Any Herpers out there??

[AllanD]

I sorta have a pet snake, it's a common Milk snake.

It lives in my Garage, for some odd reason it's "happy"
with the confluence of the cool concrete floor and the heat
from the compressor of my upright freezer.

I don't feed it, it manages that job by itself rather thoroughly
by ambushing the mice that migrate through...

It's a good thing my cat never saw it.

The very first living thing my cat caught as a kitten
was an 18" long copperhead, he apparrently liked copperheads
(for their flavor) because when he was done playing
with the very alive copperhead he'd invariably eat them...
except for their heads.

But he wouldn't kill them right away... it was facinating watching him
playing his favorite springtime game of "Mongoose & Cobra" he never
got struck, the snake couldn't say the same...

The cat eventually lost an argument with a car, but he was getting
older and slower.

It was a marker of spring for almost 10 years when he'd start
bringing in baby copperheads, but also a couple of the smaller
eastern diamondbacks My neighbor was horrified to discover
we actually had those snakes...

But being honest I didn't consider the cat mine any more than
I really consider the milk snake "mine", they both freely chose
to live where they do... free to come and go as they choose.




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[koda6966]

Diamond backs or Timbers?

 

[Will]

We have copperheads in abundance. The cats gets lots of them, but doesn't eat them. But worse for the snakes are the chickens. You want to see something funny, watch a group of chickens with a snake. One picks it up and runs with it--the rest think they are missing out and they give chase. A snake can't hurt a chicken--a milksnake is a constrictor which is no good on an 8# Plymouth Rock. We get ringnecks, the brown garters with the back stripes, black snakes and milks. The chickens take a million tiny snaps out of the snake until it gives up and dies. They haul ass around the yard carrying snakes while the rest follow and wrestle it away.

Ball pythons and boa constrictors don't occur naturally so we have very few episodes with the chickens beating up on those particular species.

 

[AllanD]

Diamond backs or Timbers?

Thinking about it probably Timbers, Diamond backs are rather rare, but not entirely unknown this far north.

the snakes were not dead at that point and were being constantly irritated by a rather bold and sublimely single minded adolescent cat...

So it was hard (and dangerous) to get a good look and even harder as the cat was very protective of his meal.

Though not as ferociously protective as he was of say... a Fresh cottontail rabbit. trying to take a rabbit from him would likely cost you a finger...

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[mn_smokeater]

allan by any chance would you have vidio of this?

 

[Coleosis]

I used to have quite a few reptiles...Dont have any anymore...If I decide to buy another, Imma get a emerald tree boa....If I decide to go buy another cage and catch one, Ill either get a copperhead or a rattlesnake.

 

[AllanD]

allan by any chance would you have vidio of this?

Sadly, no.

But in a battle between snake and cat my money is on the cat.

The snake has a slight speed advantage in the short term,
but that's not enough to offset the agility, manueverability
and endurance of the cat.

there was one move where he'd bait the snake into striking and in
mid-strike the cat would smack the snake upside the head.

Before I saw that I thought snakes were "quick"

Seeing that made me appreciate how "slow" the cat was
when he would play rough with my hand.

About half-speed...

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[mn_smokeater]

ehh so he could have mauled your hand up before you pulled it away easy yikes. you just gave me a new reason to get a cat though: snake repellent.

 

[AllanD]

Not all cats are that good at it, but the ones that are...


As for keeping a copperhead as a "pet", don't show it to me or you'll
get a demonstration of marksmanship

Copperheads are an agressive snake and responsible for more deaths than
the rattlers are.

I've killed every one I've ever seen, six, and frankly NONE of them were trying to get away at the time.

rattlers invariably threaten and retire.

Around here the copperheads are more common. I move things
that haven't been disturbed for a long time only with caution

The Rattlers hear the noise an decide it's a good time to be elsewhere.
The copperheads have a "who's messing with my house" mentality
and come out looking for trouble.

The snake that retreats doesn't get shot.
I have yet to see a copperhead retreat.

I think anyone who would keep one as a pet deserves to get bit.

Years ago I bought a 4" 22LR Revolver, a Taurus 9shot, which is usually
loaded with Five snake shot and 4 CCI stingers, why? for carrying while
working in the yard.

I don't hate or fear snakes, I respect them.
It's their lack of respect for me that I have issues with.

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[Resurrection Ranger]

An early xmas present from the wife!

 

[GoodOld85BlueBalls]

Cool snakes. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

 

[Resurrection Ranger]

Feeding my Reticulated Python.