A rattlesnake on the patio is bad, but things got worse for a household in Scottsdale, Arizona, when a large western diamond disappeared under the mini fridge.
There it stayed, like a ticking bomb ready to go off at any moment.
The exasperated owners eventually resorted to calling a snake removal service, which is how Marissa Maki of Rattlesnake Solutions got involved.
Video posted on social media by Rattlesnake Solutions shows Maki started by boldly trying to pull the mini fridge away from the wall.
However, she just as quickly stopped after looking down to see the snake’s flicking tongue poking out from under the fridge door.
That left only one option: Maki got the garden hose, which is apparently rattlesnake kryptonite.
It took just few seconds to see a little head pop out from under the mini fridge, followed by another 3 feet of slithering venomous snake.
“It’s freaking me the hell out. You are a brave woman,” a resident of the home is heard saying in the video.
The snake quickly slid toward another appliance, but Maki snapped it up with tongs before it could hide again.
Turns out rattlesnakes love to hide under appliances in Arizona where it’s quiet and shady.
“Snakes anywhere in the yard are a pretty scary occurrence for people, but (it’s worse) when the snakes are under things people use every day,” Maki says. “We use water often when we know a snake is in a tight spot … to get them to come out. We try and keep the water pressure low and not blast the snake in the face. Just strong enough to get it to move.”
The rattlesnake was surprisingly mellow about the ordeal and did not attempt to bite at the tongs Maki used. It was later released unharmed in a wilderness area, which is standard procedure for Rattlesnake Solutions.
Western diamondbacks are common in Arizona, where they can reach 7 feet and live 20 years, according to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Three to five feet is average, the museum says.
