Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey there....

I'm just trying to get rid of some native rattlesnakes in my property. I do not want to kill them or harm them in any way, but I don't want to be hurt either. Any ideas or products I should try????
Please e-mail me dannie@yours.com

Thanks..

Barring the usual objections that I have to this kind of post...I have to tell you there may be plenty of products out there that may claim to keep snakes out....But they mainly just supply income to your friendly snake oil salesman (they don't work). How big is your property and what state? For smaller properties you can restrict their desire to habitate by cutting down shrubs and clearing the land of logs and other hide outs, and building a snake restricting fence (I don't say snake proof because some little fellows climb too good...the harmless ones). For a larger piece of land...may I suggest live and let live?
Common sense works wonders. Learn about your native snakes and just practice simple caution when about. rattlers face severe problems from us when we move into their habitats so...In a way I am jealous of you. I unfortunatly live in an area where they have been exterminated.
Frank

is to rid your property of the foodsources that the snakes are after.

Rodents are the prime candidates for attracting snakes to your abode. Keep your property inhospitable to rodents. That includes sealing a granary or feed room if you keep livestock so the rodents don't find a ready food supply.

I had a middle school science teacher (she introduced me to snakes in the first place) who grew up on a farm who talked about a "pet" rat snake that they kept in the granary. She talked about moving it off of the feed sacks every time she had to dip out feed for the chickens or whatever. A resident non-venomous snake can do a lot of rodent control for you. A resident kingsnake would do a lot of rodent control as well as take on venomous snakes.

Additionally, if you have pets, don't feed them outdoors. The redidue of their food is a good foodsource for rodents and bugs.

Don't put up a birdfeeder or a squirrel feeder. The grain dropped around them just acts as a rodent magnet.

If all else fails, you can always build an air-tight residence of concrete and steel, cut down all of the trees and pave every square inch of earth. That would be unattractive to snakes as well as rodents. Check your local building codes first.

That last paragraph was tongue-in-cheek. Truth be told, any U.S. citizen is more likely to fall victim to cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, drunk driving, HIV, hep-C, or homocide than to be killed or even bitten by a venomous snake (or all of the venomous critters on earth combined).

Time to stop the worry and get on with the enjoyment of living. Life is too short to live in fear.

B

You can get her here...she made a MISTAKE!!!! Can you beleive it? You'd better jump on it before she corrects herself...you may not get another opportunity for a long time.

She said: homocide..what's that? Murdering alternate lifestylers?

She meant: homicide.

Thanx,

I'll leave it alone. Your's will suffice.

Regards,
J.

beleive

Good God,... cut her off. Ooops that's MY deal isn't it??

Regards,
J.

My wife threatened to "cut me off" the other day. (can you believe she would do that to me?)

I just told her that she couldn't. Of course, then she asked me why not. So, I said "Because you don't even know where I'm getting it."

I think she may still be mad at me, but I'm not sure...she hasn't said anything to me for a while.

Mr. G,

You oughta do standup. You have some very funny stuff. You'll have to work on timing as I make my own as I read, but still, good stuff!

Regards,
J.

have trouble with the apostrophe in "your's". Hee hee...Sorry Jeff.

~~Greg~~

Hoist by my own petard it appears...LOL. Actually that is an issue that I frequently comment upon myself. That whole 's or s' deal. You are correct Mr. L. it should have been possessive. Good catch.

Regards,
J.

It’s a good thing that I am SO fond of you, being so delicious and all. Otherwise, I’d have to smack you, and we’d all enjoy that.

The truth is that I make more mistakes every single day, twenty-four hours a day, and seven days a week AND fifty-two weeks a year, that I cannot possibly keep track of the count. Do you REALLY expect me to notice one mistake in a year?

Okay, so, I noticed. Dang. It deflates my reptile diva persona, doesn’t it? How am I going to perpetuate the 2” blood-red, artificial finger-nail, high-maintenance woman image that I have cultivated so haphazardly?

n/m

Yes, I'm very glad that you're fond of me AND that you can't readily reach me (physically). Being a smartass is dangerous work if you are too close to your subject.

Of course, my dyslexic typing fingers have ONCE AGAIN betrayed me in a moment of greatest need.

And....not to worry...NOTHING can detract from your Herp-Diva personna in my eyes!

n/p

Thought maybe a little flattery and flirtation might move us up the rubidus waiting list, to no avail. Ah, well.
B