Another Snake

[Fourtyfive]

We live on a creek , my wife loves to cut grass and be outdoors. I like to sit on the patio and drink beer , go figure. She will go looking for snakes and ask me to kill them , I ask why , are they hunting you down? " No but they might get me while I am weed eating the rocks" , anyways , what is this little critter , it suns all day by the rock wall , she wants me to take out. He or she is about 4 feet long and runs every time you get near it. Don't they keep down the mouse and rat population ?

She took this pic with her phone. It's a little blown up and cropped.

Edited April 2, 2012 by Threeeighty

[Lumber_Jack]

Rat Snake. And as their name implies, yes they eat rats/mice and other small rodents. They are fast too, as you might imagine, in order to catch those rodents

[NRA]

LET IT LIVE!

[Fourtyfive]

I hear ya , but she's like "you got all those guns , just kill it !"

Edited April 2, 2012 by Threeeighty

[Lumber_Jack]

I hear ya , but she's like "you got all those guns , just kill it !"

Haha, if it were between keeping my wife happy and killing the snake....odds aren't good for the snake.

[Will Carry]

If a snake has elongated pupils, like a cat, it is a pit viper (Cottonmouth, Copperhead, Rattler) and is poisonous. If it has round pupils it is non-poisonous. That's a sure fire way of telling.

[mikegideon]

I would just tell her it's illegal, which is true.

Edited April 3, 2012 by mikegideon

[Fourtyfive]

I live in a highly populated area , Green Hills. If the neighbors call the cops and they show up , I could lose my HCP , right ? Talking about using .22 rat shot. Guess I should grow a pair and use a rock ! I could be a real man and use my teeth.

Edited April 2, 2012 by Threeeighty

[thundersnow]

Snakes can be tasty too! You might as well do a tribal dance around a fire while it cooks.

[Fourtyfive]

Sounds like a PBR keg TGO get together........drink of the python !

[Fourtyfive]

Same shot from about 11 feet with her iPhone (as close as she will get without yelling get of the couch! , can a man not ride the lawnmower and rest?) Oh well ........poor little critter. It's demise is soon or so is mine.

Edited April 2, 2012 by Threeeighty

[JAB]

Do you live inside city limits? Many places have rules about discharging weapons inside city limits. You could always throw rocks at it and somehow always manage to miss. As long as it isn't venomous and weren't trying to move in to my house or make a snake condo out of my toilet then I'd probably let it live. As I said in the other thread, I hate rats and mice more than I worry about nonvenomous snakes.

[JAB]

If a snake has elongated pupils, like a cat, it is a pit viper (Cottonmouth, Copperhead, Rattler) and is poisonous. If it has round pupils it is non-poisonous. That's a sure fire way of telling.

Disclaimer: If you get close enough to see its pupils and it is a viper you just may well be screwed.

Seriously, I generally don't go hunting for snakes to kill. I would also as soon leave a nonvenomous snake alone. However, I'm not getting eye to eye with a snake to see if it is venomous or not.

[Guest Grubbah]

For those of you who are more educated on snakes than I am, I have a question.

I was often times told that for snakes that have bands on them, if the band is wider on his back than the sides, its generally non venomous. If the dark band is wider at their sides than on the back, its generally venomous.

Is there any truth to that or was someone just blowing smoke at me?

[Fourtyfive]

I don't want to kill it , but if i don't she will. I'm just curious which gun she will grab to do it if I DON'T.

[hipower]

We have a spring running thru our property and it's real close to the house. You wouldn't believe how close actually. But, with running water,and woods nearby, although I really, really, really have a fear and loathing of snakes; I generally leave them alone as they do wonders in keeping the rats away. But every now and then, one particullarly brave and slithery little critter will decide to take up residence a little too close for my tastes and comfort.

Then some measures must be taken...and sometimes the Coopers Hawk family nearby will get a fresh snack. I've actually seen the Hawks snatch one of the snakes off the bank and fly off with it.

I like them hawks.

[monkeylizard]

Since you're in Green Hills, you'd be violating both state law (killing the snake) and Metro ordinance of discharging a firearm inside an Urban Services district.

I vote for "let it live". Ask her if she'd rather have the snake out by the rock wall, or mice scurrying up inside the walls and in the attic.

[Oh Shoot]

For those of you who are more educated on snakes than I am, I have a question.

I was often times told that for snakes that have bands on them, if the band is wider on his back than the sides, its generally non venomous. If the dark band is wider at their sides than on the back, its generally venomous.

Is there any truth to that or was someone just blowing smoke at me?

That's some snake myth or other, never even heard it, and I thought I'd heard them all.

Not that it matters, as the only poisonous snake with bands in North America is the coral snake, regardless of their width.

And they're not in TN.

- OS

Edited April 3, 2012 by OhShoot

[Jonnin]

For those of you who are more educated on snakes than I am, I have a question.

I was often times told that for snakes that have bands on them, if the band is wider on his back than the sides, its generally non venomous. If the dark band is wider at their sides than on the back, its generally venomous.

Is there any truth to that or was someone just blowing smoke at me?

There are a few types of red/black/white snakes and the bands tell you which is which. Read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_snake

most likely that is what you were told. Using the bands to tell if it is a deadly coral or not. Ive never seen one and probably wouldnt remember the rule.

[R_Bert]

toss a handful of mothballs in its sunning spot.

[Oh Shoot]

There are a few types of red/black/white snakes and the bands tell you which is which. Read about it here: http://en.wikipedia....iki/Coral_snake

most likely that is what you were told. Using the bands to tell if it is a deadly coral or not. Ive never seen one and probably wouldnt remember the rule.

• "Red on yellow will kill a fellow, but red on black is a friend of Jack."
  
• "Red on yellow, deadly fellow; Red on black, venom lack."
  
• " Red and yellow will kill you fellow; Red and black is friend Jack."
  
• "Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, you're alright Jack."
  
• "Red next to black is a friend of Jack; red next to yellow will kill a fellow."
  
• "Red to yellow, kill a fellow. Red to black, venom lack."
  
• "If red touches black, you're okay Jack; if red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow."
  
• "Red next to black, you can pat him on the back; red next to yellow, he can kill a fellow."
  
• "Red next to black, venom I lack; red next to yellow, run away fellow."
  
• "Red and black, friend of Jack; red and yellow kill a fellow."
  
• "Red touches yellow, Not a nice fellow; if red touches black, good friend of jack."
  
• "Red touch yellow, kill a fellow; red touch black, you're okay Jack."
  
• "Red touch black, good for Jack; red touch yellow, kill a fellow."
  
• "Yellow and red, you are dead; black and white you're all right."
  

Eastern Coral Snake: Red Touches Yellow

Milk Snake (type of kingsnake also called Scarlet Kingsnake) Red touches black

- OS

[BigK]

Wish I could say something to convince you not to kill it.

[dickenscpa]

• "Red on yellow will kill a fellow, but red on black is a friend of Jack."
  
• "Red on yellow, deadly fellow; Red on black, venom lack."
  
• " Red and yellow will kill you fellow; Red and black is friend Jack."
  
• "Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, you're alright Jack."
  
• "Red next to black is a friend of Jack; red next to yellow will kill a fellow."
  
• "Red to yellow, kill a fellow. Red to black, venom lack."
  
• "If red touches black, you're okay Jack; if red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow."
  
• "Red next to black, you can pat him on the back; red next to yellow, he can kill a fellow."
  
• "Red next to black, venom I lack; red next to yellow, run away fellow."
  
• "Red and black, friend of Jack; red and yellow kill a fellow."
  
• "Red touches yellow, Not a nice fellow; if red touches black, good friend of jack."
  
• "Red touch yellow, kill a fellow; red touch black, you're okay Jack."
  
• "Red touch black, good for Jack; red touch yellow, kill a fellow."
  
• "Yellow and red, you are dead; black and white you're all right."
  

Eastern Coral Snake: Red Touches Yellow

Milk Snake (type of kingsnake also called Scarlet Kingsnake) Red touches black

- OS

I can never remember that saying right. LOL! When confronted I could always deduct in my mind - Red touches black...friend of Jack or kills Jack. LOL!

Brad

[Guest Grubbah]

That's some snake myth or other, never even heard it, and I thought I'd heard them all.

Not that it matters, as the only poisonous snake with bands in North America is the coral snake, regardless of their width.

And they're not in TN.

- OS

Perhaps 'bands' was the wrong terminology to use. I'm aware of the coral snake / milk snake difference. What I was referring to was the coloration pattern on the rat snake for example. The Dark coloration patterns are wider on the back of the snake and narrow on the sides.

On snakes like the cottonmouth, its typically just the opposite from what I was told. The dark coloration patterns are wider on the side and narrow on the back.

Thats what I was wondering about whether it held enough truth to rely upon.

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

toss a handful of mothballs in its sunning spot.

+1