Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I movwd into a new house about two years ago. It is on an acre with orange groves and woods around. I saw my first snake in the yard last weekend right before the cold spell. It was a 4 ft long indigo. I watched him for a while, he was near my shed. I ran in to get the camera and he was gone when I got back out.
If there is one taking up residence in your yard?How much can you interact? Can I leave a bowl of water for it? I'm a teacher and don't want to do anything ilegal.

Since the e indigo is a federally protected species, you are basically not permitted to interfere with it's natural state.

Leaving a water bowl would be doing that.
You'd need a federal officer to explain the details for sure, but I don't think they'd want you doing that.

I certainly don't see any harm in photography...

I would just try to keep in mind that the goal would be to allow the animal to live as uneffected by man as possible.

I'm not trying to suggest you would do this...but trying to make a "pet" out of an indigo by encouraging it to hang out near your house by leaving water or food or something...is not going to do the snake good in the long run.

I'm sure it's going to be tempting...but if I were you i'd try to just photo the snake doing what he usually does.

If he has to go to the nearest stream for water...then he should have to go to the stream...not to your house.

Just my thoughts...

i'd have to agree.......one result of leaving water out for it would be to encourage it to return and eventually put it in harm's way. by that i mean dogs, cats, people, cars and traffic.....things it has no natural defenses for. let nature take her own course, he knows where to find water.......dannio