Found a swimming partner this evening

[DebbieO]

I get the harmless garter? snakes quite often in my yard. They scare the snot outta me when I'm mowing and am caught unaware. Last year my smallest dog flushed one out and my Rottie nailed it and shook the living you know what out of it. After I chucked the two halves over the fence and sat back down I noticed snake blood all over my nice white service door to the garage. Nice.

 

[Lykly]

Brian thanks for the reply. I always thought that a rat snake and brown snake were the same. [emoji108]

 

[pooldv]

This is a rat snake, about 4.5-5 feet

 

[Brentr]

I don't like snakes, I don't like anybody that like snakes and we don't like anybody that like snakes

The head in that last picture doesn't look so much like a viper. Most if not all US venomous snakes are pit vipers. Copperheads, rattlesnakes and cottonmouths are. I don't know western snakes, but if I saw that head on a snake I would be very careful.

 

[BPKlein]

Lykly, No problem. The western rat snake (aka Texas rat snake) is also brown, but has darker brown "saddles" on its back as opposed to the long, lighter brown "stripe" down the back. Also, the rat snake gets considerably bigger than a Dekays.

Bryan

 

[Patrick_B]

I don't like snakes, I don't like anybody that like snakes and we don't like anybody that like snakes

Man, I was hoping we'd be friends....:-(

 

[jagger2005]

I know a 6 ft rat snake is harmless, but when you see one slithering across the yard and you have a 5 year old...that guy needs to stay on the empty lot next door. In the last year, my dog has killed a rat snake (most likely the one I mentioned), 2 coral snakes, and a handful of furry animals I will not mention so no one is offended. I call my yard "the killing fields" because unwanted trespassing can lead to death by dog. Somehow, he even found a Texas turtle - luckily I got to him early and managed to save and relocate near a river about 5 miles away

 

[kj5kb]

Glad you didnt 'freak out' about it. I saw a water snake in my pond AFTER next door neighbor telling me he'd seen "poisonous snakes" in his pond. I calmly watched it swim away from me and ID'd it as a harmless Northern Water snake. Have had a few small garter snakes and ringneck snakes in pool.

 

[salty87]

We have a pond, too. Frogs, snakes and creatures of whatever sort are most welcome to it. Since the pool went in last summer we and the dogs don't frequent the pond anymore. The critters can have it. On the flip side, they are not welcome in the cement pond and will be shown the 'exit' without haste. So far we've had lots of frogs visitors and only 1 small snake that died in a skimmer basket.