SSSSSSSnakes!

If you did not attend the Living with Wildlife SIG meeting on March 24th, you missed a wonderful presentation by John Leek on our Sun City snakes.

We all need to remember that snakes are our wildlife neighbors, and we need to respect their place in the Sun City environment. The vast majority of our snakes are harmless and eat small rodents and even other snakes.

The biggest danger to Sun City humans from venomous snakes is the rattlesnake. You should take the following precautions so that you don’t get bitten by a rattlesnake:

1. Always be aware of the ground around you and do not reach or step into areas that you cannot see clearly.

2. When hiking on trails, long pants and or boots are recommended.

3. Always use a flashlight when outside at night.

4. If you see a snake, do not panic! Maintain a distance of 3 feet or more from a rattlesnake.

5. Call a Snake Wrangler. They are listed in the Sun Rays each month.

If you do get bitten, you should reach out for medical assistance immediately and do the following:

1. Make certain the bite is from a venomous snake.

2. Call 911 and request transportation to a hospital.

3. Do not do any cutting or apply any constriction tight enough to cut off circulation.

4. Have someone call one of the Snake Wranglers.

If you do find any kind of snake, you should contact a Snake Wrangler. Their contact information is in the Sun Rays and on the laminated snake identification sheet distributed by the CA. If you need one of the snake identification sheets, ask at the Texas Drive front desk for a copy.

The Snake Wranglers will come night or day and remove the snake if need be. They keep an inventory of all the snakes found here in Sun City, and they want to be notified even if the snake is a harmless one. If you are sure the snake is harmless, you may want to send them a photo so they can add it to the inventory.

There is a lot of information on snakes already on the Sun City website. Links to helpful information are below.

HELPFUL WEBSITES FOR INFORMATION ON SNAKES

Link on CA website for rattlesnake safety and action to take if bitten:

Sun City Texas Community Association Rattlesnake safety & action to take if bitten (sctexas.org) *

Link on CA website for Williamson County EMS recommendations on actions to take if bitten:

Sun City Texas Community Association Snake Bites (sctexas.org) *

Link on CA website for snake removal:

Sun City Texas Community Association Snake Removal (sctexas.org) *

24-hour emergency veterinary care if your pet is bitten:

Heart of Texas Veterinary Specialty Center 115 E. Old Settlers Blvd., Round Rock 512-744-4644 www.heartoftexasvets.com

Central Texas Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital 301 Chisholm Trail, Round Rock 512-900-2778 www.ctvsh.com/locations/round-rock