topic Re: Snake drama in Community Chat

Snake drama

songbird — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 21:49:01 GMT

In all the years that I lived in my house, I have never seen a snake so close to my house. Our property backs up to the state park. Their are plenty of snakes there, especially Black Racers. A very long black snake that is harmless to humans.

I had gone to the mail box to see if we had any mail. There was none, so I turned around and saw...yes, the snake. It was on the ground parallel to my steps. It then started to slither up the stairs. I ran to it and I must have yelped, because some kids that were playing outside ran up to me. The snake moved quickly around the house, then I lost track of it. I can only hope it went back in to the woods NOT inside my house. I knew it was a Race, but I googled it. And it was. Here is a photo of it. Being close to a park like ours, you do get a few critters coming around. And they are in our yard. Just not so close!

Re: Snake drama

Sweetbay magnolia — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 21:57:34 GMT

My husband told me yesterday that while he was sitting on the front porch there was a snake on the chair beside him. Likely a garter snake. I shrugged, but he seemed surprised. I don't mind them (but of course I wouldn't want one in the house!).

Re: Snake drama

ROMARY — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 22:25:16 GMT

Years ago, one of our cats used to bring in snakes (smaller ones).

Striped. Well, actually bands around the body, all the way up and down.

Black or dark green and gold? or something similar.

We would see a small-ish coiled snake sleeping in our family room. At least two times, maybe three or four.

Kind of cute, as long as they are small, and remain coiled and asleep.

Don't recall how dh removed it. Probably used a cardboard and slid it into a box, etc. I'll have to ask dh this evening.

We are a no-kill family. Including the cat, come to think about it.

Re: Snake drama

deepwaterdotter — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 22:19:35 GMT

I would be petrified and have the same reaction you did.

Re: Snake drama

ECBG — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 22:25:04 GMT

I bet you don't have a mouse "issue" in your house. We live in the woods and have black snakes. We don't bother eachother at all, but they really keep the basement clean for me!

Re: Snake drama

nana59 — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 23:16:06 GMT

i should never have opened up this post.....guess i'm gonna sleep with my eyes open tonight........

Re: Snake drama

Icegoddess — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 23:31:29 GMT

Several years ago, a fellow from my church stopped by with one of his workers to talk to me about removing a tree that was dying. After he left I went back in the house, but a couple of minutes later I went back out and saw what I thought was a belt laying on the steps to the front porch. Now, why I would've thought one of those men had taken a belt off and left it there I have no idea, but then the belt moved. It went between the crack between the house and the steps. It was a dark grey snake and I was thinking it was a small rat snake.

I also rescued a small King snake from some bird netting it had become entangled in. It was my fault. I had covered some potted plants with the netting trying to keep the chipmunks from digging them up. So, I had to painstakingly cut the netting away as it continued to struggle. I have a pic of me holding him after I was finished. Even so, I don't think he was particularly thankful.

Re: Snake drama

SilleeMee — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 00:00:10 GMT

One time I saw a tiny green snake, about three inches long. It was moving through a sandy bank next to a lake. I stopped to take a closer look at it and the little guy raised his tiny head and looked right at me. It was so cute.

Re: Snake drama

1Snickers — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 01:20:56 GMT

There was a lizard in a glue trap in my back garage. I went to check the other trap by the big door. It was gone.
I found it under a car with a huge grayish snake partly in it. Got my grabber and when putting it in a plastic bag it moved.

Since I live in the woods there are copperheads and water moccasins, an occasional rattler. This one moved slowly and I couldn't see its head. Due to the trap I had to humanely use the shovel.
My neighbor had been sitting near her woodpile by my garage. The next day I warned her and the next day she had her yard man remove the wood pile. I've been wanting her to do it for years!
🪓 🪵 🦎 🐍

Re: Snake drama

Ladybug724 — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 01:22:18 GMT

@songbird wrote:
In all the years that I lived in my house, I have never seen a snake so close to my house. Our property backs up to the state park. Their are plenty of snakes there, especially Black Racers. A very long black snake that is harmless to humans.

I had gone to the mail box to see if we had any mail. There was none, so I turned around and saw...yes, the snake. It was on the ground parallel to my steps. It then started to slither up the stairs. I ran to it and I must have yelped, because some kids that were playing outside ran up to me. The snake moved quickly around the house, then I lost track of it. I can only hope it went back in to the woods NOT inside my house. I knew it was a Race, but I googled it. And it was. Here is a photo of it. Being close to a park like ours, you do get a few critters coming around. And they are in our yard. Just not so close!

Aw. To me this looks like a badly deflated bike tire

Re: Snake drama

jellyBEAN — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 01:45:17 GMT

@songbird I can relate. I had a very similar incident on Monday. Not sure where you live, I'm in NC - way far south in the state - and we have these black snakes which I see way too frequently. Sometimes they just hang out in the bermudagrass, poking their heads up like prairie dogs, eyeing the surroundings.

I was standing in my back porch with the back porch door open, thinking about weeding my garden, when all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, this black snake comes racing up to my back door, like I had invited him over for lunch, and almost got in my house. I slammed that door so fast, and of course my cat was under my feet, and I scared her and she went flying and hurt her little leg in the process.

I wound up taking her to the vet the next day and he told me she had hyper-extended her elbow. I felt so terrible, all because of this darn snake. I really dislike them. They are very fast, not afraid of people, and appear around the yard at any given moment. I too back up to "wetlands", and instead of birds, bunnies and squirrels, I get snakes and frogs and the occasional turtle. But that's the way it is around here. Glad you got back in your house without issue. Tis the season.....

Re: Snake drama

Susan in California — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 03:11:44 GMT

@songbird

We have lived in our home for 30 years, and this past weekend,

when all nine of my family was visiting, our granddaughter

found a California King snake in our driveway.

It was beautiful, with yellow bands patterning a dark body.

One of our sons managed to get it up over our bank/retaining wall, and we watched it slither away.

it is a non-venomous snake which is a powerful constrictor.,

hence its name, King snake.

It all happened so fast, just a few minutes before departing for the airport. But, like you, I had never seen a snake so close by, in all our years living here.

I looked it up, and learned a lot.

Re: Snake drama

occasionalrain — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 03:12:09 GMT

Glue traps are incredibly cruel. They should be illegal. What harm did a lizard ever do?

Re: Snake drama

Venezia — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 03:43:51 GMT

@occasionalrain wrote:
Glue traps are incredibly cruel. They should be illegal. What harm did a lizard ever do?

@occasionalrain - I was about to say the same thing - one of the cruelest ideas anyone ever came up with. Trap an animal and then leave it to die a slow death or chew its own paws (or extremeties) off to try to get free.

I don't use poison for a similar reason, not to mention, if you poison mice and another animal ingests them, they are also poisoned. The poison crystals pierce the animal's stomach and they slowly bleed to death.

We have more humane ways of dealing with critters who are where we think they shouldn't be. No excuse for these inhumane methods - that clearly trap unintended victims.

Re: Snake drama

Jk9 — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 03:57:03 GMT

I live in the woods in northern SC and living there means we see snakes. Most are rat snakes and other harmless ones. We do not kill a non-poisonous snake if at all possible. We consider harmless snakes as natural rodent control. We have dogs so a snake inside the fenced yard is taking a real death risk coming here. I grew up fearing snakes and still have a gut reaction when I see one close by. But, I end up rescuing rat snakes each summer if I get to them before the dogs. We also see copper heads and our dogs attacked a juvenile several years ago. It bit 4 of them (we hade 6 at the time) and I had to make an emergency run to the vet for treatment. Bites were on their muzzles so all were swollen, in pain and pitiful looking, but all survived with immediate treatment. I don't leave doors or windows open and I watch where I walk.

Re: Snake drama

occasionalrain — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 04:34:49 GMT

It's a bit OT and about Ireland and St Patrick driving the snakes out.

I don't find anything praiseworthy about that. Once the snakes left, the rats prospered and were, I suspect, in some way responsible for the potato famine.

An example of good intentions gone awry.

Re: Snake drama

luvzchiz — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 05:19:26 GMT

I enjoy snakes in pictures not in person. I do understand that everything has its place in the universe and the food chain. I still don't understand why mosquitoes are still around. 😃

Re: Snake drama

riley1 — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 12:26:05 GMT

We see snakes around all the time. While I give them wide berth, its unnerving when you step into the garage and there is one by the car - yikes. My theory is all snakes bite so I avoid them. However, they really are good for the environment.

Re: Snake drama

tototwo — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 12:35:05 GMT

I'm happy to hear there are so many "No Kill" folks out there. However, to me, the only good snake is a dead snake.

Re: Snake drama

LindaSal — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 13:14:48 GMT

This is why I live up north.