Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all. I live in Omaha, Nebraska and found this on my 8th floor balcony trying to get in. I have no idea how it got there, but it definitely did not come from inside the building.

The photo makes it look a little larger than it actually was, probably 20-24 inches.

http://www.imagebam.com/image/9727cc191454748

That is DEFINITELY a escapee cornsnake (Pantherophis g. guttatus). They are TOTALLY harmless, so please don't let it be harmed in any way. They are extremely common in the pet trade. There are MANY captive-bred morphs that look incredibly similar now days, but it looks to be a very typical anerythristic cornsnake (no red pigment). I can almost guarantee it escaped from someone in the same building, but it certainly could have climbed up the ouside of the building or from a nearby tree with the greatest of ease up to the 8th floor. They are some of the very BEST climbers in the entire snake world, and can crawl up stucco walls or siding with no effort whatsoever.

Thay can vary a bit, but here is another very typical looking anerythristic cornsnake.

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

"some are just born to troll and roll"

Thanks! I just shut the doors and windows, it was gone by morning.

It could also be a Great Plains Ratsnake, although they don't make it up as far as Omaha. They are only found in southern NE AFAIK.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Great Plains Ratsnake

Are you sure? The other guy seemed very confident that it was a corn snake...