POWAY, Calif. (KGTV) – Snake season is here, and this year, there have been more calls about rattlers than ever before, according to San Diego County officials.
Chris Vrabel of the Pacific Coast Animal Control says they’ve taken more calls to remove snakes, and there is also more demand from homeowners to “snake-proof” their homes.
Vrabel says last year they “snake-proofed” more than 20 homes, but this year they’re on track to double that number.
“It is definitely more popular,” Vrabel said.
“Snake-proofing” a home involves putting a fence around a property. It goes three feet above the ground and a foot underground.
“A snake won’t dig,” Vrabel explained, “but other animals will dig, and a snake will take advantage of another animals work.”
Vrabel charges about $14 per foot to install the fence. Most of the charge comes from the labor of digging and installing in the heat.
One homeowner, Barbra Harmer, said she decided to snake-proof her home after she found two rattlesnakes in her garden earlier this year.
It cost her nearly $5,000 to install fencing around her home.
“You’re talking about the security of your family, your pets, just being comfortable knowing you can roam around the back yard here,” Harmer said.
