Keeping Rattlesnakes as Pets

June 4, 2009

Question: Are rattlesnakes legal to keep as pets in California? I’ve browsed the Internet and have not found the answer online. Thanks. (Cyle W.)

Answer: California Fish and Game law does not prohibit keeping live rattlesnakes you have taken from the wild. However, the laws do prohibit buying or selling live rattlesnakes and also prohibit importing or exporting rattlesnakes.

According to DFG Capt. (ret.) Phil Nelms, you do not need a license to take rattlesnakes from the wild, but there is a limit of two per species. California has five different species of rattlesnakes: Crotalus viridis (Western rattlesnake), Crotalus atrox (Western diamondback rattlesnake), Crotalus ruber (Red diamondback rattlesnake), Crotalus scutulatus (Mojave rattlesnake), Crotalus mitchelli (Speckled rattlesnake) and Crotalus cerastes (Sidewinder). The California regulations regarding reptiles and amphibians can be found in Sections 5.05 and 5.60 of the 2009 Freshwater Fishing Regulations booklet or online at www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations.

Be aware, however, that local city or county ordinances may prohibit keeping live animals that may be dangerous. I suggest you check with the local law enforcement officials for any restrictions in your area.

Love this post. I have a friend that lived in FL. He caught and made a pet of a coral snake....that is, until it escaped in his house! Not something I could ever live with...LOL

Love this post. I have a friend that lived in FL. He caught and made a pet of a coral snake....that is, until it escaped in his house! Not something I could ever live with...LOL

Oh man hope your toes don't look like little baby mice  .

I can think of easier pets to have..........

Terrible pets. I kept a C. viridis as a pet when I was in high school (you'd have to know my parents to understand this..).  Wouldn't fetch, wouldn't come when I called. Pretty much never rattled... Ate poorly.. was not a happy snake as far as I can tell.
One night I dropped a live mouse in his cage when it was a little cold (rookie mistake) and by morning the mouse had gnawed through the snake's neck.  I don't know if mice KNOW they are killing their predator, but I have since learned this is the wrong thing to do.

Coral snake.  The student caught a coral snake while on a collecting field trip.  They hadn't made camp yet, so they put it in a cloth sack and tossed it in the glove compartment of the Suburban. The next morning they went to get the snake to prep for a museum specimen.. No snake in the bag.  Oh oh... tore the suburban apart, threw the gear for 6 people out on the ground, shook out all the sleeping bags.. no snake.... left the car doors open, all the gear draped around and went for a hike. Came back, shook out the gear.. no snake.  They packed the car back up satisfied that the snake must have escaped. Finished the collecting trip 6 days later and as they opened the car door to leave... yup... out dropped the snake. They had been driving, camping in and around the truck for 6 days with a live coral snake.... I say again, terrible pet.....

Crazy story...and yes, those Coral snakes are so small. But man....lets pray we never get bit. The Mojave, Water Moch, and Coral are the three snakes I fear the most from a toxin standpoint...

Pet snake?!.....I don't even trust my pet rock...it looks at me funny.

Growing up in Chico, we (brothers and neighbor) caught a western diamondback at Horseshoe Lake in Bidwell Park.  After a month with it on a hunger strike, we returned it to where we caught it, much to the relief of my mother.

My grandpa always had a fascination with snakes, especially rattlers. My grandparents lived in the desert in SoCal when they first got married so there were always snakes around, often the nasty ones in places that you'd probably rather not have them like porches, garages, or even inside the house. All of my grandparents friends knew of my grandpa's love of snakes and his willingness to handle them so whenever a snake wandered into somewhere it wasn't welcome, my grandpa's phone rang and off he went to trap and relocate the nuisance snake. They lived in a regular suburban neighborhood so it wasnt like he could just let these captured snakes go on his property, so he usually drove them out into the desert once a week to release them away from further human interaction. What happened if he captured a snake on Monday and couldn't make the trip out to the boonies until Friday to let them go ? The snakes just hung out in a giant glass mayonnaise jar on top of the fridge, of course ! Needless to say, my grandma never got used to that deathly chorus of rattles every time she opened or closed the fridge door, of that fear that she'd close the door too hard and the jar of snakes would come crashing down on the kitchen floor.

Sometimes it amazes me that my grandpa lived long enough to have kids, much less great-grandkids ! 

Coral snakes don't even have fangs.  Sure they have toxic venom, but it requires piercing the skin which is unlikely unless you let the snake chew on you.

All snakes are rattlesnakes! #whoneedsboots 

Coral snakes don't even have fangs.  Sure they have toxic venom, but it requires piercing the skin which is unlikely unless you let the snake chew on you.

According to wikipedia:

"In addition, coral snakes have short fangs (proteroglyph dentition) that cannot penetrate thick leather clothing. Any skin penetration however, is a medical emergency that requires immediate attention. Coral snakes have a powerful neurotoxin that paralyzes the breathing muscles; mechanical or artificial respiration, along with large doses of antivenom, are often required to save a victim's life. There is usually only mild pain associated with a bite, but respiratory failure can occur within hours."

Short fangs is not quote the same as no fangs...