Land Clearing & Snakes
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GaryBDavis
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GaryBDavis
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GaryBDavis
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GaryBDavis
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GaryBDavis
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Yep. Gray Rat Snake to be more specific. Since you took pictures and (apparantly) didn't kill it, I assume you knew that it was a harmless species. He/she'll be good to have around to keep the mice numbers down.
When I was a kid, I reached into a many hen nests feeling for eggs and grabbed a rat snake. Many of the old timers call them "chicken snakes" due to their habit of eating eggs and chicks. I kept a Corn Snake as a pet for a while. They're closely related with similar patterns, but different color. The Corn Snake has rusty orange/brown markings as opposed to the gray/black of the Gray Rat Snake.
Nice pictures, by the way.
BR
When I was a kid, I reached into a many hen nests feeling for eggs and grabbed a rat snake. Many of the old timers call them "chicken snakes" due to their habit of eating eggs and chicks. I kept a Corn Snake as a pet for a while. They're closely related with similar patterns, but different color. The Corn Snake has rusty orange/brown markings as opposed to the gray/black of the Gray Rat Snake.
Nice pictures, by the way.
BR
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GaryBDavis
Gold Member
No, I didn't kill it. If it's not harming me, I don't harm it and I think they do more good than bad anyway. My Dad has only seen one rattlesnake out there in the past 50 years.
wushaw
Elite Member
Yes to the previous answers, in addition most Texas/eastern rats snakes do have a slight temper if ya mess with them and they will $&(t on ya first chance.
They are great mousers....and ya don't have to feed em.
They are great mousers....and ya don't have to feed em.
have_blue
Veteran Member
What a coincidence! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c394/bobad/Picture004.jpg
Ya, they are usually ill-tempered, but this one calmed down real quick.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c394/bobad/Picture004.jpg
Ya, they are usually ill-tempered, but this one calmed down real quick.
Mavrik02
Silver Member
Up here in PA we have the North American Watersnake that has a very similar pattern but is all grey and black. They are very shy and will run away but have very nasty tempers. You wouldn't want to pick one up thats for sure.
jinman
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jbrumberg
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have-blue:
Couple of years ago I had completely urbanized friends visiting me. During the "Tour" I/we chanced upon a rat snake on the prowl. I have caught a few snakes in my day and thought this one would be no different from the other species I have caught /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Wrong!!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif There is still an active debate as to who caught who /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Hurt like #%&! It tamed down a bit once it "kissed" me. It also excreted a foul odor during its agitation. It also "hugged" me as it is a constrictor. They do act like rattlers. To make a long story short: I leave snakes alone now and the couple never returned /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Jay
Couple of years ago I had completely urbanized friends visiting me. During the "Tour" I/we chanced upon a rat snake on the prowl. I have caught a few snakes in my day and thought this one would be no different from the other species I have caught /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Wrong!!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif There is still an active debate as to who caught who /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Hurt like #%&! It tamed down a bit once it "kissed" me. It also excreted a foul odor during its agitation. It also "hugged" me as it is a constrictor. They do act like rattlers. To make a long story short: I leave snakes alone now and the couple never returned /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Jay
have_blue
Veteran Member
Nothing is more evil than a gravid female snake. I've had water snakes and blue runners absolutely rear up and lunge at me again and again. After they lay their eggs, they calm down. I guess that's a universal girl thing.
A while back, my son kept pestering me to catch him a blue racer, which are nasty and quick. I was bush hogging one day and found a really big one. It was a hot day, and that snake was so fast she tagged me 5 times before I wore her down. My boy got his snake, but when he saw my bloody hands and arms, he didn't keep her very long.
I would like to turn that snake loose on some of those TV snake wranglers. They're a lot faster than those torpid TV snakes. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
A while back, my son kept pestering me to catch him a blue racer, which are nasty and quick. I was bush hogging one day and found a really big one. It was a hot day, and that snake was so fast she tagged me 5 times before I wore her down. My boy got his snake, but when he saw my bloody hands and arms, he didn't keep her very long.
I would like to turn that snake loose on some of those TV snake wranglers. They're a lot faster than those torpid TV snakes. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I've found the smaller rat snakes like the one in the photo to be fairly docile. It's the big ones that tend to be mean, like to bite, and excrete their foul smelling ooze at the slightest agitation.
Nice photo, btw.
BR
Nice photo, btw.
BR
wroughtn_harv
Super Member
We found a little one about eighteen inches long in our bucket of parts at Scott's house last Sunday. He wasn't confrontational at all.
I've always called these snakes "chicken snakes".
Some years ago a black hen showed up at the shop one day. I called her "Cluck". I asked her what her name was. She told me. If it was good enough for her then it was good enough for me.
She'd hang around the shop usually within twenty feet of so of me. Typical of some females, she talked a lot, mostly to herself.
And man did she love jokes. I'd tell her a joke and she'd just cackle. It didn't matter if it was a dirty joke or even politically incorrect. By the time I got to the punch line she was on board.
We developed a professional relationship to go along with our "just friends" one. I put a hole in a chop saw container and added some hay for a nest. She contributed an egg a day. I figured it was rent and helped justify the cost of the scratch I purchased to supplement her bugging.
One evening I came in after dark and turned on the light in the shop. Cluck was on the floor.
"What the heck you doing down here?" I asked as I picked her up and placed her back in the nest box.
Her butt feathers never hit the hay. She was out over my head before I had time to let go.
So I grabbed a stool and climbed up to look inside to see what had her so upset.
Big ole chicken snake!
And we had a problem.
Chicken snake had a mouth full of rent.
There was a wrassling match.
I got the rent back.
Then I called around to find out what the locals suggested I do with a chicken snake.
The consensus was I needed to make two of them.
I decided not to do that. After all, the chicken snake was only doing what chicken snakes do, nothing more, nothing less.
I took it to Dallas. But that's another story. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I've always called these snakes "chicken snakes".
Some years ago a black hen showed up at the shop one day. I called her "Cluck". I asked her what her name was. She told me. If it was good enough for her then it was good enough for me.
She'd hang around the shop usually within twenty feet of so of me. Typical of some females, she talked a lot, mostly to herself.
And man did she love jokes. I'd tell her a joke and she'd just cackle. It didn't matter if it was a dirty joke or even politically incorrect. By the time I got to the punch line she was on board.
We developed a professional relationship to go along with our "just friends" one. I put a hole in a chop saw container and added some hay for a nest. She contributed an egg a day. I figured it was rent and helped justify the cost of the scratch I purchased to supplement her bugging.
One evening I came in after dark and turned on the light in the shop. Cluck was on the floor.
"What the heck you doing down here?" I asked as I picked her up and placed her back in the nest box.
Her butt feathers never hit the hay. She was out over my head before I had time to let go.
So I grabbed a stool and climbed up to look inside to see what had her so upset.
Big ole chicken snake!
And we had a problem.
Chicken snake had a mouth full of rent.
There was a wrassling match.
I got the rent back.
Then I called around to find out what the locals suggested I do with a chicken snake.
The consensus was I needed to make two of them.
I decided not to do that. After all, the chicken snake was only doing what chicken snakes do, nothing more, nothing less.
I took it to Dallas. But that's another story. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Farwell
Veteran Member
Harv,
You sure do tell beautiful stories.
Farwell
You sure do tell beautiful stories.
Farwell
