This is what hubby found swimming around the Koi pond, helping
himself to our beautiful baby Koi. By the time hubs caught him, he
had grown four 'bumps' and the fifth victim in his mouth.
My apologies, his head doesn't show up in the thumbnail image.
Last night I was at the computer when I heard hubby saying
"Precious?" I replied "Yes?"
Again. "Precious?" I replied louder. "YES?"
Again. "Precious? Could you come here for a second?"
Why is it always a second? It takes more than a second just to get
up from the chair. LOL. And yes, he calls me Precious. (snort)
He was holding the snake down with his fish net, but was sort of
stuck because it's head was free to whip around and he could not
reach anything. When I handed him a hoe to hold it with, the snake
emitted a stinky scent.
It was getting dark, but it wasn't hard for hubby to see a Koi swimming that fast
sideways out of the water. Something amiss, no doubt.
what kind of snake is it? Yuck!
looks like a plain ol black snake to me. I did not realize they went into water. Do all snakes go into water? I thought of just water snakes, and the others stay on dry ground?
Poor baby koi's! Hope your snake does not have a large family out in your garden!
We're pretty certain this is a young Nerodia Rhombifera, which
is often confused with the Cottonmouth.
But we're open to any other suggestions.
:-) KM
I get banded water snakes in my pond. When I catch them, they stink too.
KM I have some visiting me also. LOL
One was in the impeller in my water pump yesterday. Stopped it up completely.
Now today as I was feeding my KOI one jumped out of the bog garden right into the middle of the feeding frenzy. Made me jump back. Then he saw me and headed for cover. Looked about the same size as yours.
Shed his skin the other day and was about three feet long.
Will have to go and buy a minnow trap and see if I can get rid of him down at the lake.
so have you trapped one before in a minnow trap?
Do you put anything in there for bait? or does it just go in there?
Put a small fish in in and put along the side of the pond edge.
OH, please don't let me get a snake! I don't mind them on the ground but in the water creeps me out! Why did I look at this.....
I came across this thread and now I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight!
Water snakes have nasty temperaments too. Most little snakes just sit there or sneak away if you approach, but water snakes will gladly strike over and over again. They're not poisonous, but I bet they could give you a bad infection with a bite.
The other night I had some small fish in a bucket I'd rescued from my drying up dam. Wandered around there later with a torch and there was this snake busy doing a bit of fishing. It looked up at me as if to say "Thanks for the light. But wait your turn, I got here first". And then it went back to fishing. They're used to seeing me wandering around at night and usually ignore me. Except when I stand on one. Then they wrap around my leg and freak out. They're only mildly venemous and have small fangs.
OK, I had to read this didn't I! Wrap around your leg and THEY freak out, mildly venemous.....OMG! They wouldn't have to a chance to freakout because I would be WAY ahead of them.
I watch the Animal Channel and tropicbeeze they show some not nice snakes in Austrialia. Hope you don't live near them.
Breeze, thought about your post last night as I was watching 'Rabbit-Proof Fence'.
:-) KM
The really bottom line is that it's safer to live amongst snakes than it is amongst people. But, human psychology doesn't work that way. I grew up with a lot of snakes around and used to catch them to keep as pets. By the time I became a teenager I was catching larger snakes, but I used to let them bite onto a stick and pump the venom out. That way any slip up when I was releasing them would mean a fairly ineffective bite. Luckily no slip ups and the only bite I ever got was from a young python. The bigger (older) the python the more the risk of infection. I don't fear snakes, but I do respect them. So the way I look at it is that snakes are an inoffensive creature with a very capable defence response. However, fish in a pond may have a different opinion.
Tropic, I'm with you. LOVE snakes. They're so beautiful, both in coloring & movement. Wuvie, I'll bet a snake could completely clear your pond, though?
I adore snakes, but wouldn't want one in my pond... yikes. Poor fishies.
I've never seen anything but garter snakes here in Western Washington. I know we have a few other kinds, but I've never encountered any of them.
