| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Aug 03 2006 : 6:49:37 PM
I didn't know where else to put this so it goes here!
About a month ago we put our dog out about 10 pm. He started barking like crazy by the side door that opens to the car port. Our dogs have very different barks for different things and I had not heard this one before. It kind of scared be so I got my husband to go look out the door. When he opened the door he immediatly slammed it shut and started yelling and stuttering "GO GET...GO GET..GET SOMETHING" I was going "WHAT, WHAT IS IT?" He manages "SNAKE"! well the only thing I could find was a broom but that was going to do us no good. Eventually we figure to go out the Front door and run to the barn to get a shovel. There was a copperhead curled up by the front door! Anyway my husband chopped it's head off!
Last night we were staying up late and the dog was outside. About 12:45 the dog started barking. It was the "snake bark" and I said, "Richie last time the dog barked like that there was a snake outside" Well he open the door but this time the snake is INSIDE the screen and starts coming in the house!!! This time it is a water moccasain. He slams the door and we go through th "GO GET..." deal again. This time I got my chefs knife and he starts poking at it under the door. We are getting nowhere with this so he goes out to get a shovel again! (we now have a shovel IN the house!) The snake is now UNDER the door. He can just barely see the head and I am poking its back with a knife. ALL OF A SUDDEN...the snake DISAPPEARS!!!!I am NOT kidding! We get the door open and it is GONE! There is a TINY hole in the metal plate under the door jamb that it MIGHT have gone into. We dont THINK it got in the house cause we thought we would have seen it. We tried removing the metal plate to see if it got down between the foundation and the outside brick but couldn't get it up. WE STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THE SNAKE WENT!!!!! Anyway, we brought the dog in the house and made hime sleep by the door so he would bark if it came in. This was my WORST nightmare! I have such a phobia of snakes that I can't even look at pictues of them without getting all freaked out!!!!
Any suggestions for keeping snakes away from the house. This has never happened before! NOW twice in a MONTH!
UPDATE: SUN AUG 6
Guess what was in our living room closet??????
THE SNAKE!!!!!!! Good news it was a great plains ratsnake not a water moccasin as we originally thought. Bad news it was still a snake!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did I mention that I HATE SNAKES?
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| miss wilma |
Posted - Dec 31 2007 : 4:59:51 PM
J ulie I have just been reading the snake update thank you Miss Wilma
I am a farm girl married to a sewing machine
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| mikesgirl |
Posted - Dec 21 2007 : 12:04:53 PM
Ugh - Judith - that would be my next to worst nightmare - next to a snake in my bed!!!
Farmgirl Sister #98 |
| JudyBlueEyes |
Posted - Dec 21 2007 : 11:46:43 AM
How about the lady in Florida who had a snake in her Christmas tree? The tree got in the house, decorated, lights and everything and then she saw the snake. It must have been wound up in the tree when they brought it in? Anyhow, it was safely removed and no one was hurt. HOW CREEPY IS THAT?!? The news didn't say if it was poisonous or not, but it looked like a bad one to me, but what do I know? It was on the news this week.
We come from the earth, we go back to the earth, and in between, we garden! |
| Annab |
Posted - Dec 21 2007 : 03:30:09 AM
I'm all for the "friendlier" snakes and we in fact have a few under the house right now. Better those than the mice.
BUT I too lived out West for a few years, and even here in the South, and I just don't "do" venomous anything. I'd be the first to hack its head off too! We have pets and kids running around the yard visiting all the time. I'd feel terrible if any one of them was ever bitten.
It gave me good relief the first year we bush hogged the fields, and shredded 2 copperheads. Those same fields are where I pick berres and where the dog walks. Sadly, the mower does not discriminate and we often loose black snakes too. |
| mikesgirl |
Posted - Dec 16 2007 : 06:37:51 AM
Shirley - I feel just exactly like you do about Western Washington! The thought that anytime I stepped outdoors (or even indoors it sounds like!) that I could encounter a snake would just freak me out. When I see one, I can't sleep at night and I have nightmares that they are surrounding my bed. So, I love it here in snakefree WW as well! |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Dec 16 2007 : 06:22:15 AM
mrs wilma I bumped this up for you!
Farmgirl Sister #17
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| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Aug 08 2006 : 06:09:27 AM
Well I certainly would not go outside and kill a snake but if it in IN my house on one the porch where it could harm my family or my pets...It's a gonner! After our Golden got bit earlier in the summer we aren't taking any chances anymore! We have a few chicken snakes (don't know if that is the real name for them) that we keep around.
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| santa_gertrudis_gal |
Posted - Aug 07 2006 : 9:30:47 PM
Ooooh, I'd be ok with the rat snake....glad it wasn't a mocassin. I'm on Lorij's side on snakes. They are wonderfully helpful creatures. As many mice my husband sees on the ranch when mowing pastures, I am thankful for the hawks and snakes. They really help with those more distastful creatures.
I kinda side with Lorji on snakes. Poor snakes if they aren't poisonous they can't stay or DH will make short order of them. So I catch them and do a relocation of the snake. Please don't kill a Black Racer or Coach Whip as they are sometimes called. They are on the endangered species list. Absolutely a really cool snake, non poisonous.
Connie, thank you for your kind words about Gypsy. I miss her so. I enjoy looking at two of the three puppies we are keeping. They have their mother's head. The puppy I'm keeping is a spitting image of Dad in the head and his mother's personality. So Gypsy will always be with me.
Kim
Heaven is a day at the ranch with my Santa Gertrudis! |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Aug 07 2006 : 8:16:39 PM
Thanks for the concern! My husband and I and our pets were all okay! We had decided to clean out the living room closet (where we store winter coats, tools, hunting stuff etc) because several coats and stuff had fallen off hangers and it was just getting junked up. Richie was sitting on the floor pulling things out putting tools back into the tool box etc. Most everything was out of the closet at this point. All that was left was a box with a hand sander and a rifle. Richie moved the box and then noticed something move out of the corner of his eye. He stood up real fast and said "OH CRAP!" (only he didn't say "crap" !) I knew at that moment he had found the snake! I ran and got the shovel! It only took a few minutes and some teamwork to drag it out so we could kill us. It did not act agressive until we had it pinned with the shovel and then it tried to bite but we were p;eanty far back from it!
It has been VERY dry here and VERY hot! We know it came in under the door we just didn't know where it went after that! In the 6 years we have lived here (my husband grew up in the house nextdoor) we have only seen 2 snakes and they were both within the last month. Richie's mom says she only remembers ever finding one poisonous one in the yard prior. But the one in the closet turned out to be just a non-poisonous ratsnake not a water moccasin like we first thought.
CRAZY!
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| connio |
Posted - Aug 07 2006 : 5:18:28 PM
Hey Farm Girls!!
Erin I asked my vet about critters and the drought here in North Texas. He said that all of them (snakes, mice, rats, skunks, coyotes etc.) are coming close to houses because there is usually water around that area. It all boils down to predator and prey relationships.
Connie
Texas Farm Girl |
| Phils Ann |
Posted - Aug 07 2006 : 4:37:40 PM
Julie, check out the Barnyard Buddies thread for ideas.
There is a Redeemer. |
| sunshine |
Posted - Aug 07 2006 : 4:36:02 PM
I am so sorry that must have been creepy too realize you had a snake living with you for a few days. I hope you weren't hurt or any family members either including the dog. Is every one alright
have a lovely day and may God bless you and keep you safe
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| Phils Ann |
Posted - Aug 07 2006 : 4:31:09 PM
Oh Julie, honey you have my empathy! A while back I wrote about the black snake I found across my kitchen window. My long tongs are now "the snake tongs". It had come from the shelf in a nearby closet. Anyway, we did find an opening to under the house which gave it access, and DH got on it after work. I just asked him for advise, off the cuff, so to speak. Maybe your husband could stuff steel wool tightly into any little openings? Around any pipes, for instance... Aren't some poultry good at keeping snakes away? There's information on that other post. If I can find it, I'll try to resurrect it so you can read it.
We also have copperheads here, so the black snake is my friend... outside!!!
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
| Bluewrenn |
Posted - Aug 07 2006 : 4:23:07 PM
I wonder if the intense heat is what is driving the snakes in from their usual hiding spots???
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| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Aug 07 2006 : 3:46:15 PM
UPDATE MADE ON ORIGINAL POST!
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| connio |
Posted - Aug 05 2006 : 2:41:37 PM
Hey Farm Girls!!
When I lived in Dallas on a lake, I never thought of snakes even though I know that water moccasins must have been everywhere. My friends would tell me that when they went canoeing that they would see them everywhere! I would also walk my dogs in the park/woods that surrounded the lake and never worried.
Now that I am in the country, I worry about snakes because I hate them and am really afraid of them because they can do great harm. However, for all of my worry, I have not seen any snakes. My neighbor down the road tells me that he has only seen 2 in the past 3 years, and he is out in the pasture and woods with his horses all of the time.
I do have about a dozen barn cats, but my vet says that you can't count on cats to keep snakes away. The main reason that the snakes are around is due to food or water sources being present so be mindful of this. I have also been told to have a hoe readily available at all times in case you have to kill one. (Sorry Lori--I won't kill most creatures but snakes, fleas and ticks are on "my list".
My sister was at a spa on a lake near Austin, Tx recently and was walking through the woods in the early morning. She came upon a large rattlesnake eating a bird. She did not want to be late for her massage so she just altered her route a bit and reported the snake when she arrived at the Massage Center. One of the workers said, "Oh gosh, I guess that we need to tell chef!"
Kim I am sorry about your dog's passing.
Kay Don't let snakes keep you away from Texas! If you were living "in town", I doubt if you would ever encounter one.
Connie
Texas Farm Girl
cozycottage |
| Shirley |
Posted - Aug 04 2006 : 11:16:50 AM
I love where I live.!!!!!
No poison snakes. They are Eastern Wa, but not here.
I hate snakes to,even if they are trying to stay away from me. We hardly ever see any around our place, and we live on 10 acres.
They probably sense how I few about them lol |
| therusticcottage |
Posted - Aug 04 2006 : 08:13:22 AM
Yuk -- I hate snakes!! I can't believe that a water mocccasin was in your front door. I thought they only stayed around water. I've seen a few small garter snakes in my yard but nothing like what you gals are talking about. They scare me but I leave them alone as I know they eat the bugs and slugs. You're going to laugh but being scared of snakes is one of the reasons that I'm afraid to think of moving to TX. I know that there are big rattle snakes there.
A friend of mine moved to Phoenix and came home to find a rattler in her kitchen. She turned on the light and it started coiling up to strike. She had to call someone to come get it out. I told her I would have been packing and gone that same night!
We had lots of snakes in IL. My dad killed a copper head on one of our porches when I was young. I remember it because he told me it was a poisnous snake. And when we'd go swimming in ponds or creeks we always had to watch out for water moccasins. Yuk!
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| santa_gertrudis_gal |
Posted - Aug 04 2006 : 07:41:35 AM
I would be mortified to have two snakes show up on the porch....I would definitely be looking for their food source. Especially a moccasin as they are agressive.
Speaking of snakes, we arrived back from the ranch last Sunday to find problems with the dogs. Gypsy with mastitus who passed away on Monday at the vets office. Belle had a snake bite to the underside of her jaw. As we were already at the vet Sunday I asked our vet if there was anything we could give her or did she need anti-venom. He told us that dogs rarely die from snake bites. He had only had two who died in his practice and they were little dogs and were biten on the head. He told us 1 asprin (real asprin) and Benadryl. He gave me no doseage levels. That was ok, since he knows how much I know about calculating correct doseages. I picked up Children's Benadryl and a 81 mg bottle of Bayer Asprin (from my Physicians Asst. mother who says this is the purest asprin on the market). Down the hatch it went. By the next morning the swelling was reduced to half. By afternoon it was down an additional half. Another dose was given to Belle Monday evening. By Tuesday evening we were down to nothing showing. She has had no relapse of swelling and her neck looks great. Whew...!
Kim
Heaven is a day at the ranch with my Santa Gertrudis! |
| Tina Michelle |
Posted - Aug 04 2006 : 07:30:46 AM
when I lived in an area here that was basically in the middle of mowhere near some woods and creeks..my neighbour used to put moth balls out in her flower beds and around her house to keep the snakes away..now do be careful as I have heard that the moth balls can be dangerous to cats.
I too hate snakes and one time went out to the garage and next to the garage there were these huge clumps of pampass grass(oh gosh I hate that stuff! snake magnet is all those things are!) anyhow there was this big black runner snake curled up next to it..so I stomp my foot, hoping the snake will just dart off..but I'll be darned if that thing didn't start chasing me!!! Talk about a woman doing an serious dance ..a hollering..I darted back into the garage and grabbed a hoe..and told that thing if it came at me again we;d be doing a dance for sure!! Anyhow it eventually darted back under the bushes.
but yes..they creep me out too.
I took a walk one day to the mailbox when we lived on that property..the mailbox was about a 1/4 mile down the dirt road..so I walked down to the mailbox and I was preggers...anyhow all the sudden I stepped on a little green snake..had no idea I had stepped on it..but all the sudden it jumps up next to me..it was only about 6 inches long... needless to say here was this big pregnant woman doing a sudden ..heebie jeebie dance in the middle of a country road!
I wonder if anyone saw me they'd think..looky honey..she's trying to bounce that baby outta herself! LOL
so, yep..I hate those things too.best of luck in getting rid of them.
~Seize the Day! Live, Love, Laugh~ |
| sunshine |
Posted - Aug 04 2006 : 07:06:34 AM
We only had gopher snakes near where I grew up harmless. Our dog always thought it was great to leave their dead bodies on our door step gross. You know crying after the event is still very brave. You still stayed in the house shovel or not. I think you are braver than you think you are.
have a lovely day and may God bless you and keep you safe
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| Mumof3 |
Posted - Aug 04 2006 : 05:45:18 AM
My sister and I were coming home from the beach one night(in Florida) and found a very large cat ready to pounce on a very large snake in the road. It was a rattlesnake, and it and the cat were having a bit of a stand-off. As soon as the lights hit the cat, it ran off into the bushes and the snake stayed in the road. I wanted my sister to go try and find it and run it over, but it was GONE. Took me a while to get out of the car.
Julie- you are very brave!
Karin |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Aug 04 2006 : 05:44:29 AM
oh chile ... snakes give me the heebie-jeebies too .. so far .. i have only found 'cow or rat snakes .. BIG'GUNS .. slithering around and under the foundation of our cabins!! everyone here tells us they are 'good snakes' cuz' they keep the poisonous snakes away. we were picking blueberries recently and right smack dab there int he middle of the lawn a snake was curled up ... we 'think' it was just a cow snake .. but anyhoooooooo .. needless to say .. we don't go barefooted outside any more .. and i do NOT walk in tall grass now .. and find myself a tad more cautions when 'weeding' my gardens!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| jpbluesky |
Posted - Aug 03 2006 : 11:31:51 PM
I always tease my hubby about the notches on his shovel....he has killed many a snake over the years. In the summer, when it gets really dry and hot, they seem to come near the house. Hubby killed three oak snakes last week hanging out near the bird feeder. But if I had one under my door, that would really freak me. The back porch is as close as we have come, as there was a bird nest in the christmas cactus. I got the shovel that time, and found out I have the killer instinct when I chopped his head and kept chopping! I was protecting the little birdies. :)
Water mocs will search for moisture. I am sure he is long gone now in search of a stream.
Peace |
| Bluewrenn |
Posted - Aug 03 2006 : 9:50:53 PM
Now I heard the opposite - that cats HATE snakes and will run the other way... but ours brought a huge monster one into the house a few weeks ago. Luckily I think it was just a rat snake, but oooh, how scary it was - at least five feet long. Why and how they got it inside I DO NOT know. But even the silly boys (who are normally lazy bones) wanted to get at it...
Now I'm not scared of snakes unless they are poisonous, or if I can't tell if they are poisonous... or if they are breeding and they are irritable because of that... or if they are larger than me or if they are attacking my sweet little kitties... But I do know, I'd rather have them out in the barn catching rats than in my house, unless they are tame ones in a cage.
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