It'a 9:30 PST, I'm watching TV, darkened room, getting ready to hit the sack, then I notice a piece of felt or something waving a little below the TV, next to the VCR. I idly watched it until I saw it was alive. I thought it was one of my six lizards. I crossed over and grabbed gently for the hind end, but you have to let that part slip away. Then I dragged the vcr out, cords and all, and there is this medium-length black snake. I got a clean hold on it and put it in a spare viv I have.
It's about 3 feet long, very dark black with a lighter belly, blunt head, undershot jaw, normal hexagonal scalation. It gave off the pungent odor of a garter snake as I handled it.
It's a garter snake, right? I absolutely can't imagine why it came into my house, except that I leave my back door open 24X. I've lived in this area all my life, and when i was a kid I specialized in running around in the hills overturning anything I could heave over, finding every scaly creature there is to be found. I never found a snake like this. Last night my little dog was extremely interested in a corner of the kitchen, I thought it could be some animal because he was pretty intense. It must have been the snake.
The entertainment center I found him on has a six foot long viv on top, housing a Cten. pectinata. Could this snake be a lizard-eater? That would explain why it came all the way into the house.
Actually I'm a bit nervous, it could be someone's black mamba. I don't know if any venemous snakes give the odor warning.
Any ideas? I'll post fliers tomorrow, to advertise to the owner if it has one.
Roger
