Snakes

[MOSPARKY]

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another recent incident with Boo led me to this question. How do you react to snakes.She was in the badly over grown backyard picking things up so I could mow and felt something against her leg. Looking down she saw a garder snake about 2 ft long trying to climb her pants leg. Her reaction was "hi there, little feller" and she came to get me so I could see/catch it. Her Moms reaction...well she hasn't been in the backyard since. Now I know folks who are absolutely petrified of snakes ( guess thats the word for it, they are truly frozeen with fear and can not even speak) others run screaming (the wife), some want to catch it, play with it, then let it go (me) and others that think the only good snake is a dead snake !! So how do you react assuming we already know it's non-poisonous.

[Techno]

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As long as a hospital is close... 

[Ks_Sniper]

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I'm with you. I love to catch em, play with em a bit, and let em go.

[travo]

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little ones make good bait for northerns.

[rice river]

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I like them outside.  I'll pick them up and show the little guy.  We love catching frogs in the river too.  They use to have snakes in the house that we live in.  damn log homes.  I bought some stuff called snake away and the snakes are away!

[ladyrepublica]

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Eh, I like to play with them a little bit, get out the video camera and go, "CRIKEY! Look at this lil beauty!  Don't try this at home kids, DANGER DANGER DANGER!!" 

[John Andrews]

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I'm with you. I love to catch em, play with em a bit, and let em go.

  That's what I do, too. I used to hunt rattlesnakes until they put them on the protected list here.

[Ks_Sniper]

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Eh, I like to play with them a little bit, get out the video camera and go, "CRIKEY! Look at this lil beauty!  Don't try this at home kids, DANGER DANGER DANGER!!" 

So, when are you gonna post one of those videos?

[Big58cal]

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I had a response all typed out, making a comment on LadyRepublica & Ks_Sniper's quotes, but then thought best just to delete it.

I normally just leave snakes alone.  I don't like them, but know enough about them that they're good to have around to help control mice and bugs.  That being said though, I killed a garder snake yesterday.  He was big dude too, over 3' long.  The reason for it is that we've got a little fish/frog pond down in the corner of our yard, with the sprinkler running in it, etc.  Anyway, when I was mowing yesterday, I ran him out of the rocks that are piled up around it.  I had done it the week before also, but couldn't get him last week.  This week, he was a little slower, and I was a little faster.   Stepped on him and cut his head off.  Now, the reason.............  We live out in the "country".  There's gonna be snakes.  Probably, another has moved into the rocks to take this one's place already.  But as big as this dude was, he was big enough that he could eat my fish/frogs that are in the pond.  Those fish cost a heck of a lot more than I'm willing to put out to replace them.   Smaller snakes that have been around the area, I leave them be.  I usually try to catch them and show them to the boy if he's around, so that I can point out what kind they are, telling the difference between poisonous/nonpoisonous, etc.

Dealing with poisonous snakes, that's a different story.  If they're near an area where someone could potentially be walking/playing, they're dead meat.  Out in the middle of nowhere, I give them a wide berth and leave them be.

[Morax]

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well as you know i used to breed and raise the big snakes, or well should i say the BIG snakes.. i had them ranging from 13 inches to 17 foot weighing from 10 ounces to 140 pounds.. snakes dont bug me at all, of course if they are hanging out where you dont expect them there is the "whoa" factor, but then it is move them out of the way or a full relocation to the edge of the back yard.. kayla the daughter was outside last week with her one college class, and they came across a little garter, it was spitting and "musking" until she walked up and she was able to reach right down picked him up and showed the class what he was.. one time lori the wife and i were driving someplace, and i yelled for her to stop. i jumped out and ran back, on the side of the road was a 6 foot blacksnake, i picked him up carried to the other side, turned him loose.. she thought i was goofy for doing that for a snake but hey no biggie...

      ****REMEMBER******  ALL snakes have teeth, most are small and will grow in proportion to the snakes body, they can and will bite, and will leave nasty holes, but the most damage is when you jerk back and rip the skin, break teeth off etc.etc. clean the bite well use copious amounts of anti baterial and you should be fine... (49 holes one bite, 3 teeth broken off,45 minutes of waiting for her to let go) another one was 7 holes 2 teeth, and this was just a strike.