Watch your step: Rattlesnake season heats up in Southern Nevada

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Saturday and Sunday will be the warmest days of the year so far, and some areas of Southern Nevada will hit triple digits.

If you plan on getting outdoors for a hike, walk, or run, watch where you step. Red Rock Canyon warns that rattlesnakes are now being spotted, sharing one photographed right outside the visitors center. Friday night, FOX5 also spoke with a rattlesnake wrangler who said his phone has been ringing off the hook the past week and a half with calls from homeowners spotting snakes.

“Snakes have been hibernating all winter and once the ground temperature gets above 70 degrees, snakes start coming out,” shared professional snake wrangler Brian Kelley. He explained that reptiles are looking for sun to warm their cold-blooded bodies.

People have been posting slithering serpents on social media from Lake Las Vegas to neighborhoods like Paseo Verde Park. Tyree Maran, who lives in Mission Hills, snapped pictures of a snake scaling a wooden post.

Best advice: if you do see one, give them space.

“The main thing this time of year is to be vigilant. You don’t have to be scared of snakes. They want to avoid people as much as people want to avoid them,” Kelley contended.

While the six species of rattlesnakes in the state are venomous, all other native Nevada snakes are harmless to humans according to NDOW.

“Snakes have a purpose too. They keep the rodents down. They are a part of Vegas and part of the desert community. It is pretty much their environment, and we are the ones visiting,” Kelley asserted.

If you do plan to hit a trail this weekend, the advice from Red Rock Canyon is to be aware of your surroundings, including the path ahead, and never put your hands or feet in places where you can’t see.

What should you do if you find a rattlesnake inside your house? You can call a professional for help or NDOW says you can call them. They say to make sure to have eyes on the snake when you call.

If you can safely do so, place a trash can over the snake until an NDOW Warden responds to remove it.

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