Rattlesnake survived 2 years trapped in sealed-up crawl space, Arizona company learns

As if Arizona’s plentiful rattlesnakes weren’t intimidating enough, one is now being credited with surviving two years trapped in a crawl space without food and water.

The discovery was made Sept. 30, under a shed in Tubac, Arizona, about 45 miles south of Tucson, according to the snake removal service Rattlesnake Solutions.

An 81-year-old woman called to report a snake was peeping at her from a crawl space that had been sealed shut with high-grade mesh in August 2020, the company said in an Oct. 8 Facebook post.

“I shined my light beneath and observed a large, and very alive diamondback,” snake catcher Dave Holland reported.

“It had been trapped for over two years in a space no bigger than 2 feet wide, 12 feet long and 4 inches high from the concrete slab to the floor of the shed! It survived the drought of 2020, two winters, and no food for over 2 years.”

Condensation and bug intrusions may have helped keep it alive.

Holland quickly removed a section of the thick mesh and was able to “coerce the snake out” with a water hose, according to the post.

It was then placed in a bucket for inspection.

“The scales on its nose were mostly worn off as it must have persistently pressed against the mesh in an effort to escape,” Holland said. “It had lost so much weight that its skin was loose and the coloring looked abnormal.”

Western diamondback rattlesnakes are desert dwellers, known to reach 7 feet and live up to 20 years, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum says.

The idea of one going years between meals it not far fetched, because rattlesnakes can “lower their metabolic rates by up to 70 percent, allowing them to survive prolonged periods without food,” LiveScience reports. “The rattlesnake can survive 2 years without eating,” American Expedition says.

Holland says the crawl space had been professionally sealed by a pest control company after the homeowner reported being “buzzed” by a rattlesnake in 2020. A dead rattlesnake was seen in the mesh “several months” later, leading to assumptions the threat was over.

However, the woman got “buzzed” again the last week of September, prompting her to call Rattlesnake Solutions.

The service safely relocates the snakes it catches, so the emaciated rattlesnake was freed near a buffet of pack rat nests, Holland said. It was last seen “settling under a large shaded rock between multiple rodent trails,” he said.

“I am amazed that it survived and hope it thrives and continues to pass on his genes,” Holland said. “As we all know snakes are incredible survivors, but ... that far exceeds what I thought was possible!”

This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 9:37 AM with the headline "Rattlesnake survived 2 years trapped in sealed-up crawl space, Arizona company learns."