Snakes!

[patrickg]

Yes, times change and the okld ways and speach patterns drift over time.

My mom is 85 as of her last birthday and was born on a farm near Bray, OK (near Marlow) Grew up farming, helped her dad raise most of what they ate. They never had a tractor, plowed with a pair of horses. Mom had dark red hair and often joked that it got that way from swimming in the red water of the farm PONDS. Maybe the younger generation you represent took on a Texan afectation and call ponds, tanks.

Patrick

 

[TresCrows]

It is not the numbers of mice the snake eats that make the difference but the numbers of mice that will not be born as a result. A few predators including snakes can be a good thing. Too bad they don't eat deer. J

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>near Bray, OK (near Marlow)</font color=blue>

Made me have to get my map out and look at it. We moved from Marlow in June '56 (only lived there a couple of years) and I didn't remember Bray. And my mother's only 81./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[patrickg]

Bird, I double checked with mom and she says she doesn't recall ayone calling a pond a tank when she was on the farm but she has heard some Texans call then tanks. She left the farm in about 1936 and worked in Marlow and then Duncan.

Gee, Bird, we are almost kin, if not by blood at least by virtue of our parents eating the same dirt.

I'm not surprised you don't remember Bray, it isn't much. One of its claims to fame is that Gene Autry's wife (a school mate of my mom) was from there.

When My mom's dad hitched up the team and took the family to town to shop, it was Marlow.

See ya, cuz. I gotta go deport/release Rocky Racoon #3

Patrick

 

[MossRoad]

Technically, they are venomous. But no more venomous than garter snakes or human saliva if injected into the blood stream. Read this, it is very interesting. <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.hognose.com/pages/venomous.htm> http://www.hognose.com/pages/venomous.htm </A>

And be sure to go back up to <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.hognose.com>www.hognose.com </A>to see a great website dedicated to these fine snakes.

 

[LTEnterprises]

if they are non piosonus they will keep the poisonus snakes away--i leave the NP snakes alone

 

[mbsil]

My $.02:

1. "The Pond" refers to the Atlantic ocean! (so the Brits say!)
"Hopping the Pond" = Crossing the Atlantic

2. All snakes must die!

Adam and Eve (mainly that lyin hussie Eve) were deceived
by a snake. It wasn't a badger, ferret, parrot or
hummingbird, so I believe that God is trying to tell us that
snakes are inherently evil! God wasn't big on pigs either.
He made them, but he didn't say that we had to eat them.

Poisonous? Non-poisonus? Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out!

If mice are a problem, get a cat!

 

[DVerbarg]

<font color=blue>2. All snakes must die!</font color=blue>

Not all snakes, just the ones in my yard!

 

[patrickg]

MossRoad, You may have heard the old tale about how aerodynamicists were sure that a bumblebee couldn't sustain flight but the bumble bee not being an aerodynamicist flew just fine.

A lot of information. I read it all, some of it twice and came away with these three points that I think are important:

1. Enlarged teeth may also facilitate the injection of a toxic substance into a prey item for the purpose of subduing it prior to ingestion.

2. Then, if keepers use safe handling procedures and use tongs to feed their charges, the likelihood of a stupid feeding error (SFE) and envenomation can be greatly reduced.

3. Those with increased sensitivity and/or other immunological problems should take extra precautions and not tempt fate.

Since I have never met the guy who my friend described as being bitten, envenomated, and subsequently suffered the effects to the extent of going to the hospital, I can't comment on his "sensitivity." I can comment on his being bitten. It wasn't a SFE, but in my opinion it was stupid to stick his thumb in a snakes mouth and let it chew on it for a while. He reportedly thought it was cute that this little "harmless" snake would try to bite him. Hadn't this guy learned anything from Seymor ("Little Shop of Horrors")?

I'm sure there is now one more citizen who believes the Hog Nose is poisonous, irrespective of the opinions of others.

You and I may debate the number of angels dancing on the head of a pin but that citizen counted them. When empirical data is at odds with opinion or theory, I tend to side with the data until given good reason to alter my view.

Patrick

 

[MossRoad]

Hey, I'm agreeing with you. I didn't say they weren't venomous. What I said was:

<font color=blue>Technically, they are venomous. But no more venomous than garter snakes or human saliva if injected into the blood stream. Read this, it is very interesting</font color=blue>.

The article that I linked to agreed with your position.

 

[patrickg]

Hey MOSSROAD, no wories, mate. We are in basic agreement except in degree. On one hand we have the info on the site you shared (thanks again for that, pretty good info) and on the other I have 2nd hand annecdotal information that the venom is more serious than they say, hence the comment regarding the unknown sensitivity of the person bitten. Anyway, wouldn't you agree it is DUMB to let a snake chew on your thumb? Especially for a period of time, not just an accidental nip, as it were. My 2nd hand info is from a reliable eye witness, good friend, PhD zoologist, scientist not given to exaggeration.

Still, if given the opportunity, I would put one of the buggers through its repertoire as I think it highly unlikely that I would let any part of my anatomy get to its back teeth. I ain't got no Croc Hunter wanabe ideas.

I don't have a big time grudge against snakes. If I can determine they are non poisonous, I may handle them a bit and do a show and tell then release. If they are poisonous and on my property at the same place and same time as me then I may try, if the means are at hand, to cancel their ticket. I don't go looking for them but I don't tolerate them if they are "in my space." I know it isn't a completely defensible position B_U_T that is how it is.

In this area we have copperheads, rattlers, cotton mouth water moccasin. On my property I have seen 5 snakes in 3 years and have killed none. One may have been poisonous (neighbor shot it and I didn't get a good look, may have been moccasin) another could have been anything as it sped away from me through the grass faster than I could track it to get a look,one was a common garter snake, and one was a black water snake and the last and most recent was brown and swimming in a pond with all its body floating not just head above water with body submerged. I was armed with a tractor with FEL(and no snorkel/fording kit) so I considered discression to be the better part of valor and did not initiate hostilities.

Now that their dens have warmed up and I am out and about on the property a good deal of the time, I am considering carrying a snake gun (pistol with fine shot, a miniature shotgun if you will).

I don't care if they do taste like chicken and I usually recommend eating what you shoot but I will make this exception.

Patrick

 

[MossRoad]

<font color=blue>wouldn't you agree it is DUMB to let a snake chew on your thumb?</font color=blue>

Completely!

When I was a kid, we used to see many snakes around here. Garter, blue racer(beautififul snake), hog nose, milk, black racer, black rat snake and LOTs of water snakes. The only poisonous snakes around here are(or were, as they haven't found any in years) were little rattle snakes. Either pygmie or timber(can't remember). The neighborhood parents always made us let them go, with the exception of the little rattle snakes. The parents did em in with a shovel every time, with a reminder that, while all snakes are good at controlling pests, etc... those rattlers were just too dangerous to have around a populated area.

 

[patrickg]

MossRoad, Ah yes, just hearing the names of them brought back memories. My mom is a rabid anti-snake person. She leans toward the, "better safe than sorry" persuasion, doesn't know which are poisonous but knows which are "good" cause a good snake is a dead snake. I've seen her take out snakes with a shovel, hoe, and lawn mower. I am more in line with your parents, not on an extinction campaign for all snakes, just don't want the risk factor of too many poisonous ones near where our activities take place.

For anyone who would prefer to take passive rather than active defensive measures, there is currently a good set of tall snake proof boots on special at http://sportsmansguide.com/

I recall my dad telling me that a college student working summers with him used to have to walk through a really snake infested area of tall weeds on a dailiy basis on the job. He got a couple lengths of galvanized stove pipe and suspended them from his belt likek chaps. Didn't see it myself but was told that the student found it real spooky when one would strike the pipe. My dad was known to spin a yarn or two on the spur of the moment but this was a "for real" recounting.

Off topic recollection: We were driving through the country side with a city dwelling aunt in the car when she asks my dad what those big tall cylinders were (silos) and without any pause he says, "those are the big antiaircraft guns to shoot at attacking airplanes in case of Russian attack. She buys it totally. A few minutes later she asks what are those short little round pointed things (galvanized metal corn cribs) and he says, "oh, those are the ammunition for those big anti-aircraft guns."

Another time we are pulling a utility trailier with a propane tank in it and some looky lou pulls along side (pre A/C when you drove with the windows down in summer) andwith eyes wide asks my dad what was that thing and without a moments hesitation he tells the guy it is one of those flying saucer things you been hearing about, were taking this thing to an army base.

That said, I still think he was reporting fact regarding the "snake armor."

Patrick

 

[MossRoad]

/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Wal]

mbsil,

Truthfully now, how do you really feel about snakes? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[bellweather]

Snakes are wonderful and beneficial creatures (some eat mice and rats). Instead of pouring toxic materials into the ground, I suggest you become more familiar with these facinating reptiles and maybe develop an appreciation. Try contacting a local zoo or ecology center for identification and facts. They may be coming out of hibernation and in mating mode, which is why you are seeing so many at the moment. I'm almost certain they are not venemous. Treat them like bees...leave them alone and you won't get stung.