Snake Sighting: Terrifying Run-In in My Backyard

[Evo]

I was trying to get out of my backyard gate when I looked down and saw a snake. SNAKES ARE SCARY! I had to get a stick and hit the ground near it to get it to go away. SNAKES ARE SCARY!

And to think I was walking around barefooted.

Apparently the cats have been slacking off, it's their job to keep these things away from the house. Besides, they eat frogs and I love frogs.

Stupid jaws of death eats everything, but she didn't even look at the snake.

I need some skunks, they eat snakes don't they?

 

[moose]

Where do you live?

I see snakes and scorpions quite often

 

[Evo]

I live in Kansas.

And it was a big hairy snake with huge fangs, dripping venom.

(ok it appeared to be a garter snake about 18 inches long)

And did I mention it was HUGE?

 

[arildno]

My father is a biologist.
He says, with all his scientific authority that snakes are EVIL.
Take the case of the black mamba.

If you run away from it, not at all trying to harm it or anything, do you know what it does?

It starts wriggling after you, at a speed of 11km/h!

Sheer malevolence.

 

[Pengwuino]

If I saw a snake, I am taking NO CHANCES. 12 gauge all the way. I don't care if its illegal to even bring my gun outside my house, that thing isn't getting near me.

 

[arildno]

If I saw a snake, I am taking NO CHANCES. 12 gauge all the way. I don't care if its illegal to even bring my gun outside my house, that thing isn't getting near me.

That's the proper attitude.
It desires to bite you, and then eat you.
If it doesn't, chances are it has already eaten your neighbour and isn't hungry anymore.

 

[Archon]

If I saw a snake, I am taking NO CHANCES. 12 gauge all the way. I don't care if its illegal to even bring my gun outside my house, that thing isn't getting near me.

That's not a good idea. Eventually, they'll adapt to the new danger and start shooting back.

 

[Evo]

Archon says snakes can be killed with antibiotics.

<throws a z-pak at the snake>

 

[Archon]

Archon says snakes can be killed with antibiotics.

<throws a z-pak at the snake>

Actually, you can kill anything with antibiotics. Just look at the warning labels on those things...

 

[arildno]

Evo; why not make a serpent eagle's nest close to where you live?
Magnificent birds, really..

 

[Evo]

It desires to bite you, and then eat you.
If it doesn't, chances are it has already eaten your neighbour and isn't hungry anymore.

Yeah, then it will just spin a cocoon around you and keep you until it gets hungry again.

 

[Pengwuino]

That's not a good idea. Eventually, they'll adapt to the new danger and start shooting back.

Damn you adaptation, damn you!

 

[pattylou]

I love snakes.

 

[Evo]

I love snakes.

 

[pattylou]

yep, even picked one up last year, when I found it in my garden. I thought it was a gopher snake so I kept trying to put it down a gopher hole but it kept refusing. Finally it got the idea, shot me look of disgust, and went down. I learned later that it was a California kingsnake. Stupid me, poor snake.

But garter snakes are nice too.

 

[Danger]

A huge, hairy snake that spins cocoons, huh?
Evo, are you trying to pitch a story idea for the new 'Night Stalker' series?

I love snakes too, Patty. I don't have one, though, because you can't teach them to fetch or play hockey like a cat.

 

[Archon]

yep, even picked one up last year, when I found it in my garden. I thought it was a gopher snake so I kept trying to put it down a gopher hole but it kept refusing. Finally it got the idea, shot me look of disgust, and went down. I learned later that it was a California kingsnake. Stupid me, poor snake.

But garter snakes are nice too.

There was a big California King Snake in our garden a few years ago. We found it fighting one of our cats, but it escaped before I could catch it (but not before it bit me). Both the cat and the snake were fine (which is more than can be said about my finger).

 

[Evo]

A huge, hairy snake that spins cocoons, huh?

And can fly. SNAKES ARE SCARY!

 

[pattylou]

And shoots radioactive venom with its X-ray vision.

Snakes are superhuman.

 

[Entropy]

My cats pin snakes in the corner of our pourch all the time. Good kitty...

Snakes aren't that scary. Me and my friends killed a 6ft long rat snake back near my old creek in Tennessee. Hell, we went swimming in the same water where cotton mouths live.

 

[stoned]

it is time for "snake smashing day"

 

[zoobyshoe]

Here in San Diego we actually have dangerous snakes, and a person has to be careful. The average local pit viper is expert in hand to hand combat, can operate a large variety of weapons, including flame throwers, and some of them have learned to drive military tanks.

 

[Evo]

Here in San Diego we actually have dangerous snakes, and a person has to be careful. The average local pit viper is expert in hand to hand combat, can operate a large variety of weapons, including flame throwers, and some of them have learned to drive military tanks.

Yes, that's my snake! It was wearing a headband and a dirty white undershirt.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Yes, that's my snake! It was wearing a headband and a dirty white undershirt.

No wonder you were scared. The National Guard here is constantly fighting guerilla bands of these roguish, slithering, scaley, unregenerate trouble-makers in the rocky hills on the outskirts of the city. But they're fast, and frequently conduct blitz-escapes whenever they're cornered. It takes a mere 7 of them working in consort to operate a Harley. I have frequently almost been sideswiped by a hog-full of these sidewinders making a bold getaway on highway 8 out by Alpine.

 

[JamesU]

Snakes, scorpions, and other reptiles aren't too scarce around here. Especially if you're hiking camelback Mountain. I found a gila lizard there once

 

[rachmaninoff]

scorpions, and other reptiles

 

[JamesU]

whoops. You know what I mean

 

[Moonbear]

I have crickets you can feed to your snakes. Lots and lots and lots of crickets! I find at least one or two in the house every night. At least they are the big, cute crickets that I don't mind picking up and putting back outside, not the ugly camel crickets I had in Cincinnati. If the snake prefers mice, I think there's one of those in my attic, or ZZ can bring back a REALLY big one.

 

[honestrosewater]

We have plenty of black racers around here. They're non-venomous, fairly long (2-5 ft), and very fast. When I happen to see one, I actually like to watch it - from a safe distance; I think they're quite pretty and graceful. There are vipers and coral snakes in Florida, but I've never seen one in the wild. If I ever did see one, I would want to be sure it was taken far, far, far, far away from me or, barring that, killed.

 

[BobG]

The field next to the building I work at has lots of bull snakes. When the temperature starts dropping, they like the warm pavement of the parking lot or sidewalks, or to even slip inside the building if they can find a way.

The best thing about bull snakes is they keep the rattle snakes away. We only see one of those every year or so.

In general, bull snakes are better than rabbits. We've had rabbits chew the wiring in people's cars while the bull snakes have never been a problem (except for a few people who panic when they see one in their office and develop a phobia towards the power cables of their computers and monitors).

 

[zoobyshoe]

Can't blame 'em. I hate it when I go to plug somthing in and end up grabbing a bull snake.

 

[moose]

I have crickets you can feed to your snakes. Lots and lots and lots of crickets! I find at least one or two in the house every night. At least they are the big, cute crickets that I don't mind picking up and putting back outside, not the ugly camel crickets I had in Cincinnati. If the snake prefers mice, I think there's one of those in my attic, or ZZ can bring back a REALLY big one.

Here, the number of crickets is directly proportional to the number of scorpions


There is no way to repell a scorpion, or to poison one easily, so we repell and kill crickets... I remember one time a scorpion somehow got into my house , I was freaked out while going to sleep

 

[pattylou]

There is no way to repell a scorpion, or to poison one easily, so we repell and kill crickets... I remember one time a scorpion somehow got into my house , I was freaked out while going to sleep

So... you couldn't sleep then til you killed a cricket?

 

[hypatia]

I once took a group of kids to a nature center. The guy was talking about the snakes, and I was trying to act all cool about it{smile and nod}, when in one swoop he put the snake on me!
I was paralyzed with fright, I don't even think I was breathing. My eyes started tearing up, and one of the kids asked me if I was ok. When I couldn't answer him, the nature dude FINALLY understood that I was ready to pass out, and got the snake off of me.
Now I take kids to the bird and fish nature center. Its much safer

 

[Evo]

I once took a group of kids to a nature center. The guy was talking about the snakes, and I was trying to act all cool about it{smile and nod}, when in one swoop he put the snake on me!
I was paralyzed with fright, I don't even think I was breathing. My eyes started tearing up, and one of the kids asked me if I was ok. When I couldn't answer him, the nature dude FINALLY understood that I was ready to pass out, and got the snake off of me.
Now I take kids to the bird and fish nature center. Its much safer

I would have freaked out. SNAKES ARE SCARY! I get goose bumps just thinking about them.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I used to catch garter snakes as a kid. You have to hold them right behind the head, and they aways open their mouths really wide.

I looked in the mouth of one very carefully, once, and didn't see any fangs, so I stuck the tip of my finger into see what its bite would feel like. I figured it would be a little harmless pressure. I was very alarmed, though, when it clamped its jaws together and cut the skin of my finger with its tiny, tiny razor sharp teeth. I flug it up in the air and ran inside. My finger had a U shaped cut in it that was bleeding.

The bite wasn't strong at all, its teeth were just amazingly sharp.

So, I guess all snakes have some kind of teeth, even if they don't have fangs.

 

[hypatia]

I think I was way past freaking out..I was looking in the face of death, and death slithered back at me!

 

[Yaaks]

I love snakes... they are interesting once u understand them...
back where i live its rather common of having to encounter with the deadly foe(The Cobra, Russels Viper, Saw Scaled Viper and the Common Krait) quite often...

Stories from where i live..
http://www.nationalgeographic.co.in/explore/adventure_diaries_india/stephendiaries_day5.asp

 

[Mk]

I was trying to get out of my backyard gate when I looked down and saw a snake. SNAKES ARE SCARY! I had to get a stick and hit the ground near it to get it to go away. SNAKES ARE SCARY!

And to think I was walking around barefooted.

Apparently the cats have been slacking off, it's their job to keep these things away from the house. Besides, they eat frogs and I love frogs.

Stupid jaws of death eats everything, but she didn't even look at the snake.

I need some skunks, they eat snakes don't they?

This is a handy use for the official franzbear® M2A1-7 model
M2A1-7 model.

I use a fiberglass shovel and rip off its head. I do the same thing with rabid dogs.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Stories from where i live..

It says in India there are as many as 20,000 deaths by snakebite a year, and that the 18 foot long King Cobra can rear up to a third of its height and look a six foot tall man in the eye.

 

[SpaceTiger]

Snakes rule, as do spiders, scorpions, and hand puppets. Unlike humans, they only attack in self defense (for the most part).

 

[honestrosewater]

Snakes rule, as do spiders, scorpions, and hand puppets. Unlike humans, they only attack in self defense (for the most part).

Oh, yes, I forgot - I have no pity for venomous hand puppets either. Unless they have those googly eyes. I'm a sucker for the googly eyes. :!)

 

[matthyaouw]

Don't worry, it's just as scared of you as you are of it.
The only difference being when you are afraid, you run, when they are afraid, venom time.[/size]

 

[Yaaks]

It says in India there are as many as 20,000 deaths by snakebite a year, and that the 18 foot long King Cobra can rear up to a third of its height and look a six foot tall man in the eye.

People from rural-India, mostly Un-Educated have this sense of extreme fear of snakes to which they often fall prey(out of carelessness ofcourse)..Most of them hardly bother to wear footwear while working at the fields(The sad part is, most of them can't afford a decent pair of sneakers)..

 

[Mk]

Snakes rule, as do spiders, scorpions, and hand puppets. Unlike humans, they only attack in self defense (for the most part).

Humans attack for fun?

[edith yes, hunting]

 

[honestrosewater]

Don't worry, it's just as scared of you as you are of it.
The only difference being when you are afraid, you run, when they are afraid, venom time.[/size]

Maybe I should keep a dead rat in my purse to throw to the snake if I'm ever attacked. Ooh, and I could fill the rat with lead, so when the snake eats it, the snake is too heavy to chase me. Better yet, I could just keep a big chunk of lead in my purse to drop on the snake and crush it. But I'd better wear really thick boots in case I accidentally drop the lead on my foot. The boots would also protect me from the snake bite, so that works out well.

 

[cefarix]

ive held a huge python in real :) and seen a snake eat a mouse in real too...that was inside a cage though

 

[Yaaks]

here are a few pics taken by me...
1>A Trinket in my backyard
http://us.a1.yahoofs.com/users/41e41964z35c4715b/b128/__sr_/842d.jpg?phDlwJDBzMzciGxA
2>Ahhhhhhh!
http://us.f3.yahoofs.com/users/41e41964z35c4715b/b128/__sr_/bb0b.jpg?phDlwJDBI3dUNCmK
Totally harmless (non-venomous)
3>The Scary, deadly Malabar Pit Viper from a trekking expedition, Coorg(India)..
http://us.f3.yahoofs.com/users/41e41964z35c4715b/b128/__sr_/e8e5.jpg?phDlwJDBoxYeok4d

 

[honestrosewater]

here are a few pics taken by me...

Links don't work for me. Anyone else? I want to see the snakes.

 

[Kerrie]

I was trying to get out of my backyard gate when I looked down and saw a snake. SNAKES ARE SCARY! I had to get a stick and hit the ground near it to get it to go away. SNAKES ARE SCARY!

And to think I was walking around barefooted.

Apparently the cats have been slacking off, it's their job to keep these things away from the house. Besides, they eat frogs and I love frogs.

Stupid jaws of death eats everything, but she didn't even look at the snake.

I need some skunks, they eat snakes don't they?

I despise snakes too, Ophidiophobia is the common name for those who fear them, and I totally see myself falling into that category. Have I ever mentioned my story of how I became scared of them? At age 4, visiting my granny in rural NC, I had to use the "bathroom"-aka outhouse. They never endulged in getting the luxury of plumbing. As I sat down on the pot with my pants around my ankles, a little garter snake slithered around my feet. Since then, I've never been the same.