Snakes Are A Crawling

[reptilekeeper]

Well, it is very nice to see some of my fellow bottle hounds are respectful of snakes, I have worked proffesionaly with snakes both in captivity and in the wild for over 30 years, and have dedicated my life to studying, keeping, breeding, and teaching people the importance of snakes, ALL snakes, Venomous and non venomous. I have handled hundreds of species in all corners of the globe, from Papua New Guinea to Arizona. I have worked with cobras, mambas, many viper species, and all the giant Pythons, Anacondas etc... and in the US hundreds of Rattlesnakes; one of my personal favorites. In all my years I have never been bitten by a venomous snake. We must remember venomous snakes have venom for feeding, it is needed to secure prey NOT for protection; that is what the rattle is for! Snakes do not want to waste it on you, most venomous snakes are cryptyicly colored and blend in to their surroundings and will sit quite praying you do not see them, if they can seek a means of escape they will, if not and they think they have been spotted they will warn you before they bite you. Cobras will spread a hood to warn before they bite, this venom is vital and not to be wasted, food dosn't come easy for snakes so they must have it fully ready when needed, they can also control the amount of venom injected, for example a Diamond back rattler would not use the same amount of venom to kill a small rat as it would a larger cotton tail rabbit. The same applies to humans, if the snake is real pissed off it could hit you with a full bite, or as most bites in the US are, it could be a dry bite with no venom injected what so ever. Another factor is if the individual snake has just used its venom to eat it takes them a while to build up another supply, so if you are bitten after this meal you will never get a full dose. Only 10 to 15 people a year die in the US out of the hundreds of reported bites. These fatalities are usually due to allergic reaction or complication , most of these bites are made up of people screwing with them or accidently stepping on them. The average healthy person will not die from a bite, it will be unpleasent, but you will survive. More people are killed by DOGS every year than venomous snakes, should we kill dogs and hang there skins on the wall because it MAY have bitten? If you live in venomous snake country you should always be aware of where you step, leave them alone and they will do the same. They do not attack people! Snakes ALL snakes are vital to the ecosystems they inhabit, snakes control rodent populations, and are a food source for so many other animals. The snake digdug has posted appears to be a yound Western diamond back rattlesnake.

You can not tell the age of a Rattlesnake by the number segments on the rattle. Baby rattlesnakes are born with a button, the snake will add a new segment everytime it sheds its skin, some snake will shed more than once in a season depending on growth rate which is determined by food avaliability and if any injuries were inflicted that are healing. In older animals the rattles can get very large expecialy in captive animals, I have seen up to 30 segments, but often when the rattles get this large they end up breaking.

FYI, Timber Rattlesnakes are becoming rearer in the Northeastern part of their range and already have been extripated from much of there former range, Capsoda this is why you do not see many anymore, they are all being killed or used in round-ups!! PLEASE do not kill Timber rattlesnakes, I would like for my children to be able to see such an amazing creature in its natural habitat, and for them to be able to do the same when they have children, not a dead one hanging on a wall. We do not have the right to choose what species is worth more, they are all part of the natural system and all deserve the same respect.
I do not mean to sound like I am preaching and I do not want to offend anyone but I love this site and admire all of you people on this site and for the most part you are all very respectful of nature just try to look at it from the snakes point of view. You killing that poor snake is like the cops kiking you out of a pontil site; YOU BOTH HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE THERE Did I mention at all that I love to dig bottles as much as I love snakes?

BEST

 

[GuntherHess]

I have found the best comprimise to unwanted critters on the property is to pack them up in the truck and take them up on the mountain and let them go there.
Banishment is better than killing them.
I can understand people not wanting venomous snakes around the yard with pets and kids, banish the suckers.
On the other hand anyone that removes a non-venomous snake should be cursed with 1001 nights of rodent infestation[]
-just my lowly bottle pickin snake loving opinion of course

 

[wvbottlehead]

people krap when they see a rattler. keep the woodpiles away from house, keep the grass mowed, etc. Timber rattlers are protected (at least up my way), the females only give birth like 2 times their whole life, & if you kill one it really messes up their whole population. we run across one here and there & they seem very calm for the most part - my wife was stepping on one before she saw it and it didn't bite - REAL lucky I guess, but then I've never heard of anyone bitten around here. The largest den in America is near Harpers Ferry, there is no building etc allowed within like a mile or 2 from it..Anyway just keep your yard clean & they shouldn't be a problem but for an occasional passerby. I won't speak for the western rattlers, they seem to be much more plentiful & aggressive..
just my thoughts. Frank

 

[wvhillbilly]

I dont mind snakes, if they stay out of my way I stay out of theirs. Ive been lucky enough to only come across 2 poisionious snake (2 copperheads) They were killed, but again they were close to the house. Sometimes I shoot them out of the creek for the heck of it but other than that I leave them alone.

 

[#1twin]

I have dealt with snakes all my life and personaly I am glad to see there are a few people on this sight that understand there purpose in life. We have Eastern Diamondbacks, which are the largest of the rattle snake family. They are suppose to be protected here, but even our local Game Wardens have been known to kill them. How sad is that?? And they call themselves CONSERVATION OFFICERS[]. I wade through a creek infested with moccasins to hunt bottles and I only kill one if he refuses to move on or get aggressive. After all, I am in his living room. Just my input. Thanks, Marvin

 

[capsoda]

Hey Buster, Male rattlers usually don't get much laonge than 3' long. The mask on the male is always darker and more pronounced than on the femails except after a shed.

I tell most folks that if they will leave the snake alone it will leave them alone.

 

[logueb]

Well I didn't mean to give everyone the impression that I kill every snake in sight, because I don't. Only those that are poisonious and want to hang around the house. I have small grandkids , a wife who likes to walk the grounds and pets, so I only kill those who hang around a little too much. Yes I hunt and fish and go into places most people would shy away from. I realize that I am the intruder there and treat them with respect in their natural habitat.

 

[karenandgordonmyers]

no poisenous snakes up here, just those darn ground bees ouch!!!

 

[madman]

dang no snakes or bees here in knoxville, saw alot of turtles box turtles, and skeeters, the place im diggin right now youd think there would be lots of snakes none! not one bee???? mike

 

[wonkapete]

Yep, be careful out there. Just this past Thursday night (9137), about 1 AM, my dogs were barking. I get the flashlight and go out. Under the house one of the dogs was standing over a baby snake yapping away. I get my shovel and dig him out:

Dang cottonmouth!! I'm a critter lover too so I don't kill it. I just take it and throw it over the fence into the woods. As I'm going into the house, one of my dogs is sitting there, not acting himself. I shine the light at him and his face is swollen. I take him on in and he's got a softball size mass under his neck. That damn snake had got him. Then, he became allergic to the venom and broke out in hives. I gave him some Benedryl and take him to the vet in the morning. He's gonna be OK. Luckily, it didn't kill him. Then, the next night they are out barking again and this big guy is in the yard!

Needless to say, I wear my boots when I go outside at night now. Be careful out there!