Snake!

[Guest archerdr1]

yeah, my mom was never very excited about my snakes either...probably b/c they kept getting out! Rat snakes will vibrate their tails in the leaves to mimic a rattler too. They will also widen out their heads to give it that common triangle shape that the venomous ones have. Almost have to look at the eyes to be sure. Also have to be quite quick!

[Dobervol]

Snake lover from way back here. One old saw to immediately help you differentiate the difference btwn a coral snake, which is poisonous, and non-venomous king and corn snakes is "red and yellow kill a fellow, red and black venom lack." You'll notice your little guy had the red bands bordered by black. Corn snakes are also more dully colored, as in more like maroon, cream and black than red, yellow and black. The tri-colored kings though, look a lot like a coral unless you remember that jingle.

[Oh Shoot]

...One old saw to immediately help you differentiate the difference btwn a coral snake, which is poisonous, and non-venomous king and corn snakes is "...

I've always remembered the old saw, "If I'm in Tennessee, it ain't a coral snake."

- OS

[towerclimber37]

Lol, Nutcase and TDR. It would almost be enough for a trim piece.

It resides in the ditch now. Headless.

oh you're KIDDING!

Maaan!!

those guys are great for keeping mice outta the house, they also eat insects like cockroaches. they're the PERFECT house pet...they don't like other people or animals, just their food...so they stay out of sight. They're non- venomous (its a corn snake man!!!)

The only detractor I can think of is that women are afraid of them because they're a snake.

I had a friend that kept one in his house..he loved it during the winter...when the mice and chipmunks would invade his attic and the rest of his house, the snake was on the job and he didn't have to worry about them.

[Guest m&pc9]

I've always remembered the old saw, "If I'm in Tennessee, it ain't a coral snake."

- OS

Thats the one I remember:D:D

[Guest archerdr1]

I do think that the OP knows by now that it is a non-venomous Corn snake and that they are great for keeping out rodents... he has been told many times over the past 11 pages (cannot find the beating dead horse emoticon), but I will say for his side, he didn't know it at the time and if I came on a snake that I thought was a copperhead (though I know what one looks like and would have caught it instead) I would have killed it too. Not because I am afraid of them, but because I have 2 young kids. One of whom loves snakes (at 2 yrs old, can you believe it!!!) I know that even the venomous snakes serve their purpose, but I would rather a king, rat, or corn snake serve that purpose on my property in it's place. So I do think we should stop hounding him about how he killed a safe snake and that he mis-identified. Simple mistake among people that don't know a whole lot about them.

[towerclimber37]

I do think that the OP knows by now that it is a non-venomous Corn snake and that they are great for keeping out rodents... he has been told many times over the past 11 pages (cannot find the beating dead horse emoticon), but I will say for his side, he didn't know it at the time and if I came on a snake that I thought was a copperhead (though I know what one looks like and would have caught it instead) I would have killed it too. Not because I am afraid of them, but because I have 2 young kids. One of whom loves snakes (at 2 yrs old, can you believe it!!!) I know that even the venomous snakes serve their purpose, but I would rather a king, rat, or corn snake serve that purpose on my property in it's place. So I do think we should stop hounding him about how he killed a safe snake and that he mis-identified. Simple mistake among people that don't know a whole lot about them.

no no..just ONE more hounding..

Just kidding...but it was funny!

No worries. chances are that you'll find another come winter time. I found one at Mark@sea's place one winter. well..I didn't find IT, I found where it had shed its skin. Sue had a fit until I explained that it's a good snake and would make her mouse traps obsolete, and furthermore, if she hadn't seen the snake by now then chances are she'd never find it..(it was crawling around in the wall and floor spaces exterminating rats and growing like all get out).

[Dobervol]

Whoever came up with your old saw was better at telling jokes than assessing reality. Perhaps some folks aren't aware that a lot of (horribly ill-advised) people keep all sorts of poisonous snakes as "pets," and when I was in college at UT in the early '90s, I knew three people who kept venomous snakes, and one of 'em, . . . wait for it . . . had a coral snake. One of the guys was an ex-reptile keeper at the Knoxville zoo, and knew what he was doing, but the other two were (1) a dunderheaded, 'roided-up weightlifter and (2) a graduate student financing his Ph.D. in geology with cocaine and LSD sales (this was the guy with the coral, and he was from south FL). Not native to Tenn. does not = no coral snakes in Tenn.

Snakes, like all animals, occasionally escape if kept in captivity. That's why I was just sharing information, rather than piling on the OP. And for the record, if I see a bright tri-color snake, I'm checking out the color pattern before picking it up on the assumption that "there are no coral snakes in Tennessee." Flame suit on.

I've always remembered the old saw, "If I'm in Tennessee, it ain't a coral snake."

- OS

[Guest jos2f]

If there's a snake in my house, that sucker is leaving in more pieces than he arrived in.

As far as spiders, if I see one of those I'm getting the gasoline out and dousing my house and lighting it on fire. I'd rather lose everything than give those smug creatures the pleasure of seeing my scared face while I try to squash them.

[Oh Shoot]

...

Snakes, like all animals, occasionally escape if kept in captivity. That's why I was just sharing information, rather than piling on the OP. And for the record, if I see a bright tri-color snake, I'm checking out the color pattern before picking it up on the assumption that "there are no coral snakes in Tennessee." Flame suit on.

Okay, I'll (grudgingly) give you that chance in eleventy gazillion.

Gosh, if you think of all the other non-descript snakes that could be mambas or kraits or whatever, I guess one's odds get really chancy!

- OS

[Guest MCRAIG]

The snake is to fat for a copperhead, most likely a corn snake I just wasted one of the same snakes in my garden a couple weeks ago. That CCI Ratshot works better than a shovel or hoe. I have heard of a man killing one at wind rock a couple weeks ago.

[Guest archerdr1]

hey towerclimber, looks like we just got our "One more hounding"!

[Oh Shoot]

The snake is to fat for a copperhead....

Copperheads get quite thick.

Older ones are as "fat" as any of our American snakes.

They can live 15-20 years.

- OS