As the weather is getting a little cooler, snakes are looking for hiding places? I & hubby found this little guy hiding in our garage. Yikes!
Is it safe to assume this little snake is nonpoisonous?
I am not from your area of the country so I am not familar with your snakes . Try googling Alabama snakes as I just did . There are a lot of good online identiaication guides such as this one ;
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1308/
That looks like a small rat snake, which is nonpoisonous.
One thing I go by is apearance if its dull and dusty looking then its dead meat most shiney snakes are the good ones. I would check the local listing though. some snakes are good as they eat mice and rats that can really do a number on you plants. good luck and use a long stick to aproach it with
Nice garage floor! LOL
Oh that was outside on the pavement, Mrs_Ed. Thanks, lonediver for the link. LariAnn DH released it back to the wild to be one with nature. Pughbear7, a long modified stick was used. Hubby opted for a long handle net.
oh well then nice pavement! I like the blue specs.
I like to get as much distance from them as I can even if its one I plan to kill. Ran across too many water moccasins .... brrrr run
Pughbear7,
Some of other characteristics such as 'diamond head' or trangular jaws pattern. I looked at that snake and saw the errie trangular shape (poisonous) ewww, brrrr & so I ran too, hubby though it was smooth and oval (nonpoisonous). When in doubt. We tried to keep as much a distance as we can. I totally agreed. He was trying to work with it, while he yelled at me to stay away.
Lily ,
I do not know how much you have to deal with snakes but there is a comaritely simple device that can be made to deal with them . A picture of one and a description of its use can be seen here ;
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://nwco.net/0530-StepThreeNonlethalToolsAndTechniques/images/5-1-catchpole.gif&imgrefurl=http://nwco.net/0530-StepThreeNonlethalToolsAndTechniques/5-1-DirectCapture.asp&h=140&w=168&sz=4&hl=en&start=9&um=1&usg=__SrYjwZZs6MpRy4kL-Cn_Igeg6qY=&tbnid=Md_P-LmmUL8WPM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=99&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsnake%2Bsnare%2Bpole%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
Something like the one pictured can be made out of PVC pipe and light rope . Depending on how heavy duty it is made it can be used on all sorts of critters . Object being whatever is used for the pipe or tube housing than a rope that is maybe 1 1/2 times the length of the pipe . Anchor one end of the line at the bottom end feeding the rest of it through the pipe/tube . Wheh it is to be used leave a loop large enough so that it can be drawn over the critters head . Once that is accomplished pull the line at the other end drawing the loop close around the critters neck .
This gives the handler safe distance but good control .
Kudos to you & DH for catching and relocating rather than whacking the snake... I agree that he looks like a little rat snake, but any snake should be handled carefully (even nonvenomous ones bite... I would too if somebody grabbed me).
Thanks for that link, lonediver!
Lonediver, I've meant to return and thank you, for such helpful link. critterologist, agreed. No provocation, safety is priority. No grabing, no monkey business where there is none of our business. lol.
Too bad that so many folks kill snakes of all types. At our Michigan Wildlife Action Plan workshops the habitat afternoon group and the morning group both came to the same conclusion. Raccoon population is out of control. Nobody wears fur - no trappers. Both groups called for a bounty on coons. They are destroying our reptile and amphibian populations almost as fast as man is.
Hi Stelco ,
I seem to remember reading that amphibians are being hit hard because of even these trace amounts of pharecuticals being found in water these days . Due to thier extremely permeable skin they absorb virtually anything in the way of pollutants from acid rain to whatever . I personally feel that we should ban space exploration until we learn better stewardship of our own planet earth . I agree that killing snakes of any kind is to be abhored . Moving them to another location is the answer . Most everything is meant to be here to serve something of an ecological niche .
The only one that I have not figured out a place for is your state bird - the mosquito .
Well, it's cold enough to have done in our last mosquitoes for this year. Now it's hard to trap all of the mice looking for a warm place to spend the winter. NOT my house!
Frogs in our region are showing signs of many problems. Extra or missing legs and toes are becoming almost common in some areas.
I'm glad that I didn't have kids to leave this planet to.
Got problems with mice ?
Why don't you ask to borrow Lily_loves snake .
So far as the mutant frogs etc go , I am glad that I am no longer young . I do not like the looks of the future .
Hi! That was a young Black Rat snake and therefore a "good" snake to have around. :-) Not poisonous at all. They lose most of that pattern when they mature, but even in the mature snakes, sometimes you can faintly see the pattern.
Thank you, Creekwalker, for the links. :-)
As soon as you see a body that skinny you know it's not a pit viper (copperhead, cottonmouth, rattlesnake). The only other poisonous option is a coral snake, which has a very different color and pattern. This guy is one of your best gardening friends. Get a couple good complete field guides and learn to positively identify at least the basic kind of snake in a few seconds. It's not really that hard.
Yes, it's a young Ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus). Harmless rodent eater.
you shouldnt use nets to catch them tho!! If they try to fight they can tangle themselves. My sister has a boa as a pet and when it got loose I sweped it into a cardboard box
He looks beautiful. Thank you for not killing him.
I admit snakes give me the willies when I come upon them unexpectedly but I'm glad to see them around.
Well, I like snakes. As long as they stay outside where they belong!!!!!