Nearly 90 rattlesnakes found living under California home

A woman who suspected snakes might be living under her California home was proven right in the worst possible way when dozens of rattlesnakes were found beneath her floors.

It happened last week in Sonoma County, west of Sacramento — and photos show the snakes came out in tangled clumps, like some sort of venomous pasta.

“This last week I got a call from a lady that said she had snakes under her house,” Alan Wolf of Sonoma County Reptile Rescue posted on Facebook.

“Three hours and 45 minutes later … I came out with 59 babies and 22 adults.”

That was just the start. Wolf reports he has since returned to the home twice and found seven more rattlesnakes, bringing the total to 88.

“But there’ll still be more there. … They can come and go as they please.”

The name of the woman and her reaction to the unsettling discovery was not released. Wolf suggested the snakes may be attracted to the site because the home’s foundation was built “around the rocks.”

He identified the species as the northern Pacific rattlesnake, which feeds on rodents and grows to about 5 feet, according to The Reptile Database. Northern Pacific rattlesnakes are known to give birth “between August and October,” with females producing up to 21 young, the Burke Museum in Seattle reports.

As for why so many adults and “babies” were in one spot? “Oftentimes, many females will gather at a single den to give birth,” the museum says.

Sonoma County Reptile Rescue, a nonprofit, collected the snakes and released them at an undisclosed location. The agency “handles well over 1,000 rattlesnakes each year,” Wolf said.

The Facebook post has received hundreds of reactions and comments, including some from people who wondered if the home was built atop an existing rattlesnake den. Others wondered how that many snakes can be collected without someone being bitten.

“Who crawled under the house to get them?” Tom Prunier wrote on the Rattlesnake Research and Conservation Initiative Facebook page.

“Ummmm where is this house located? Just hoping we aren’t neighbors!” Janelle Hassett Petersen posted.

“I’d move so fast!” Linda Levar said.

This story was originally published October 12, 2021 7:50 AM.