This story is actually just the opposite of what you might be thinking. It’s not insurance to keep rattlesnakes away from your home, but the amount it would have cost Placer High School to keep their pet rattlesnake, Stryker.
The rattlesnake was apparently brought into Mr. Stryker’s biology class in 1982 by a student. The snake become a class pet and 30 years later is still calling the biology class home. This will unfortunately be changing as the insurance premium for Placer High School to keep the poisonous snake was quoted at $50,000.
While the snake being removed is a bit of a sad story, there is also a happy side. In just a few months, Stryker, the 5 foot long rattlesnake, may be breaking the world record as the oldest living rattlesnake ever recorded. Just a few more months to go. This is quite long for a rattlesnake.
Retired teacher Douglas Stryker was quoted as saying “Thirty-eight kids in a chemistry classroom is more of a liability”.
For anyone who isn’t familiar with rattlesnakes, they get their name from the rattle at the end of their tail. As they shed their skin, a portion of that skin remains behind and forms a rattle. Rattlesnakes shake their rattle to warn potential predators to stay away.
Rattlesnakes are common in the Auburn, CA area, and they can be identified by their brownish color (beige with darker brown blotches along the back), diamond shaped heads, and of course the rattle at the end of their tail.
Newborns don’t yet have the rattle and because of this tend to be more dangerous. They have no way to warn predators and can’t yet control the amount of poison they inject. Rattlesnake bites can be deadly, and a bite from a jouvenile can be even worse.
If you find a rattlesnake around your home, please give us a call (or contact us through e-mail) and we will be happy to remove it for you.