There's a Gila Monster in the House!

[@kurtv4946]

I live in Southwest Utah in a desert community and have a Gila that lives on our lot. We feel very fortunate and usually see it in the Springtime when it comes out to eat and do what Gila Monsters do.

[@deemariedubois4916]

That Gila monster had amazing coloring. Just gorgeous. How cool you got to release on your own property.

[@clhagy]

A big thank you to Bryan and everyone at Rattlesnake Solutions from Florida. The work you do is invaluable - both the saving of the individual animal AND the education component which is so important. Somehow somewhere along the way we forgot we are a part of this biosphere, and not its master. In addition to these wonderful animals having a right to their lives on this planet, we must remember we NEED them, much more than they need us.

[@sandralutz-rodriguez2864]

Gila Monsters have been on my wish list to ever see out and about whenever I am back in the Southwest. They just look so rad. How awesome Bryan's case was a neighbor and able to relocate on his own property.

[@dawnsmile6201]

Wow... What are the odds of getting two Gilas on two properties! These videos are a huge service to the animals by educating people about their behavior. Now I know that there is no way you can get hurt by a Gila unless you do something stupid... If only that was also true for the rattlers :) Another great video team. Thanks for your time. Living in Minnesota, the most dangerous things we have are the annoying ticks. This is exciting....

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

I will take rattlesnakes over ticks ANY DAY!

[@rneustel388]

That’s how I felt 33+ years ago when I got to see an Eastern Coral snake in a Louisiana forest. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Maybe one day I will get to see a Gila Monster!

[@MyRanger12]

I have at least 4-5 Gila monsters every year on property. They are awesome

[@herpinghighlights7144]

That dude will probably have a heart attack when he gets his first rattlesnake in the house. Hope he has you on speed dial! 😜 Great video!

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

haha, I think that will be less likely now after the gila training wheels.

[@kalicat9492]

Agree that Gila monsters are iconic. Beautiful lizards.

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

Very much so!

[@weeg0880]

I've lived in Arizona for 40 years, basically my whole life and I've never seen one in the wild! Only seen them in videos like this or at the Desert Museum outside of Tucson. I can't believe the number of myths that float around about these beautiful creatures! Thanks for the video.

[@wildlifewarrior2670]

I've been in Tucson for 3 years only seen one wild Gila monster

[@nachoandsancho5218]

Peralta trail out in the Superstitions..was awesome to say the least

[@irongoatrocky2343]

I live in the Bangkok Metro here in Thailand.....here we have Water Monitor Lizards ('Tui Hia' as the Thai's call them) ....I've come across them in Lumpini Park in Central BKK and out here along the canals and Grass fields (former orchards) in the northern areas of the city! I just usually let them be when I see them (Thai's seem to fear them for what ever reason), I let them do as they please and give them room to do their thing! they just wish to get away from you and I'm ok with that!

[@N-Lee]

Myths. My Dad used to tell the joke that Gila Monsters are Poisonous because they have no Poop Hole. (That would make me poisonous)

[@chrisclark507]

Thank you for giving the breakdown of the animal. Because the common sense you are sharing will help a lot of people

[@jilldavis7229]

God bless you both for saving these beautiful creatures!!! Thank you for educating me 👍🙏❤️

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

Thank you for watching

[@lockedin60]

You are more than relocation specialist you are Ambassadors for all of wildlife. A lot of things we fear is because we do not understand them or don't have good information about the subject matter.

[@Agent-jj4cc]

I've been in Arizona for 24 years and have only seen a Gila Monster twice. Once was at South Mountain on top of tall rock as I drove by. The first time was on the rocky mountain behind my house, North of Union Hills, West of Cave Creek Road, where people never climbed. I climbed the steep hill and came right up to him without seeing him until he ran away and hid behind a rock in a narrow crevice. I don't know which of us was more surprised! I could still see his left hand close up while he was in his hiding spot. I was in awe. I'll never forget it. BTW, I have a metal Gila Monster in front of my house that I painted and it looks so real people are actually fooled.

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, it’s an honor to see them in the wild for sure!

[@dbcooper-alltimehideandsee6223]

I love the way you used the phrase "poor decision making" as a substitute for "dumb as a box of rocks".

[@cjmueller5455]

I have a couple of GMs who show up on my patio once in a while. They are not very social, so we usually go opposite directions. It is always a treat to see them, though.

[@Alan_Mac]

Really good vid. Factual and entertaining! Thanks!!

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

Thank you!

[@pauladams8714]

I learn something from every one of your videos, thanks for that

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

Glad to hear it!

[@patzwahl8341]

Thank You for the Q&A !! Great information.

[@nicolebrooks7181]

Those Gila Monsters are so adorable ❤

[@tpbbuzzelli1327]

That was fantastic

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

Thank you for your continued support, TPB

[@wildlifewarrior2670]

@@RattlesnakeSolutions I wish that people that moved to the desert get more educated about the animals that actually live here pisses me off they kill them all the time because they're ignorant

[@grumpygardner3059]

What a beautiful lizard.

[@dougbourdo2589]

For whatever reason, I have been fascinated with Gila Monsters ever since I was a kid. Would love to see one(or more) in the wild, just to get a good, satisfying look at them.

[@bradknight2618]

What a beautiful creature.

[@nikkic0509]

They’re both so pretty.

[@Dmb2288]

So pretty! Good job!

[@SJR1987]

Such a mystical creature. It wasn't in that guy's house, that guy was in the gila monster's house. Wildlife is getting squeezed out of their natural environments by the human species and that is extremely sad.

[@AB-vc7ox]

The gila monsters are attracted to the smell of meat rotting and even discarded meat packaging/wrappers. I sometimes see them sniffing around on my patio near the garbage can. Lots of cool photo ops.

[@SealBreeze]

Imagine if the Monster dropped your baseball memorabilia

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

😬😬

[@petercarmeci8317]

I hate when people kill snakes for no reason. I almost got into a fist fight with my neighbor because he killed a large eastern milksnake on my property. Because he has an irrational fear of everything. He spotted it sunning on the rocks that are about 25 feet from the property line, and he hacked it up with a machete. I saw red when my daughter tomd me. She was really upset. That snake was there all summer. Bothering no one. It still grinds my gears.

[@gilbertdelgado6703]

The Gila Monster, while I know very little about them, is really interesting.

[@Blend-24]

I did not know a lot of this about gila monsters. Great video.

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

They're pretty amazing!

[@vannemocilac274]

I was stoked to see a Gila monster on a ridge while hiking the AZT. I was trying to go by it, but it kept coming towards me. So I’d try a different way, and it came towards me. I didn’t feel threatened but I wasn’t expecting it to keep coming towards me. Finally, I got way off the trail to one side and it went off the other side of the trail. Maybe it was motion activated? It was SO detailed and beautiful! I can picture it still, on that narrow ridge, and I was happy to watch it, even if I was a little scared by its approaches. Ha! I just read a comment about smell; holee hiker stinky feet! Maybe that was the draw!!!

[@dandewar4874]

This video was very enlightening for me, thanks for dispelling all the disinformation that I grew up with 🦎

[@mikefetterman6782]

My favorite lizard in all my years of reptile zookeeping. Despite being ashamedly, bitten once. I know, I it like being run over by a tortoise, but it instantly feels like my fingertip was smashed by a jagged edged, glass sledgehammer. It took 5 days for the swelling to go down in my right hand (never use ice for the pain). However, I still love them.

[@mikefetterman6782]

I was doing an educational lecture for a hundred Japanese tourists, and other visitors to the zoo. (never just play with venomous reptiles for fun)

[@cindys9491]

Suspectum! (Heloderma suspectum is a great name for them!)

[@dianna3157]

Great video and extremely informative. I have never heard of your company but just off of this video I will keep you in mind if I am ever in need of your services for snake removal, or recommend to others that need help. I do have a question AND a comment on the video. It was mentioned that Gila Monsters and tortoises can live harmoniously, are you referring to a Desert Tortoise or all in general? The reason I ask is you stated that tortoises can't climb...I would beg to differ. I have had the honor of living with a Desert Tortoise for the past 19 years and that little guy should join a circus. My first experience was when we were doing some major yard work and I wanted to isolate him so he wouldn't get run over by a Bobcat excavator, so we bricked in around the area he was located. The next day I saw him wondering around the yard, my husband insisted that he dug under the bricks (I disagreed as there were no holes), next day we caught him in the act, looked over towards his "enclosure" and saw this little head and two arms peeking out over the bricks (over TWICE his height!). Another time I put up a baby gate to keep him separated from the dogs and caught him a few times climbing the darn thing. One time he actually made it all the way to the top and I found him on the other side, on his back the next morning 😥. I then started putting gallon juice bottles full of water in front of the bottles so he couldn't climb the wire but he found a way to climb up and latch onto the handle or push the bottles away. This guy is only about 4-5 inches long, he easily fits in one hand but is incredibly strong. I now have all the bottles tightly packed together with the handles all facing towards the gate and it's worked wonderfully for years. I do still have a little fence around the back of the A/C unit to keep my dogs away from the wires/cords and I've caught him a couple times climbing that, so now I have the juice bottles around that fence as well. He's had the full run of the yard for over a decade now, the dogs don't pay him any mind other than an occasional wet nose on the back 'Good morning', and he doesn't even tuck into his shell around them. Between him, my fence lizards and my porch geckos at night I really love the nature in Mesa, but if I ever have anything come slither in my backyard or house, I'm definitely giving YOU A CALL!! 🙂

[@richgwozdz8580]

Gillas are awesome I have them as pets

[@Katastrop]

I love the derpy herpys. lol

[@melhawk6284]

Damn... I would almost be inclined to let him hang out and keep the damn packrats down... if I had no other pets and such. Cat door, water bowl, etc.😆

[@j.woolbright4524]

Super-interesting! I really enjoy your videos. I have a question about relocation. How can you be sure there are no predators in the holes or rock crevices where you release the gila monsters...or the many snakes you rescue?

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

Thanks for the question! We’ll answer this one in a future video

[@plutobrown9927]

Lifestyle of the rich and famous

[@BuzzyStreet]

Stunning creatures. How large is a Gila monster's home range?

[@daveco1270]

There's some cool houses out there in Arizona. Typical dude, wanting to know if his Gila was a good size. : )

[@baldmanariz]

I live in Tucson and have run into the Mexican Beaded lizard in extreme southern AZ Nogales area both east and west of Nogales are they a protected species as well

[@gilbertdelgado6703]

2 questions: 1- what is their diet and 2- are the patterns on the Gila Monster’s body individual?

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

They eat a lot of things! They are primarily nest raiders, eating eggs, baby birds, and small mammals. The pattern you see is individual and remains the same throughout its life, though can become distorted depending on the body condition and size of the adult lizard.

[@irenesilva8494]

Oh my I live in Tucson found one here. What should I do?

[@Katastrop]

We need to change the name of the Gila Monster. Who came up with MONSTER? :(

[@LKre-vi5oq]

Gila Cutie

[@nachoandsancho5218]

Native Americans

[@RoxanneSharbono-mb8ol]

I thought bearded dragons were venomous, too.

[@catfish5272]

Questions. So you say gila monsters are area specific. If I were to find one in my house or yard, would it be safe to assume it probably lives nearby? If I decide to relocate it in the land by my house would that be ok?

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

Yup that is accurate ... and really the case with rattlesnakes too. That's the thing to realize - if it's been there the entire time and only just seen by chance once, there is no more or less threat than there ever was, just a mutual learning experience. If you find a Gila at your house, the best thing to do is just let it continue on and do it's thing, as long as it's not in danger itself (dogs, etc). It will return to wherever it has lived its life.

[@catfish5272]

@@RattlesnakeSolutions thank you! And actually I wanna share something else with you. I think I have a fascination with snakes and actually don’t fear them too much. I can watch video after video about all types of snake events. Live feeding, venom milking, catching snakes, pet snakes etc. but it’s so strange cuz, like, I am deathly, deathly afraid of spiders. My spider phobia is unreal. To the point I wish I weren’t so scared of them. It’s strange in my mind how I can watch videos of venom milking with awe but will quickly swipe away a photo of a spider and hyperventilate. My spider phobia sucks honestly!

[@johnmeeks9618]

Besides bird eggs what do Gila Monsters eat?

[@RattlesnakeSolutions]

Baby rodents, small dead animals, lizards, and likely invertebrates on occasion!

[@gregorykacsandy5005]

What do you guys charge to go out to some one's house?👍

[@stevenmcevoy6630]

I relocate rattlesnakes here in California and work with a Fish and Game ranger. I know they get Gila monsters which are illegal to own here. A couple months ago they picked up a few and I was wondering if they could be relocated back into the wild. California seems to feel once in captivity they can't ever be rehabilitated back into the wild. Does Arizona feel the same way? I've always felt anything should be given an opportunity. Does Arizona have any rehabilitation centers? Thanks

[@wbarney59]

What do gila monsters eat?

[@Lure-Benson]

Maybe just scup up the Gila Monster with a shovel then walk it away from the home and let it go to let the lizard find its home on its own.

[@russcarroll1648]

I get them off the roads or I wait for them to move off the road and make sure no one hits them

[@clarenceworley8134]

I have a gila monster that lives in my kitchen, but rarely seen it. People tell me to get rid of it, but he doesn't cause trouble and eats things I don't want in here. Edit: i just saw you need a permit to keep one of these. I am not keeping him here, nor did i even know at first he lived here, so I'm pretty sure im exempt.

[@brendahaney361]

What do gila .monsters eat

[@jamesgray8188]

They bite fast don't be misleading.

[@joesanders6898]

Is there any truth to the story that Ozempic is made from Gila Monster venom?

[@robertbroughton1443]

What Marissa said about Gila monsters won't jump out at you is true, unless some dumbass Hollywood producer, or writer decides to make that the script, and makes a movie as such.

[@bobbyallen4555]

they be trolling like a mofo on this videos

[@wildlifewarrior2670]

Would love to have a woman like her

[@ursulasmith6402]

Too bad gila monsters are venomous. I would love to hold one, they are adorable.

[@sbellock5]

So don't drink Gila monsters, got it.

[@jcmcclain57]

Environment... I think that is a very important word/concept for people who in places where venomous wildlife is a part of the "landscape." I probably will trend toward the side of people whom this channel may consider as ignorant or not a nice person when it comes to dealing with living in the environment that this channel lives and works in. I live in a state that does have some venomous wildlife (timber rattlesnake), but it is as rare to encounter as a Gila Monster is per this post and I avoid it due to the great respect I have for what the consequences of an encounter might be and their predominant range is on the other side of the state from where I live. Watching this channel makes me wonder how I failed to encounter a rattlesnake when I once visited Phoenix and traveled into the desert. Rattlesnakes... I and my brother had an encounter spending the summer in Western OK when our grandmother decided to that we would sleep outside because it was so hot. I told her I was not sleeping outside with the rattlesnakes and she and my brother slept out in the back of the house (farm with the nearest neighbor a mile away). She decided to check on me in the middle of the night, reached for her glasses without using a flashlight to see what she was grabbing and wrapped her hand around the mid section of a 3' or so rattlesnake. Scared both her and the snake, but she didn't get bitten and when she used the flashlight the snake was striking at the bedpost of the bed we had setup. She got my brother out of the bed from the other side and herself and the snake did not fair well needless to say once my brother was in a place of safety. She came in the house and woke me and told me she decided that I was right and that it was a good thing to sleep in the house. My brother told me what happened the next morning. Ever since that summer I have had a curiosity about venomous wildlife and and even healthier respect for it as I have learned a little about venomous snakes both in the US and other places in the world I have traveled. For that reason I would not choose to live in their natural range without good cause and reason to live in that environment. However, if I did live in such an environment, I would take every reasonable precaution that was within my means to be safe. But that level of precaution would not include hiring a relocation service every time I had an encounter. I most likely would have a set of tongs and a bucket and the wildlife would go into the wild to the best of my ability to place them there, which is contrary to your prevalent advice and sentiment. I do concur though that killing the animal without reason is simply wrong. Venomous animals, especially snakes are scary to most people, but people have the ability to choose their environment for the most part, animals on the other hand have little to no choice regarding their environment, venomous or not. I find what you share here to be very interesting, especially your talks regarding the environment of the Phoenix area and the fact that the people have chosen to live in an environment that includes some very dangerous creatures to human life if not treated with respect. I appreciate that for the most part your customers understand and accept that you are not going to impose a death sentence on the animals you remove from human habitats and relocate into areas they can live in without interaction with human habitats.

[@daniellemurphy9755]

FAAFO

[@hunhun23]

I USED TO LIVE IN ARIZONA AND I HAVE SEEN GILA MONSTERS AND I JUST TENDED TO LEAVE THEM ALONE. I NOW LIVE IN FLORIDA WHERE WE HAVE ALLIGATORS AND SNAKES AND SNAPPING TURTLES AND REACHING DOWN TO TOUCH A GILA MONSTER I LIKE REACHING DOWN TO TOUCH AN ALLIGATOR YOU WILL GET BIT. ONLY WITH AN ALLIGATOR YOU WILL LOSE EITHER YOUR FINGER, YOUR HAND YOUR ARM OR YOUR LIFE