Author Topic: Oh, s***t Snake !!!!! (Read 2840 times)

small fish · « **on:** June 12, 2009, 06:14:55 PM »

I just saw a snake in my upper pond. He had a fish in his mouth. When I saw him I froze and so did he. It was a black snake, not to big around. His color under his mouth and chin was a light color. I could see his tail sticking up out of the water but I am not sure how long it was. It was in the pond looking toward the edge of the ground around the pond. He was holding his head up in a s shape with the fish not quite half way in his mouth. I wanted to hit him with something but there way not anything around. My next thought was to take his pic but I knew that I could not get to the camera. I move just a little. The fish wiggled. And the snake slipped backwards into the water.

I don't think he has been in there long. I thought this morning when I went to feed the fish, they were acting very strange as they did not come toward me and did not seem to interested in the food. I am very unhappy to think he is in there eating all of the fish. My favorite fish in there. I normally wade around in that pond often. My plan was to get in there tomorrow and cut back a number of marganal plants. Ohhhhhh. I guess now I have to drain that pond to get him out.

Myra

ThornyGardener · « **Reply #1 on:** June 12, 2009, 07:15:57 PM »

Uh, the rat under my deck is looking pretty good right now. (shudder)

Yeah, I'd move the fish to a QT and drain the pond while holding large hedge clippers in front of me, opened and ready to snap closed. Then I'd create a snake barrier by surrounding the pond with wood spiked with nails facing away from the pond. If a snake still managed to get in, I'd find another hobby. Or move. Or both.

landey1230 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 12, 2009, 08:23:04 PM »

That's nuts. I don't know what I would do. I hope you get the little bastard.

Bullfrog · « **Reply #3 on:** June 13, 2009, 01:41:16 AM »

Have you ever seen the snare that a dog catcher uses? It is simply a long polw with a rope loop on the end. You nail some of those small U shaped staples along the shaft with one right on the end and then nail the end of the rope to the end of the shaft and run the rope through the staples making a loop on the end so you can slip it over the snake and then pull it tight. You should be able to catch it without disturbing the balance of the whole pond if your local animal control (dog catcher) won't do it. I know for a fact because they once told me "We don't do chickens."

small fish · « **Reply #4 on:** June 13, 2009, 06:51:26 AM »

I do know Bullfrog if the snake will stay still long enought for me to do that... he moved pretty quickly when I moved.. I am going to try to avoid draining the pond completely and I was planning to cut back the plant a lot any way... I will find out how brave I am today... I was planning on wading in today but now I will be working a lot more from the banks of the pond.. I am hoping my splashing around and pulling the plants out will drive him out of the pond and give me a chance to kill it

ThornyGardener, now you know you would not move after all of your hard work creating your yard with plant, but the thought is a good one

Myra

jw · « **Reply #5 on:** June 13, 2009, 09:00:16 AM »

Oh my gosh.........I'm glad I don't live in snake country...........I would have to move

Vickie · « **Reply #6 on:** June 13, 2009, 09:12:06 AM »

yep we had another snake yesterday, I almost stepped on it. It was a garder snake. I am sorry but my hubby kills snakes. This one got away. One year he killed 14 the next 12. I don't want 26 snakes turning into 50. I even live in the city and not the country and have this many. Once we had a brown water snake that was aggressive. It was not a cottonmouth. But we tried to kill it one day and it got away. The next day it was in my pond laying on water hyicents with a gold fish in its mouth. My friend Cathy got our big pruners and cut it in half. I don't want snakes eating my fish.

Bullfrog · « **Reply #7 on:** June 13, 2009, 10:23:25 AM »

Quote from: Vickie on June 13, 2009, 09:12:06 AM

The next day it was in my pond laying on water hyicents with a gold fish in its mouth. My friend Cathy got our big pruners and cut it in half. I don't want snakes eating my fish.

I agree completely. We now have two threads going about killing pests, this one is a snake and the other is a rat. Nobody seems to have a problem with it. But if a heron or crane starts hunting in your pond and you mention shooting it, they come out with torches and pitchforks.

Why? Because the bird is pretty and the snake and rat are ugly? All of them are varmints that are either destroying your property as in the rat, or predators such as the snake (or bird) eating your fish. All life is precious but we do have to control our enviornment or we would be infested with roaches, fleas, snakes, rats, mice and have our ponds cleaned out by a bird.

Life shouldn't be just for the pretty, I sure wouldn't be here. Look at Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson, both argueably pretty but dumb as a box of rocks and with no redeemable social values.

I would not have a net over my pond after all of the trouble of digging and plumbing it.

Indiana Karen · « **Reply #8 on:** June 13, 2009, 11:09:25 AM »

Oh dear, hope you take care of him, cause he will eat a lot of fish. $:-\$

Years ago our son had high school age friends staying overnight. They saw a blacksnake in the pond. It was swimming near the edge and hubby managed to snatch it up barehanded. He sure made an impression on those boys, they thought he was the coolest dad.

Karen

Julles · « **Reply #9 on:** June 13, 2009, 11:10:01 AM »

Partying and spending Daddy's money aren't redeemable social values?

Bullfrog · « **Reply #10 on:** June 13, 2009, 01:48:13 PM »

Have you called the local animal control office? They might just be willing to give you some help. My setter was just doing his job when he came home one day proudly carrying a live chicken in his mouth. I didn't want to say "Good boy" because I didn't want him doing this on a regular basis.

I called the pound and met the dog catcher in the driveway with this live chicken in a box. He said "We don't do chickens." I asked him what was I supposed to do with it, this was a residential neighborhood, the city. He looked down the road and the garbage truck was coming. He said "Put her in the trash, those City boys will know what to do with her."

I couldn't believe he wanted me to put a live animal in the trash and cover it and told him so. So, off I went with the chicken in the box looking for coops. About 7 blocks away I saw some chicken coops in a back yard. I knocked on the door and a black man answered the door and eyed me with suspicion. I asked him if he was missing any chickens and he said "What color?"

"Black with white spots." I said..

"Not one of mine, why?"

So I told him the story about my dog and he was more than glad to take the chicken and told me, "I he brings any more home, you just come right over here" I thanked him and left.

Maybe you will have better luck with the dog catcher.

PondmaninAL · « **Reply #11 on:** June 13, 2009, 07:07:34 PM »

I only have Gulf Hammock rat snakes and Eastern Indigo snakes on the property. My wife and I went to pick up some composted horse bedding today and, like normal here lately, drove there bare-foot. When I got out of the truck, I walked past a dead snake. I found out that it was a diamond back rattler. Glad that I've not seen one here.

bunny56lbc · « **Reply #12 on:** June 13, 2009, 08:16:46 PM »

I saw a rat snake in my lily pond 2 days ago . Just a small one & I think it was after my mosquito
fish... I went to get a container with holes in it so I'd have something to put it in when i caught it ....going to relocate it several miles away .

My dad also hates them & will kill everyone he see's ..

bonnie

Timgod · « **Reply #13 on:** June 13, 2009, 10:24:47 PM »

Sounds like a Yellow bellied water snake.
I've killed several over the last year or two.
They get to be about 3 feet or so.
Not as dark black as a water moccasin.
Not poisionous but agressive and hard to kill.
The last one struck at me at about 1 am on a very rainy night when I got out of my truck.
He got a rake and two 22 shells to the head.
He still would not go gently into that good night.
Will clean out a pond pretty quick given a chance.

Tim

small fish · « **Reply #14 on:** June 14, 2009, 06:19:54 AM »

Oh, great that is good news... but I am glad to reallize it is not a moccasin

Myra

PondmaninAL · « **Reply #15 on:** June 14, 2009, 06:42:07 PM »

You do know that if you have a non-venomous snake around, you won't have any venomous snakes around. What is the life of a fish or frog compared to a beloved dog, cat, or child.

jw · « **Reply #16 on:** June 14, 2009, 07:15:02 PM »

I hate to kill anything and I won't unless the health of my loved ones are involved. A poisonous snake would freak me out to death but I still wouldn't kill it unless it was me or him having a stand off. I would just have to not live there or be on my guard at all times. A rat I wouldn't kill either if it wasn't coming into my house and leaving it's possibly diseased feces and chewing up everything. I would prolly have to try the humane traps first and take it far away out into the country in the woods. I catch moles by sticking the hose down the holes and when they come up I grab them by the scruff of the neck like a kitten and put them in a bucket and ride with them on my bike to the woods and let them go. Spiders and flies I catch with a glass and cover w/ a piece of cardboard and outside they go. I know a lot of people think that is just weird or stupid but I just can't help myself. I would feel really bad and I do when I see people killing things for no good reason. That doesn't mean that I don't like the person...........just that it makes me feel sad to see it done. My neighbors have cows that they raise for food and they pamper them and call them mama and baby and brush them and the cows follow them all around like dogs and they call them to come to them and then a big truck comes in one day and a guy gets out and shoots one and they take it away to make steaks and burgers. Makes me sad on those days especially when they call to them to come and they come and then they get shot. I do eat meat and I love it but I'm just saying if I raised it I couldn't kill it.

tweetybaby2005 · « **Reply #17 on:** June 15, 2009, 07:34:09 AM »

I hope you got rid of the snake. I hate snakes. Hubby saw one 2 weeks ago in our pond. I was not happy when I heard that. He said it was a small one probably going after the tiny frogs. I don't care what it was after. I just want it gone; dead or alive, preferrably dead. I have only saw 2 snakes in our yard since we moved in 9 years ago. I was the fastest running woman in the whole wide world that day when I saw it. Hubby killed both of them. Now that I have 2 little kids around and a pond with my beloved fish, I will not hesitate to kill any snake in the yard, poisonous or not. Funny enough I was out riding my bike this morning and saw a garden snake in front of someone's shed. I also saw one near the water drain the other day. Never saw any snake while I was running and now that I'm riding the bike, I saw 2 of them 2 weeks in a row. Go figure.

Kuan

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #18 on:** June 15, 2009, 09:06:07 AM »

Actually Bullfrog, I have a problem with people killing snakes but it really does no good to say anything.
People have an irrational fear of them and they enjoy getting together and bragging about killing them.

Makes me sick and I'm not sure why I looked at this thread since I knew what it would be like.

Snakes eat rats and mice and Garter snakes eat slugs. We should be glad to have them around. People are bitten by snakes mostly when trying to kill them.......Snakes don't eat nearly as many fish as herons or cause damage like raccoons. Koi and goldfish breed like rabbits and a few loses to predation of wild creatures should be lived with or build a better pond that they can't get to. Killing everything that eats a fish or might eat a fish is disgusting to me and one of the things I hate about pond forums. It still shocks me how people that love their ponds and gardens can kill so joyfully.

Rats are vermin and carry disease and should be killed (humanely). Many are not even native to this country but were spread worldwide by sailors.

jw · « **Reply #19 on:** June 15, 2009, 09:56:55 AM »

Amen to sister LeeAnne

Freddie Peepers · « **Reply #20 on:** June 15, 2009, 10:29:13 AM »

What leeanne said 10x over.

I would welcome a snake into my yard even if it meant death to some of my fish

I think the benefits would far outweigh the loss of a few fish.

Now mind you I don't have any expensive koi in my pond
and if I did, I"d have built the pond to discourage unwanted visitors
We put in the pond knowing full well the possibility of losing some of our fish to
predators. My friend has numerous snakes in his yard and it is a treat to go over and see them basking
on a rock in the sun. Without snakes, we would be overrun by rodents in most parts of the country
I'm working on making a trade with him,
some toads from our yard for some snakes from his.

cricket67 · « **Reply #21 on:** June 15, 2009, 10:48:45 AM »

If and when i get a snake in my yard...which i'm scared to death of them...I know my son would never kill a snake cause he would not be in the area long enough...

...And hubby doesn't kill snakes cause of the reason from the earlier post....hes forever telling me they (snakes) are here for a reason....So If a snake comes visit i'll have to get hubby to move him or just wait for the little guy to leave....Once i have seen our yellow lab follow a snake out the yard..he just follow the little guy barking at him until the snake went into the woods ....Hubby won't even kill a egg eatting snake he finds in chicken pen....

tinkster · « **Reply #22 on:** June 15, 2009, 07:42:43 PM »

Everyone always tells me not to kill my massive amount of snakes and I stopped killing them even though I detest them. ITs a fear I cant describe but I have a huge snake population and I still have mice/ rats/ moles and voles digging up every plant I have. The only thing I can see the snakes are doing for me is keeping me from having frogs.

tink

AUTiger83 · « **Reply #23 on:** June 15, 2009, 08:54:15 PM »

I have to agree with Leanne.

Try to identify whether the snake is poisonous or not. If it's a threat to you (poisonous), then by all means, kill it, because you and your loved ones are more important than a snake. But if it's nonpoisonous, you should look at it as a VERY INTERESTING event of nature that we don't get to observe very often.

If there's one . . . there's probably more. And no, you can't lasso a snake. You're lucky if you even spot them, they hide so well.

A pond is not an aquarium. You created it to become a part of nature. If you have a harmless snake enjoying it, you've succeeded. Hopefully, your sacrificial goldfish aren't 10" long but more like my 29 cent specials.

Keep a camera next to the back door and enjoy the show. If you get a photo of a snake with a goldfish halfway down, you'll have a photo of a lifetime.

Enjoy the excitement. It probably won't last very long before he moves on.

Bullfrog · « **Reply #24 on:** June 16, 2009, 05:40:26 AM »

Snakes in southeast Texas are not a rare thing. Our particular part of this great state is very swampy and I was raised in these swamps. I used to catch snakes all of the time as a young boy. I had a net with the mesh gone and I'd go to a gully behind our house, flip a rock over and pin the snake down. I had another forked stick which I'd use to pin down his head so I could pick him up. I have no fear of snakes and there is no shortage of them around here.

There are only four species of poisonous snakes in the U.S. and they are easy to identify, rattlesnakes, water moccasins, copperheads and coral snakes. Any snake that comes into my yard is a welcome part of nature unless it is venomous, I have pets and grandchildren. I am well aware of the balance of nature and don't just kill a snake because its a snake, but I would not just pass by a copperhead in my woodpile and wait for it to bite me some night as I gathered fire wood.

I view a snake in my pond as I would a rat in my refridgerator, there are plenty of woods right behind my house, creeks and rivers. If any critter chooses to stake out my property as his hunting ground and dinner table, it is my responsibility to protect my pets. Yesterday evening right at dusk we were sitting on the back deck as we do every evening watching the birds feed thier babies at the feeder. Our pygmy goat is now a month old and smaller than a dog. The same owl that tried to eat him a week ago came back and landed in a tree about 12 feet away. I had my pellet rifle ready because it is my duty to protect him, the owl was there to try to eat our pet. I got up for a better shot and it flew away but it will be back.

I love animals, we have 4 dogs, 4 cats with three kittens, a bearded dragon and a pygmy goat (soon to get his mate). We love to watch the birds around our feeders every evening and plan on integrating a bird feeding station as a part of our new back yard along with many bird and bat houses. But, if a snake gets into my pond to eat my fish, a rat moves into my garage or an owl plans on dining on our goat, it is history.

Chevy Girl · « **Reply #25 on:** June 16, 2009, 11:48:31 AM »

I feel fortunate, I am not afraid of snakes or rats, I have never had to kill one of either, I have 2 Great Danes, a NASTY little Jack Russel, and a mighty Huntress (manx) wich means no snakes, no rats, no nasty birds to prey upon my Koi. My pack, takes care of the property.

PondmaninAL · « **Reply #26 on:** June 16, 2009, 05:40:49 PM »

AUTiger83, I got a question for you a little off the subject at hand. Your user name. Did you go to Auburn University?

small fish · « **Reply #27 on:** June 16, 2009, 08:11:35 PM »

Thanks for everyone's input. I do think the snake is the one in the pic Tim posted which he stated is not poisionous. I do agree that if you build it, they will come and they have. The frogs, which I have many of them, birds, spiters, dragonflies, lizards, the fish mutiply and I had been concerned recently about that and had given some away. Nature will take care of its own. My neibor had told me last year he had seen a couple of snakes when he was mowing the grass. This year he had said he saw a snake which appears to be the one I saw in the pond. I have met snakes before in my lifetime. It is not the thing I look forward to but they are going to be around from time to time. I really don't mine the snakes that I do not see. And it I had been able to get a pic of the snake and the fish it would have been the pic of a lifetime. But as the case of keeping a gun, it is never close to you when you really need it. I would be more ok with the snake in the flower bed than in the pond because I really like to wade into the pond to clip off the lily pads. I do have a pair of hip waders that I bought to use if the water was to cold and I really needed to go in the water. I did work at the ponds edge pulling over grown plants out but I have not seen any sign of the snake. I know that does not mean he is gone. I will be wearing the waders the next several times I need to get into the pond. I did find a garden snake in the flower bed at the front of the house. I did not want to kill it but did get a pic this time. Not the best but I will post it later.

Myra