes can do with great difficulty let alone with safety or effectiveness. In other words, even after going through considerable difficulty, they may still be unable to can that snake. Also remember the snake is unlikely to cooperate, about as unlikely to cooperate as is the homeowner to be adept at canning it or remaining calm. The safety factor declines markedly while an inexperienced and possibly panicked person is making an attempt to get the snake into a can.
Think of an actual scenario. While you may anticipate the backwards retreat of a WDB, do you think a non-snake homeowner would anticipate this? The reared up position of a retreating WDB would almost definitely intimidate an inexperienced person greatly. Then if a snake rattles and then strikes out while you push it, you are fully aware it will not reach you. I'll bet though that the first time a rattler struck at you, even if you were far enough away not to be tagged, you felt like jumping or pulling back. On the other hand, imagine that person who is inexperienced, and has already been intimidated not just by the presence of the snake, but now by its raising itself up, and its apparent aggressive retreat style. Now the snake starts to rattle its tail and the homeowner starts to rattle his/her knees together. In such a state, if someone with no snake experience pushes that snake with the broom, and the snake strikes and maybe hits the broom handle, the person may go into mega-overload panic. This could cause the person to throw the broom and in so doing, the snake could be lifted and fall onto the homeowner (think of that push broom style of broom here). Or in the tizzy caused by the panic, the homeowner could try to hop, skip, jump, run or even fly away (I kid you not this is a recorded reaction that people have said they experienced in panic type situations - they had hoped to fly away). This may result in the person falling over the broom, their own two feet, a garden hose, the can, or some furniture. They may wind up flailing about on top the darned thing, and I do mean atop the snake. That could result in a nasty bite or multiple bites. This a very plausible situation for an inexperienced and very afraid person who is, for the first time, handling albeit indirectly a potentially deadly snake.
Bear in mind that the original strike that caused this panic would not have to have come even close to connection to make many people react with absolute super-panic, nor would it have to have been from a venomous species. Ever see what a mouse does to some grown women and grown men. Even some big tough guys act like terrified wimps if they see a mouse run by at fairly close range. Imagine what a raised up, moving, rattling and striking rattler or bull snake could accomplish. Sure you could not fall on a bull snake and be envenomated, but you could break a leg in falling. This is why I think it best not to tell someone to push that snake into a can with a broom. I seriously have to think that the best advice is that which, I believe, has been doled out seemingly by the great majority of experts whom I have read over the years - leave it alone and let an expert handle it. Of course if it is a true emergency, such as the snake is a couple of feet from a young child who is cornered, or who has been bitten already, then sweep away to your heart's content.
As for people not taking the time to ID a snake that has bitten them, this is where education comes to play. People in areas with good sized populations of venomous snakes should, I think, be encouraged by local authorities to become familiar with venomous snakes in their area. Most people are bitten by the snake they attempted to handle in some manner. If they had enough time to handle it they had enough time to ID it before being bitten. Of course many of them who are bitten because they handled the snake are also intoxicated, so who knows if they could ID a snake in that state. Yet for those who were coherent enough, it could be of some great benefit to them. Other people bitten by surprise could also possibly ID the biter. Of course, the other scenario is when a child is bitten. As mom or dad applies takes the child out of harms way, the other parent calls 911. Hopefully one of the parents will have thought to take a few seconds to look around a bit to see if the snake is still there or even for any evidence of a snake as opposed to a thorn bush. One of the first questions they will be asked, either by the experienced 911 operator or medical responders, is: 'Did you see the snake, if so what kind of snake was it?'
The moment they (the victim or those first on scene) take to gather their wits to calmly ID that snake is the moment during which they made a conscious effort to think and not to panic. Not going into a panic state when envenomated could save the life of the victim. Many people who have been bitten by snakes have properly identified the snake that bit them because they were familiar with the types in their area. This has made it easier for medical personnel to make proper decisions on treatment. There is no reason not to try to ID for a few seconds if it can be done without touching the snake or without putting yourself in danger of another bite. If the snake is not ID'd and the person assumes it is venomous, then think of all the potentials for disaster when emergency units respond code three, or as the bitten person tries to drive like a maniac to the hospital.
If it is not ID'd because you could not ID it, so be it, but at least you looked, and tried to figure what it was, thereby helping to avert a panic. If you do see it is nonvenomous great. If you see it was a rattlesnake, or cottonmouth, or copperhead, or coral snake - think of how much faster it will make the authorities respond, and how much more prepared they will be upon arrival. There is no excuse for someone who lives in close proximity to venomous snakes to not learn how to do basic identifications of venomous from nonvenomous. Of course they could always be wrong or uncertain or just unable to get an ID at all - but if they did get it, so much the better.
Oh by the way, I tried the link from Tanith. Got through when I typed it in, but clicking on the link did not work. As for the info on moving a snake with a broom, there is, in my opinion, a glaring underestimation made about the strike distance of a snake. It says this:
A snake can only strike half its length so the broom is long enough to keep the property owner safely out of striking range.
This statement has the potential for disaster as I see it. A viperid snake, can in general usually strike up to 1/3 of its length, and sometimes can strike as far as 1/2 its length from level ground. One or two species may even strike further. Note I said from level ground. A snake striking down hill, or out into space from a ledge or garden wall, or from a bush or tree limb, may be able to strike considerably further than 1/2 its body length. There are also other types of venomous snakes that can strike much further than 1/2 the body length on a level plain.
I have also read of one species that is virtually able to strike almost the entire length of its body. Finally, there are some snakes that actually become aggressive when pushed around. They in effect attack that which is pursuing or pestering them. Many Australian elapids are known for this trait, as are some of the cobras. Considering all of the exotic species of snakes kept in this country, it is quite conceivable that the snake found in your yard or garage could be an exotic species known for its aggressive behavior. I, for one, would not want to push one of these around with a broom. I just think it best, that unless it is a dire emergency, people should call for help, just like it says on Tanith's linked pages. By the way, very interesting site, that snakegetters.com.
Just my opinion on the matter.
All the best,
Glenn B
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