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).