# Does your Rattler rattle much?



## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

Popped with the wife to the local shop for some food and a nose of course. They had some new DWA in and I have to say some very cute ones at that!

Albino pair of WDB and a Prairie (is this an EDB?). The latter was calm and almost nosing up the glass, the albino on the other hand was rattling like crazy when you made eye contact with him. Walk from sight and stopped, appear again and tail went crazy*.

I've seen other rattle snakes in display set ups and they've all seemed calm and sitting there. Could this one just have been a little highly strung and stressed or are some just more quick to rattle?









* The wife did think that this was cute so maybe theres hope for suggesting DWA in the future, all ideas start with the planting of a seed...


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## Zimey (Sep 28, 2008)

Whosthedaddy said:


> * The wife did think that this was cute so maybe theres hope for suggesting DWA in the future, all ideas start with the planting of a seed...


I like this idea too, im slowly slowly getting round to it I think : victory:


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## slippery42 (Mar 23, 2008)

@ OP "the wife" does she like this rather demeaning way of being referenced?

WDB = Western Diamond Back
EDB = Eastern Diamond Back
Pairie = prairie


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

Yep, she is actually called that on the phone and I'm the hubby.

Cheers, so 3 different sub sp? Westerns being the largest?


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## Owzy (Jan 19, 2009)

They are actually all seperate species. And as far as I was aware the Easterns get the biggest, happy to be corrected though.


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## stuartdouglas (Mar 5, 2008)

They're not subspecies. Crotalus is the family, like Morelia, Elaphe, Python etc...

Eastern Diamondbacks (_Crotalus adamanteus_) get the biggest, in the region of 2.1m
Western Diamondbacks (_Crotalus atrox_) get to about 1.5m
Prairie Rattlers (_Crotalus viridis_) get to about 1.2m
In Northern USA and Southern Canada another rattler occurs which is called the prairie rattler as well, although it's more common name is th Massassauga, this is _Sistrurus catenatus_ and grows to only 70cm or so


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

Ok thanks for that.


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## dunny1 (Feb 2, 2009)

*rattling*

my wdb was ok when i first got her didnt really rattle much. now though everytime she is out for cleaning she doesnt stop. then put her back in the viv and shes fine. nonetheless though she is a cracking snake.


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## Kalouda (Sep 1, 2010)

What about the pacific rattlesnake? Crotalus oreganus, not as bad as the wdb.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Prairie Rattler?

Didn't know there were any of those over here.... what shop's got that one? I'd love to have a nosey!

My _personal_ experience of Prairies is that no, they don't tend to rattle either. Of the ones I've seen in the wild, none of them went out of their way to announce their presence. Hence why I stepped on one, my dad nearly put his hand on one and my brother peed on one.


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

There was a documentary about rattle snakes and one area seemed to be less and less 'scared' of humans, no rattle when confronted, not really even moving until last minute then slinks off and strike as last resort. They believe it to be man and being in their areas has evolved this mechanism. Maybe these were Praries??

It was in Animal World here in Essex. Not sure if Dave Flames on here still works there?


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## Kalouda (Sep 1, 2010)

Whosthedaddy said:


> There was a documentary about rattle snakes and one area seemed to be less and less 'scared' of humans, no rattle when confronted, not really even moving until last minute then slinks off and strike as last resort. They believe it to be man and being in their areas has evolved this mechanism. Maybe these were Praries??
> 
> It was in Animal World here in Essex. Not sure if Dave Flames on here still works there?


Couldn't it be a pacific rattler as they frequent LA, Hollywood and well would be getting used to humans.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Whosthedaddy said:


> There was a documentary about rattle snakes and one area seemed to be less and less 'scared' of humans, no rattle when confronted


See, I've heard it slightly differently.... that the Western Diamondbacks that don't rattle are responding to environmental selection pressures. 

If you flatten out and look like a cowpat and stay silent, you're less likely to get picked up by rattlesnake roundups than a WDB that makes a big fuss when it sees them.... and since rattlers in the roundups don't survive to breed, humans are inadvertently selecting for rattlers that don't.


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## andy2086 (Dec 26, 2008)

I've a friend who has WDBs, mojaves, neotropical & uracoan rattlers & it's always the WDBs that rattle 1st. With the uracoan at the other end of the scale & never has done! : victory:


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## Elapidae (Jul 7, 2010)

stuartdouglas said:


> They're not subspecies. Crotalus is the family, like Morelia, Elaphe, Python etc...
> 
> Eastern Diamondbacks (_Crotalus adamanteus_) get the biggest, in the region of 2.1m
> Western Diamondbacks (_Crotalus atrox_) get to about 1.5m
> ...


Crotalus is the Genus not the family, I think Viperidae is the family,


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## trueviper (Jan 13, 2008)

My 4 year old 3' WDB rattler is a right noisey little bugger and usually rattles every time I'm in the room with him.
His behaviour is like that of a disobedient puppy and he allways thinks its feeding time again! lol

Rattlesnake round-ups? The mere mention of those ignorant practises makes my blood boil!


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