Snake ID Please

[rms61moparman]

Please tell me how I am. As I said I would love to have a respectful debate on what value a snake has in nature. What am I ignorant of?

Ever have rats in your corn crib?
ONE black snake will solve that!


Mike

 

[rms61moparman]

How about a Boa or a Python?

Do you have a Boa or Python problem?


Mike

 

[Bill G]

You are in the extreme with this . We were talking in general I tend not to kill spiders in my home I do clean cob webs though . I don’t kill rodents outside inside they are fair game . I’ve taken snakes out of my basement a number of times and let them go in the grass . Every pest you listed serves a purpose . I have bats in my barn they eat flying insects

Well we will need to respectfully agree to disagree. If you do not kill rodents outside the home then I guess you see them as beneficial so why not in the house. If snakes are beneficial in the woods why not in the house?. Why does their location matter, a benefit is a benefit. If snakes are so good and rodents are so good then they should be buddies. A rodent in the house is just like a rodent in the woods, trying to make a living The snake lovers talk about them killing rodents so why not keep a dozen sankes in the house?

 

[jenko]

In Australia we have some pretty deadly snakes, very few people die from them though. Feral and pet cats on the other hand cause a huge issue for the native wildlife. As an island we have a lot of “issues” from introduced species, I’ve never heard of a snake on that list

 

[Bill G]

They keep the Rodent population down, how is that not a good thing, that is one hell of a good thing. I prefer non-Venomous snakes to mice and rats. I agree with you on most of the above.

Well Warfarin is much more effective with rats and mice and is good for a man's heart. It has killed millions of rodents and saved millions of humans. I call that a win-win....

https://www.pctonline.com/article/-...ercent,among all the anticoagulant compounds.

 

[Bill G]

Ever have rats in your corn crib?
ONE black snake will solve that!


Mike

Yes, 1985 was a bad year. My brother and I were shooting them with shotguns. A stop at the Purina dealer and a bucket of bait bars solved it...(and killed our fun though) I can honestly say I am not sure if I ever saw a rat after 1985. Yes I still filled the crib and picked ear corn until just a few years ago. I still have the New Idea 3 row picker in the shed although she is a 2 row now. I broke a gathering chain which snapped a irreplaceable snapping roll. Nope no rat or mice issues here. A little warfarin goes along way.

 

[Bill G]

Do you have a Boa or Python problem?


Mike

I do not but others do. Ask the fine folks in the southeast where killing is encouraged

Hunting on Private Land: Nonnative reptiles like Burmese pythons can be humanely killed on private lands at any time with landowner permission - no permit required- and the FWC encourages people to capture and humanely kill pythons from private lands whenever possible. There is no bag limit.

https://www.sfwmd.gov/our-work/python-program

 

[PasoRoblesJimmy]

Yup! Just remember the coral snake.

Regarding Coral Snakes and snakes that look alike. Red and yellow kill a fellow. Red and white give a fright.

 

[PasoRoblesJimmy]

If all snakes were exterminated would life as we know it go on or would the balance of life be so upset that we would have to change drastically.? I am pretty darn sure if all snakes were eliminated life as we know it would be just fine.

There no snakes in Bermuda but lots of centepedes almost as big as snakes. Hawaii also has no snakes.

 

[sawfarmer]

Looks like a (RAT snake) harmless like most animals in my opinion .I do not kill them or any snakes they do there job cleaning up rodents .All animals are on earth to balance things out !

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

Well we will need to respectfully agree to disagree. If you do not kill rodents outside the home then I guess you see them as beneficial so why not in the house. If snakes are beneficial in the woods why not in the house?. Why does their location matter, a benefit is a benefit. If snakes are so good and rodents are so good then they should be buddies. A rodent in the house is just like a rodent in the woods, trying to make a living The snake lovers talk about them killing rodents so why not keep a dozen sankes in the house?

Bill I put snakes in my shop and wood shed when I find them, that doesn't mean they stick around necessarily. Hell I thought about putting up a sign saying "live snakes" to deter theft ,but liability is an issue i believe?
Snakes and other reptiles often fill a specific roll in nature not a broad area. The red belly racer only grows to 16" and only eats garden slugs , pretty useful if you like rhubarb and strawberry pie!
I also like having a cat around which I take care of to deter rodents.

 

[GenXer]

Well we will need to respectfully agree to disagree. If you do not kill rodents outside the home then I guess you see them as beneficial so why not in the house. If snakes are beneficial in the woods why not in the house?. Why does their location matter, a benefit is a benefit. If snakes are so good and rodents are so good then they should be buddies. A rodent in the house is just like a rodent in the woods, trying to make a living The snake lovers talk about them killing rodents so why not keep a dozen sankes in the house?

20 some years ago I had a 3 foot Colombian red tailed boa constrictor. Raised mice for its food. Both were in the house.

 

[JRM]

Her is your post. I could reply on my phone from work as I do not type that well.

If a rat snake can each 9-12lbs of rodents eat yer then think about how many pounds a Fox can eat.
If they are full of ticks think about how many ticks is that Fox is eliminating.
You say "Speaking of ticks, Some smaller species consume up to 4000 ticks in a single year" Are you saying the snake is actually eating the tick or eating the rodent that ate the tick or eating the rodent that has the ticks on them? Whichever way the Fox wins.
You say "They have been proven to help control the grasshoper (sp) population which can be incredibly invasive." So are you saying snakes eat grasshoppers? I have read some small ones do but grasshoppers have never been an issue for me especially in my house. I occasional annoying cricket yes.
You say.....It's just a matter of whether you want to educate yourself or not........ Well I am pretty well educated and I have yet to see any documentation that proves if all snakes were eliminated the balance of life would be upset, we would starve and be eaten by rats.

Everything you quoted of me is fact, and easily verifiable, including the bit on crickets. Just because they've never bothered you doesn't mean they can't be invasive if not kept in balance.



A snake eats less than a fox....well duh. There are also undoubtedly more snakes in a given area than fox.
I see snakes all over the area by my pond and greenhouse but there sure aren't any fox running around the same area. Regardless, just because one species outperforms another doesnt make the lesser species invaluable. Its called a balance and they all play a role.

Like I said, you can educate yourself on the matter If you like. Or don't, and continue to make pointless claims on a chainsaw forum until the other guy goes away, and you "win" as you see it.

 

[tJKrider]

In Australia we have some pretty deadly snakes

As an island we have a lot of “issues” from introduced species,

I think Australia is a bit bigger than an island. If not mistaken (my geography is a bit rusty) it is considered a continent... Here in the USA we also have a lot of issues from introduced species - both plant and animal. My point is I don't think designation of a landmass as an island has anything to do with it...

 

[tJKrider]

I think Australia is a bit bigger than an island. If not mistaken (my geography is a bit rusty) it is considered a continent... Here in the USA we also have a lot of issues from introduced species - both plant and animal. My point is I don't think designation of a landmass as an island has anything to do with it...

According to Wikipedia (which has to be correct, right? ) both designations are applicable so I stand corrected...

"The world's smallest continent and sixth largest country by total area, Australia—owing to its size and isolation—is often dubbed the "island continent" and is sometimes considered the world's largest island"

 

[Bill G]

There no snakes in Bermuda but lots of centepedes almost as big as snakes. Hawaii also has no snakes.

I bet the balance of life is doing just fine there. One of the guys I work with spends every vacation he can in Hawaii and says it is quite nice, even without snakes.

 

[Bill G]

Looks like a (RAT snake) harmless like most animals in my opinion .I do not kill them or any snakes they do there job cleaning up rodents .All animals are on earth to balance things out !

What do gnats, flies, mosquitoes, and ants balance?

 

[Bill G]

20 some years ago I had a 3 foot Colombian red tailed boa constrictor. Raised mice for its food. Both were in the house.

Loose?

 

[lone wolf]

20 some years ago I had a 3 foot Colombian red tailed boa constrictor. Raised mice for its food. Both were in the house.

I had dozens of snakes growing up

 

[JRM]

I had dozens of snakes growing up

I'll never forget the day my youngest, who was around 7-8 at the time, found a very small Gardner under the wood pile splitting wood one day. The weather had just turned and the snake was in hibernation. My kid pocketed it, unknown to me, and went on with his buisiness stacking while I was splitting. Several hours later with the coat hanging in the warm laundry room the snake comes to life and makes its way out of Cam's pocket, and onto the floor, where mom found it.

How time flies. That Seems like just yesterday.

At 0215 this morning, 06/13/23 I got his phone call informing me he'd arrived to Parris Island.
"Thank you for your support, Good Bye for now.".....click. That's a rough one.