I had my first water snake

[Cinnamon]

Yesterday I had my first water snake in the pond. Now snakes is about the ONLY thing I am afraid of. Long story. I am not so afraid that I don't kill them. I usually chop them into pieces! :lol: It was curled up in my umbrella palms close to the water. I tried to get it with the net but it jumped in the water. I called one of our renters to come help me catch it. It was along the edges behind my flowers. I took the leaf net and started going around the edges. He came out under the step waterfall. His head hung on some string algae. Good algae! haha It held him there long enough for Eddie to get the net under him. He wasn't big enough to eat my fish but I told Heiko where there is one there is more!! YUCK! It was an exhausting search in the heat. I was about to get in the pond and get some dead stems off my lillies. I sure am glad I didn't get in!!

[Jackie Ramo]

Oh the poor snake!!! What a meanie you are. Are you sure it was a water snake? Most snakes are helpful in the garden. I have a standing order for a garter snake should any of my friends find one. I'll give him a nice home here.

[Terri]

Next garter snake I see Jackie you can have... :grin:

Garters will "fish", they have been in our water garden a few times, but not to eat the goldfish - they prefer the frogs and water skippers, fish take to much energy to catch.

[Jackie Ramo]

Any snakes in my pond had better watch out. GG eats everything!!! Garters also east slugs and snails and anything that eats those disgusting things is a friend of mine. Had a pet garter as a child, till mom found him in the closet... not happy my mom. Still she put up with the spiders and the frogs so she was pretty lenient as far as pets go.

[Dave in Innisfil]

Your distain for snakes is certainly not uncommon amongst your gender. Tina had me re-locate Sam the Garter snake away from the pond area, and had I known, he could have retired to Toronto. I have a great pic of him eating one of our toads, of which we won't miss one or a hundred judging by the toad tadpole count in our pond. I agree with Ian, that "mostly" they don't eat fish, but the way Sam used to cruise the pond, I can't blame the little goldies for seeking shelter. Sam now resides somewhere in the rock pile at the front of the house, adding one more Tina-less region to my watering responsibilities. I prefer the little brown decay snakes over garters, but certainly both are better than the boa-sized water snakes that hung around our trout and bass ponds. Right now I'm keeping a watchful eye out in our lower pond for a suspected turtle. I wouldn't mind if the occassional heron that STILL plagues our pond doesn't crave snake or toad as a change in diet.

[Cinnamon]

Jackie first off I would never never kill a garter snake, a grass snake or a king snake! I occasionaly have to kill a chicken snake as they get my birds eggs along with babies. I did kill one a month or so ago that was the biggest I had killed in the yard. It was over 5' long. YUCK! It was definitely a "water snake" and around here they eat FISH! He just was not big enough. I have a snake book my FIL gave me so I can identify the snakes before I hack them. The book identified him well. My FIL said he didn't think he had ever seen one. I got the book and he said you were right.

You see King snakes are very big but they are the best snakes we have. They eat the copper heads and all the poisoinous snakes around here. So I let them slither away. We kill copperheads all the time. In fact, last Saturday Heiko killed another one while weed eating. Now they are highly poisonous. Their mouths are so small they have to bite you between the fingers or toes. We also have rattle snakes and coral snakes.

[Jackie Ramo]

Look at all the cool snakes you have and poor me without even one!! The downside of city life i'm sure!!

Pam, I know you would never kill something for no reason, even if you did say you loved hacking the poor things to pieces. I hope REM is familiar with this side of you and never pushes your buttons :lol:

[Cinnamon]

Jackie which snake do you want me to send? I bet the inspectors in Canada would take a second look! :lol: I could just see their faces now!

As for Rem I think he has seen all of my sides :wink:

[Jackie Ramo]

Well let's see... if it has to clear customs.. how about one of the pretty banded ones, be sure to send it via UPS, they ae worse than customs!!

[Cinnamon]

You mean the coral snake is your preference? You think they would let it through :lol: !rofl On second thought I don't think I want to be 10' from a coral snake except to kill it! :smile: We have a saying here "Red and black won't kill jack, red and yellow kill a fellow!" With that little saying you know if it is a coral or not. Also any snake with round eyes are not poisonous. I sure know a lot about snakes to hate them so much! !rofl

[Jackie Ramo]

I figure the custom guys will get bit... or better yet the UPS guy!!! No I doubt they would let it through. Yes I remember that peom now. The ranger at Everglads Park told it to us as he was moving a pretty yellow and red snake further from the path !wow!

[luke frisbee]

I found an animal that will eat your snakes in my backyard three days ago. he is actually eating a "glass snake" which is really a legless lizard...but if given the chance he'll eat a regular snake.
at the time of the pick he was full....I walked by him for the next hour and he couldn't finish the meal. he got down another couple of inches but I never saw him finish his meal.

[Cinnamon]

Luke to me that looks like a King Snake. They do eat all the bad snakes. There are so many varieties of King Snake but that favors one for sure.

[luke frisbee]

Cinna,
Nope i can guarantee that is one of my den members in the "black racer" chapter of Low down dirty snakes.

<--(inactive) charter member badge No. 13 !dude

[Tom C]

You would have never been able to come into my house when I was a kid. We had so many snakes over the years. The biggest was a 15' reticulated python. It was so big it could have had my dog for dinner.

Tom

[luke frisbee]

I had a collection...but only poisonous snakes. I tried to get the littlest one of each. I didn't have tanks to keep them in. I had half-gallon liquor bottle from the bar in the shopping center. The "nozzles" were adequate for letting air in and keeping the snake in. And instead of cleaning the bottle out, I'd go in their trash cans on the way home from school.
My mom knew I had "snakes", but then one of her friends walked in the room and later made the comment about how cool it was of her to allow me to keep POISONOUS snakes in the house.
She wasn't cool. :(