Experts Offer Advice As Rattlesnakes Emerge Across Arizona

Arizona residents beware... it's snake season! Okay, so it's always snake season in Arizona... but the warmer temperatures have the snakes moving about a bit more these days.

Officials with the Scottsdale Fire Department say that as rattlesnake season is ramping up, they are receiving more and more calls every day for snake removals. Fox 10 Phoenix reported that experts are giving advice on what to do this rattlesnake season.

Scottsdale Fire Captain Dave Folio said, "Remember, we’ve moved into their territory, so we’re building homes into the desert, just give them their space. One of the big things around your home is clear your area of rodents, big wood piles out back. Be really careful because right now, as it’s heating up, they’re coming out from the desert."

Folio says that hikers are more likely to see rattlesnakes this time of year as well. "A lot of people that get bit, they're not on the trail. They go off the trail, and they get bit in one of the bushes, or they're reaching down or they put their foot on a rock."

Rattlesnake removal expert Nick Schantz says that snakes can sense people by their smell. Schantz says, "If you get bit by one, the best thing to do is call 911, and as silly as it sounds, just sit down and try to stay as calm as possible. There’s nothing you can do on the spot that can help yourself."