My roommate acquired a rattlesnake that he put in a fish aquarium on a eye level shelf next the the sliding glass door on the back porch. It was about 15 inches long. We could only feed it live food. It would strike the mouse and go to the other side of the aquarium and wait for it to die, then go over and eat it. Not like a constrictor type of snake that will curl around it's prey. It was kind of interesting, and we got used to him buzzing us all the time when we were out there.

We had it for about six months when it got out of it's aquarium. It didn't have anywhere to go except the screen on top of the aquarium, so it waited there until my friend went out back to smoke a cigarette, and struck at him as he walked out the door. My roomie waits until his heart rate gets down to 300 or so, gets a shovel, and knocks the snake off of the shelf into the yard where the snake promptly commenced aggressively chasing him. The was a lot of yelling, hopping around, and desperate flailing with the shovel for about 15 seconds before the poor snake was finally done in. And that was the end of that. True story.

I have lived in Idaho since 1997 and have yet to see a rattlesnake. I would love to see one. I have looked around table rock, middle fork of boise river, south fork of boise river, north fork of boise river, below swan falls dam. Seen lots of lizards, but no rattlesnakes. So please someone point me in the right direction

Another friend of mine recently ran into about a dozen rattlesnakes during a fishing trip on the Big Wood River upstream from Magic Reservoir.

Remember they are cold blooded and can't cool themselves down, so on hot days look for them in the mornings and evenings and in shady areas, especially near water.

Roger

On a pack trip UP the river of no return, my dog was bitten by a rattle snake "protecting" me - it near my tent. She was very sick for a few days, we stayed there until she recovered. Saw more snakes on the lower South Fork of the Salmon then on the main. The ones that startled me were the ones that were sunning on the cliff faces about head high as we rode by on horses. Glad we don't live in snake country.

They go together if you ask me.
And I don't want either one in my backyard.

Was all over there Tuesday morning, the only thing I saw was a little lizard.

I saw one on a hiking trail, and the guy next to me saw one in camp over at Paradise.