When do I not grab my camera to take a pic before extricating my kitty from a situation? When it involves a snake. Tonight I was taking Smoke out his dinner and I walked out to find him stalking a 3 foot snake on my patio!! I start yelling at him because I want him to back off, but he won't, and I can't go on out the back door without coming into too close of proximity to the snake, so I ran back through the house, out the side door and around the house yelling at Smoke. He continued to ignore me, so I finally got close enough to grab him -- then what to do with him?? I shoved him in our outdoor shed and closed the door then screamed at my back neighbors who were out by their pool. Thankfully the husband was brave enough to jump the fence and come over, I thought, to kill the snake for me (I did hand him a hoe), but instead he picks it up!!!!!!!!! He wouldn't kill it because he said it was a garden snake and would kill mice etc and was a good snake. Now that's an oxymoron in my book -- A GOOD SNAKE -- I don't think so!! Anyway he through it over in his own garden and I'm praying it doesn't come back. Smoke is very wary on the patio and slinks low and keeps sniffing. I don't think he really liked it either!!
Aww, T that can be really scary but they're not dangerous
They just look like it. What color was it? Of course its always better to err on the side of caution down there, there are so many poisonous snakes. We always had garden snakes nearby growing up as well, I've picked up my fair share.
Sorry you had such an awful scare, being surprised by a snake can be unpleasant. I don't mind the garden snakes, but if one slithers past me unexpectedly it gives me a start. It would have been a shame to kill it, they really are beneficial. You were fortunate to have your neighbor to help you!
yikes!!!
Teresa ,I wounder if that is what smoke got bitten from a few weeks ago.
Garden snakes are usually very harmless and you husband is right they are good... however if they feel threaten they can bit.
I think I would maybe relocate the snake but don't kill it.
I have a rule about creatures with no legs, or more than four: I have marked my territory by mowing the lawn, putting up fences, and pruning. I mean, how obvious can you get? They've got the entire rest of the world in which to do their thing. However, there are some hardened criminal critters of all numbers of legs and, should they decide to ignore my tiny little pin prick of the Earth, then their lives are forfeit. (Except for the two legged ones, only because it's illegal to execute them for trespassing.) The opposite rule applies for cute critters dragged into my territory by a criminal critter: Those are rescued and put back where they wanted to be before forced to cross my boundary.
Whoa.....so chilling! I shudder at the thought of seeing snakes & if one were to slither onto my patio....just yikes!!! We grew up in the country and saw snakes slithering around & our dog got bit a few times by them. We had the garden, bull and blue racer snakes (getting the chills thinking of it). The blue racer snakes rear their heads & the upper portion of their bodies and like lightening streak thru the grass & fields.
The non-poisenous snakes may not be agressive, but they are defensive and many will bite.
Teresa, maybe you could build a snake barrier around your property with your creative skills. :-) Just kidding.....but wouldn't that be great!
Janilee I think you and I have the same mentality on this one
However I commend those who are willing to share their land with the beneficial/non-poisonous variety of serpent, you are braver than I ever could be! But if they step one scale into my property, they'd better know how to move fast
Teresa I'm glad Smoke was ok, our big red Burmese protected us from a red bellied black when we were kids, we didn't even know it was in the garden!
I highly doubt a garden snake could have caused that injury to Smoke. Even when they bite its like a pin prick, especially through fur. Unless its poisonous, they're almost the least harmful thing in the world honestly! A dog or cat bite is far more painful/dangerous than a garden snake, they honestly just look scary because they don't have fur and they're so different from us
I've been bitten by a red tailed boa that was over ten feet and very hefty and can pack quite a punch, and it still hurt less than any kitten scratch!
Im sorry, but I laughed...... you certainly aren't a country girl, are ya? Sorry the snake scared ya though. I wouldn't want my animals or children to be near a snake either, but if i knew it was a garden snake (the only ones i know of are the green ones), i wouldn't harm it. any other color, i would kill flat out.
im afraid where i live i have never come accross such a "good" snake. any snake that looks brown to me i set my boyfriend onto it. brown snakes are very lethal around here..i dont understand why ppl wants snakes as pets yuccckkkkkkk