Snakes

[Scuba1]

As some of ye may  know, I am a bit of a snake fan used to keep and breed them in the past. Now here out in the sticks there are some to be found so I tend to take a forked stick along with me on my walks and in the 3 weeks that I have been here I have so far found a Eastern racer, last night I caught a Northern ribbon snake and in the first week here I saved a copper head from the neighbours lawn mower. 3 different snakes in as many weeks     Really happy about the ribbon snake yesterday as they have not been reported in this area so far and are on the endangered list. Sorry that I don't have pictures of them, but I am cronicaly right handed and holding a rattle sanke in my right and operating the DSLR with my left hand would be just be asking for trouble. But if you are interestd, have a look at this page.

http://www.paherps.com/herps/snakes

ATB

[Fergus OMore]

All this in --and in  Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire? 

We get adders which couldn't multiply until log tables were invented

[Scuba1]

No I am in Indiana county in Pensylvania at the moment visiting a friend ... hence the link to Snakes in PA.

ATB

Michael

[pjf134]

 You should come to North Central PA in June and go to the rattle snake hunt near driftwood. They also catch other types too and have bagging contests if your into that. I used to go to that, but not for awhile. Medics are on hand for that and someone always get bit. I live in SW PA.
Paul

[Scuba1]

The thing is, that they tend to kill the snakes that they catch and I like them way to much to do that, so would not join in on that account. See I rather have a few snakes round the place then having to put mouse and rat traps out to catch tem pesky rodents.

ATB

Michael

[pjf134]

 New law says you have to put the snakes back after the event and after milking for use as anti venom. So I think that would make everyone happy.
Paul

[Scuba1]

Thats more like it. I just seem to remember in the back of my old mind that they used to kill and skin them on those events and even though I trap and hunt for the pot , I could not bring myself to kill something I would not eat or have some other use for.
Thanks for the heads up on that one

Michael

[AussieJimG]

We see maybe one or two snakes a year on the verandah - tigers and browns - that's plenty. Some people kill them if they get too near the house but I think they are just lost so I wait for them to go away.

Most people who get bitten are trying to kill the snake so I don't bother. Dogs don't know this so most of the neighbours have lost a dog or two.

Jim

[Scuba1]

here there are not that many round the house either and I go out to look for them for hours at a time armed with a forked stick. I would not have seen any of the ones I have found if I had waited on the veranda for them to come to me