Snakes!!!

[Kylie2x]

This is only the 3rd snake this yr.. That is great.. I usualy kill 3 in a week..LOL...Bunny huggers..SORRY.. I beg for your forgiveness...
It is a newborn Blotched Water Snake.. Non-venomus ..He will be on the snake relocation program. BUT they are live born and anywhere from 11 to over 30 at a time.. and where the Hell is your mother and others???... He was at the bottom of my front stairs..We killed a 6' Rattler in the same spot a few yrs ago.. Kind of creeps me out..
Kylie

[the flying dutchman]

Yikes



Ron

[Fcastro]

I've been seeing a lot lately as well. When I take the dogs out at night I've seen at least one every night for a week now. Lots of little ones and just 2 big ones,must be hatching season. I haven't been able to ID any because I am too busy pulling the dogs away from them just in case they are poisonous. I was able to stomp on the head of one the other night and kill it ,I was going to I.D. it in the morning but by the time the sun came up the fire ants had picked it clean,nothing left but bones,those darned Fire Ants are like Land Piranhas...lol. Last night, I'd imagine because the hurricane was coming the snakes were particularly active. there was a huge King snake hanging around my laundry room and the shade house earlier in the summer but I have not seen it in a while.

[island cassie]

Wow! We are lucky here in the Dominican Republic as we have no poisonous snakes - some boas and lots of other little chaps. In the garden we have some small dark snakes that the dogs don't bother with - they must eat lizards I suppose. But I like snakes and would be happy if I had a boa or two in the garden - keep the rats at bay!!

[JoeS475]

You'd never believe it but even in NJ we have Rattlesnakes... One almost got my dog while hiking a couple of years back. It struck first, and then rattled! Thought it was supposed to be the other way around.

Now when we hike, both my dog and I are really jumpy every time a stick snaps too loudly...

~Joe

[MediaHound]

I find about one or two of these a year.
It's a Southern Ringneck.

[NANAMAN]

Ringnecks are cool, as are all nonvenomous snakes. I would love to have a population of snakes in my yard, but so far have only seen an occasional black racer. A few years ago my neighbor killed a huge Eastern Kingsnake in his yard, he's one of those " If it slithers it's DEAD people". I was really disappointed cause I have always thought those are some of the prettiest if not most beneficial snakes around. Even the venomous snakes have their place in this world, as long as it's inside a kingsnakes belly!

[modenacart]

I saw two water mocasons last summer in my yard about a week apart. I was really lucky because both my dogs ran right by it before I saw it. I was able to get them out of the way so I could remove the snake. If they had gotten bit, I am not sure if they could make it. We have to be carefull because there are lots of low lying water areas around here.

[Fcastro]

Water Mocassins are some bad characters...I believe that they might be the only snake that will actually chase you. They are just plain ornery. I grew up right by a canal, outside of New Orleans, next to mosquitoes the water mocassins were the most plentiful pests around.

[PAJ53]

The neighbor on the other side of my bamboo patch finally started mowing the 2ft tall weed patch they call a yard and drove a large copperhead in to my back yard. I was nearly bitten going out to my worm bin composter last night. Warning picture taken this morning not for the weak at heart. I killed it and put it in the top of composter and then put the lid on it. The top stage is really active with bio digesting larve and ants so it will be gone by tonight.

[Kylie2x]

I love the Ringnecks.. We have loads of brown snakes which eat earthworms..Ringnecks eat the brown snakes..I would rather keep my earthworms..
We also use to have chickens.. You give a couple of them a little snake and it is just like the catoons.. Both tuggin on an end...LOL
PAJ53.. No love loss here.. I'm in Millsap.. Copperheads are plentiful ..We have 4 dogs only one hasn't been bitten so far.. but he's new we've only had him a few mo.s...LOL I imagine the snakes will be stiring around preparing for winter...
I do take the time to haul the non-venemous snake out to the back pasture.. They will slither right into a feed sack where it is nice and dark given the chance...LOL
I took the little guy from yesterday out to the tank.. He was very happy to get out of that jar...

[Kenzie_POM]

Hey Ya'll,

I was bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake many years ago. Ouch. Not fun. Not fun at all. Hand turned a nice purple. Hospital three days. I still like snakes. I just give a lot more room.

[Fcastro]

C'mon Kenzie, tell us the story ........if you don't mind.

[Kenzie_POM]

Ok,
Basically this is what happened. I was in the seventh grade.
Some people we knew caught what they thought was a hog nose snake. Put it in a fish bowl. Then let their daughter take it to kindergarden. The snake was there for a few days. You really could not see it. Lots of leaves, sticks, and stuff in the bowl.
The teacher knew I was interested in snakes. So, it was given to me. I was assured that it was a hog nose. I took it home. Pulled the snake out of the jar. It was about ten inches long. No visible rattles. Then I noticed the pits. To late. It hit me. Tip of my left index finger. Ok.
Killed the snake. Put it in a tupperware bowl. Mom grabbed the RN from next door and we all head off to the hospital. As you can image, I was triaged pretty quickly.
The snake is then positively identified as a pygmy rattlesnake. The search for the anti-venom begins. The local hospitals do not keep a supply. The ED docs finally found some. I get the anti-venom IV. I go off to a room as I am going to remain overnight.
That is when the intense pain began. Very hard to describe. I could not get anything for the pain. I was having difficulty breathing thus nothing that could potentially supress respiration. I remember waking up. Starting to cry and scream. I mean really scream. There was not a happy place that night. My Mom made me read Treasure Island. Then an RN waking into the room. She will forever have a halo. She gave me something that calmed me down and put me to sleep.
Next morning. My entire hand is a blood blister. My doc actually lanced the wound to relieve the pressure. My arm was swollen to the size of my leg. After three days, I was discharged.
That is the story. I am really glad that the snake did not strike one of the kindergarten class. That would have been really bad.
I now have a neat scar on my finger and an interesting story. I also give all snakes a wider path.

This the nurse

[Sailfish]

Ringnecks are fun snakes, especially for the kids
but boy oh boy the first time you pick them up, they lay out a stinky stinky fluid on your hand.

We have a good number of black racers (recently my castnet left out drying caused the demise of stubby, our tailess black racer ) and ringnecks in our yard.

I have yet to encounter any rat snakes though.

[MediaHound]

Wow Kenzie! This was almost you:
That's really terrible that they couldn't tell a hognose from a rattler... glad you made it though.

And yep Sailfish, they do let out a pungent odor! I don't find it too offensive though, I still try and catch them to hold them for a few minutes whenever I find one.

[BabyBlue11371]

I had several garden snakes in my yard before the flood.. we had even named them.. Haven't seen any since the flood.. not sure if they died or just headed for higher ground and haven't came back.. They use to use under front porch as their home.. it is cement slab with brick foundation around so keeps fairly cool in summer and warmer for them in winter.. Sure hope they come back.. the bug population has gone nuts with out them..
I would see them slither up in my tropical plants and inspect for bugs.. it amazed me that they could get up in a small tree with so few branches to support their body..
Saw them in a ball (probably mating) earlier this summer.. but the flood probably killed any eggs..
Even though they are JUST garden snakes they have given me a chance to teach my kids about snakes and to respect ALL snakes.. they provide bug and vermin killing service.. and even non poisonous snake bite hurts so give them room..

Gina *BabyBlue*