From the photographer: "We adopted a couple of bearded dragons from a yard sale about 2 months ago and part of the deal was to take not only the 60 gallon tank with the dragons but also a Southwestern Speckled rattlesnake in a 125 gal. tank. This was my boyfriends 'project'. Approximately one month later, we discovered 'Fang' (the diamondback) in our backyard in rural East Mesa. We have children and dogs and were concerned about loose snakes. They get along GREAT in the same enclosure! We do not know his age but figure he/she is young. Just yesterday, there was a very large diamondback sniffing around our dragon's outdoor enclosure and I captured him. Thought perhaps to release him/her but divided the large tank and now they all live warm, fed and happy. They eat live mice, small rats once every week to 1.5 weeks. This is a bit difficult for us as we also have domestic dumbo rats as pets! I guess I became an unexpected snake handler. We use 'the Grabber' to handle the snakes and it is always an adrenaline-charged event when we have to clean enclosures, rehouse etc."
A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Maricopa County will help you to learn more about and identify snakes that are found in central Arizona.