Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi!
I spotted a snake in a small flowing creek behind my house in South Tuscaloosa, Alabama today (West Central Alabama). It was next to the creek bank and then in some thin brush at the base of a Riverbirch tree. The snake was approximately 3 feet in length, tan and black stripes about 1-2 inches in width. I was unable to see the head of the snake. Because I am trying to become more educated about snakes to hopefully decrease my huge fear and to better protect my toddler, I am hoping that someone could help me identify this particulat snake that is living in my back yard.
Also, is it true that snakes shy away from lawns that are regularly treated with pesticides - RoundUp in flower beds, etc?
thanks so much for any help that you can offer.

Not enough info to i.d. the snake. If by stripes, you mean markings that run the length of the body (bands run across the body), then it is assuredly not dangerous. None of our snakes that are venomous are striped. Also, were you describing the width of the snake, or the width of the stripes?
Keeping your lawn well maintained & keeping it free of litter & wood piles will go a long way toward keeping it free of snakes. By doing this, you're eliminating shelter for both the snakes & their prey animals, like rodents.
The attached website is specifically about Florida's venomous snakes, however, the same venomous snakes are found in Alabama, so you may want to bookmark it.

~~Greg~~
Venomous Snakes of the Southeast

The use of pesticides like Roundup can be extremely detrimental to animals other than snakes. I worked for a nursery in Georgia that regularly used Roundup and ran in to several box turtles that showed severe signs of chemical burns. Some were blinded.

Remember that when you use pesticides you are dumping poison on your land that will possibly impact your child more than any snake.

Education, Common sense and proper supervision are the best protection for your child anyway.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Not to make lite any of the things you said, but a couple of clarifications need to be made. First, Roundup is an herbicide, not a pesticide. Also, Roundup is made to biodegrade as soon as it comes in contact with the soil. That's why the company tells you to spray the stuff directly onto the leaves of a plant.
Pesticides such as Diazinon, Dursban, and Malathion are made to sink into the soil to kill subterranean insects and are dangerous to everything around. These cause problems not only for critters, but can seep into groundwater and effect people. In short do what Greg suggests. If that's not enough for you, do what people have benn doing for years and set up a perimeter around your house with mothballs. That will keep snakes from coming onto your property, but keep in mind that it will also keep snakes from leaving!

TEMPEST, I am aware of the technical difference between a herbicide and a pesticide. But thankyou for pointing that out.

However...Since Roundup has such a negative effect on small herps I really didn't think the difference mattered on this forum. As to it's Biodegradability...That is irrelevent as it acts as a contact poison, as the damage occurs when the herps are exposed to the spray or climb and feed on the leaves shortly after spraying.

Hebicides are major killers of herps as was illustrated to me in 1984 when Broward county sprayed herbicides (to kill Hydrilla-a pest plant)in the canals in West Davie. This area was famous (to collectors) as an area so rich in Kings (Florida) that you could see one on any given day about every hundred feet along the Hiatus Rd. canal.

The result of the spraying was immediatly evident. Obviously the plants died (but also all the vegetation on the banks which increased erosion. The clear canal water became muddy and all rooted vegetation died so the canal eventually became algae covered. Since the Kings lived in old turtle holes in the banks, the increased erosion burried their homes and egg clutches. All species of reptile disappeared (except anoles) for a while. There was a major fish kill and the turtles disappeared.

After ten years the only herp I found was one sickly garter and in the canal I observed numerous small fish with tumors. Since then the area has fallen victim to Developement but the damage had ben done so effectivly that the County ended up putting chemical pollution warning signs on some of the canals.

As to the pesticides ou mentioned. I have worked with all of them as I used to work for Terminix and Chemlawn. They are another nightmare for herps.

My point to this is if you are looking for a chemical solution to a "Snake" problem..the cure can be much worse than the so calle problem.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

There will be no need to use pesticides because you can potentially kill all the wildlife in your yard. I would manually (use you hards) to weed out the lawn. Keep your yard mowed and no piles or sticks, wood, metal, any other debris should be in your yard. This might not get rid of all the snakes, but if there are snakes earby the house they will most likely be the less dangerous ones. There are many snakes that you probably do not see that live in your garden. Many of these snakes do not grow longer than a foot and are not venomous. Many of these little snakes don't bite or if they did you would not even know they did because their mouths are so tiny. Many of these snakes eat precisely what eats your plants. Slugs and snails are commonly eaten by these small snakes.

The main thing is if you keep your yard an area where mice do not want to live then you will be pretty much free of venomous snakes (no piles and cut grass). Most venomous snakes eat mice in AL. Of course there are many more harmless species that eat mice too. At any case I'd invest in a field guide. I like Peterson's Field Guide to Central and Eastern Reptiles and Amphibians. If you do not know what a snake is do not bother it. If it venomous and you try to kill it with a stick then you might ge bitten, but if you let it go on its merry way you will most likely not see it again.
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