Deadly Preditor

look what I found today. I heard a rat squeel by the big fountain where we have a rat trap under. I ran over and saw the rat flopping around. Oh no that means poisonous snake. I froze on top of the fountain brick. I grabbed the skim pole and started moving the bushes, nothing!!!! Oh no now what do I do??? I stood there and watched. I saw the dead rat move. I waited. It moved again and again. I moved the bushes again and there it was with the rat in its mouth!!! Ran inside and got camera and long handled hand shovel. Took pics and then it met its demise. I don't mind snakes except the poisonous ones. This is my 2nd Copperhead I have killed here

oh no, not a good one to have around, good thing you got it. We have killed one copperhead so far and my husband saw a coral snake but he was moving too fast to get.

lol todays death toll is at 9 rats by my rat terrier, 1 rat in a trap, 3 rats gigged & dround by me, 1 rat by snake and 1 snake. Pretty bad day around here for the varmits.

I HATE copperheads!! Glad you got it. I have been wanting to get me a rat terrier. My schnoxer hound went up to the road and got killed and now the creek rats and chipmunks are back. Are the rat terriers really good ratters?

I may be looking for another dog too. My large poodle is thirteen years old and her health is really starting to fail. Instead of seeing her suffer all summer in the heat, might be the kindest thing to have her put down now. That is going to be a tough tough day.

Rat Terrier and Fiest both are great for Rats, Squirrels and Chipmunks too I sure the way mine went after the one at Grandfather Mountain lol. They grab them and shake em like a rag doll then crunch their head. We had to put my Fiest down last year at 14 and my Rat Terrier is 13 now but still going strong. I flood the rat holes and they grab them when they try to come out. My Rat Terrier hates big birds too. If she sees as Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, or Buzzard down my the pond she takes off like lightening going after it. Recently she has been going after Crows. They also will attack Racoons and Oppossums. They are good preditor dogs for such a small size.

How are they around chickens and ducks?

never had a problem. They go in the coops with the chickens to get the rats. They were terrified of my geese because they would get hit in the ribs if they got close enough to them lol

My Poppa had one. It was a great squirrel dog. Are they as head strong as a Jack Russel?

the Rat Terrier isn't but the Fiest was just a tad sometimes when she got old or if she was after something. That really doesn't mean anything though as they are all different. We had a Dalmaton that was so stupid and spastic we gave her away as soon as I got her spayed. Rescued a deaf one that was the best and smartest dog you would ever know. most people didn't know she was deaf. We trained her with a flash light, stomping on the floor and hand signals. She loved everyone

Feists are great hunting dogs. I think I will go with the Rat Terrier. Thanks for all the info.

My dog was rat terrier & chihuahua. Pound for pound she was the tuffest thing on 4 legs! She was a great dog.. I had her 17 years.

L_F_J Really, that is a very nice thing to do. It's easy to get selfish and want to keep our pets too long.. and at their expense. Two thumbs up for being so considerate of your pet.

I will try to find one needing a home instead of getting one from a breeder.

yes check the pounds, you can bring them back in a few days if it doesn't work out(chase the squirrels)

We never have squirrels here at the house but I hope it loves to chase chipmunks.

Took her Thursday. I didn't think I was going to cry, but I did, and later that night too. It is going to be different here. No bark bark bark every time I go outside, that irritated the life out of me. I still miss her regardless. She was a great guard dog. Not sure how I will feel here without her around. I said, she would be my last dog, as I was so tired of the dog poop in the yard. We'll see if I can hold to that.

My town does not feel as safe as it used to, even ten years ago. Just knowing she was outside made me feel better. Maybe I should set up security cameras and alarm system, or at least some extra lighting.

As always, I appreciate you all.
Karen

So sorry. Even though it was the right thing to do you still miss her. I hope your happy memories of her will soon overshadow the pain of losing her.

Its a hard thing to have to do,they are part of the family

Donna, I hope you don't mind me jumping in on this thread. I have a snake question and your thread photo pretty much sums it up.lol I have lots of copperheads in my area.

Yesterday while working in the garden, all the chickens made a commotion and ran in all directions. I looked around for dogs, hawks, the usual things that would spook them..nothing. About 40 minutes later I found my roo gasping for breath, his comb was a deep purple, he wasn't getting oxygen. I felt his neck and looked in his mouth, but he passed away within minutes. I couldn't feel any swelling on his body, but wasn't in the mood to check him out closer.
Now, I wish I had looked him over, because I'm wondering if it could have been a snake bite. Has anyone seen a snake bit chicken? Does it sound like a possibility, or is 40 minutes too long for the venom to do them in?

I'm sorry about your Rooster. I just lost my favorite, as well.
Death from venom can take longer or shorter, depending on circumstances, like where the bite occurs, and how much venom is injected. I've seen chickens kills snakes, but only black racers and corals. I'd guess if the chickens attacked, the snake might have gotten the Roo, who probably would have been the leader.

Poor feller...:(

Thanks, Catmad. That the venom could actually kill them was what I was wondering about. I guess I'll never know how he died, but extra cautious picking beans these days.

Sorry to hear about your roo, as well. This guy wasn't special for any breeding purposes, actually he was a red broiler that escaped freezer day...but he turned out to such a well behaved and protective roo, I hated to see him go out like that.

Sometimes the unintentional ones are the best.

I didn't know any critters other than the mongoose were immune to snake venom, but apparently there are a few, and some are birds. If you're interested, this will explain better than I can, but it does say chickens are not immune, tho their feathers may offer some protection.

http://www.wildlife-removal.com/snakeanimalkill.html

Anyway, yes, please be careful :)

I lost a game hen to copperhead. Bit her near the crop. Swelled up like a tennis ball and she suffocated.

I am glad to hear you executed this thing. I hate them Copperheads..they a re just plain mean!
Our Anatolian Shepherd got bit on the back leg and face by a copperhead a few weeks ago, he made it and is doing great but it rotted out a big spot on his leg, not so bad on his face though...he will have a bad scar on his leg. Thanks to our anatolian shepherd....we have killed 1 copperhead and 2 cotton mouths on our property this year and he killed a rat snake.

Just a drive by to say hello to Donna... Hope all is well with you these days! I think of you often.

AND to say hello to L_F_J... I had to put my dog down and when she was so old, she didn't have control of her digestion like she did when she was younger.. I am the same way that I don't want to deal with any more poo.. I'm DONE! It's been months and I almost got a chihuahua the other day.. but when I saw poo in the yard from the neighbor's cat.. I changed my mind.. LOL

Hope all DGrs are doin good...

Thanks Z.

I also frequently think of DonnaB, and say a little prayer.

Hi ZZ! It's always great to hear from you. Drop in often!

Hey guys.

just feeling like doodie. Having RA flare, new body part each week. Heat is kicking my but already. it makes me sick to my stomach and feel like I will pass out. It is all I can do to care for my animals. It ends up being a all day affair having to keep coming back inside every few minutes to cool down. Going to send as many chickens as I can with my friend Tuesday when he comes. I really hate it!!

Have you seen those cool vests they seel for riding horses in the heat. It has pockets you put those frozen "ice"packs in and it stays cool for hours in the 90 degree heat. A lady I know in south Texas swears by hers. Might work well for you.

DonnaB that sounds an awful lot like lupus. Perhaps it is the sun and not the heat. For people with lupus the sun somehow restricts the oxygen in the blood.

Guess you've been tested for lupus, but the way you describe the joint pains moving around, sounds very similar to what I go through. First in one knee, then the other one, then my shoulder, then the other one, then my wrists, one at a time. It is weird. For a few days recently I could not open my hand, it was frozen in a fist. Thankfully none of this lasts long, as long as I stay indoors most of the time.

I have to get a good dose of sickness before I learn, each and every year, that I cannot go outside in the day. lol

That sounds absolutely miserable!

Cajun cold makes me hurt terrible. Heat gives me some pain relief but to hot to use heat now especially with having hot flashes too. Its the meds during the day and hot flashes at night. I am so miserable and have had no sleep in weeks. A few times a month I knock myself out with pain pill or xanax. Sometimes I am so worn out I wake up but go right back to sleep but keep waking up. Last night I slept from 3:30 to 5 :25 a.m. cold not go back to sleep for hours. Read until 10:00 a.m then dosed on and off til noon

LFJ got tested for Lupus many times. RA Dr checks it once in awhile also my Thyroid. That can make you heat sensative too. They keep checking but not finding anything so far. See Cancer Dr July 7th for another scoping

Lupus cannot always be found in the blood, though, thankfully, mine was. I had the positive ANA and the LE cell. A man I spoke with at a lupus support meeting years ago said his tests were all negative, yet he had lupus. Lupus is sometimes diagnosed simply by symptoms. The main ones are fatigue, rashes, and joint pains. There are many others though, including hair loss. Half of us are allergic to the sun, but not all.

Being sensitive to cold is also a symptom of lupus, called Raynaud's syndrome.

These doctors on a station coming out of Odessa, TX, were saying in a video I watched online the other night that fibromyalgia, which I've also been diagnosed with, is often caused from heavy metal poisoning. I had those amalgam fillings put in my mouth at age seven. I also lived in a small town, Borger, Texas, that was surrounded by petroleum plants. I have never been tested for mercury, but I assume my level is high. Rosemary is a source of iodine that is supposed to help flush some of those heavy metals out, and nourish the thyroid. I've also taken lugol's iodine, but it is rather harsh.

Anyway, I hope you can feel better soon. My heart goes out to you.

Here is the link to the video of the doctors in Odessa. Not sure if it was this video or one on the right. I really admire these men. They seem to actually care and are actually helping people. http://www.godslearningchannel.com/site/watch.php?program=25&video=1731

Just lost my rooster, M. Poirot last Wednesday. I found him dead in the run w/a copperhead nearby. I think that is what got him. We have caught five copperheads so far this year which is bizarrely unusual as in the past five years we have only seen a couple on this property. The peacocks usually set off such a ruckus when they see a snake but I only heard the hen honking this time so I didn't go over to check until evening. I know there is at least one more out there as our crazy sheppard mix got bit this past weekend. Gave her Benadryl and babie asperine and she was fine but we can't find this snake.

Screech owls were flying around the house last night making a bunch of noise. I like that they are here, but they really set the dogs off so no sleep for me LOL! DH didn't notice. I looked in my birds of Texas book and read that screech owls will hunt snakes. So maybe that is what they were after. Hope so......

The extension service has been predicting a busy year for snakes, but we have not had an unusual number even though we are right on the river.

Strange you mention the river, because I was just wondering if the drought had caused the snakes to move closer to humans in order to get water. I don't know that much about snakes, maybe they don't need that much water, but it was a thought. Is it possible their food supply diminished with the drought? I'm sure many of the rabbits and mice died, I just assume. It was sure a horrible horrible time for all of us, animals and people, but esp the animals.

Hay prices here are still way high. I paid $16 for a small bale last week.

I'm sure the food supply for snakes as well as many other animals was decimated by the drought: very few bugs, no frogs, all vegetation dried up, etc. The rat snakes like me because my chickens keep them supplied with eggs; I think they have already eaten all the resident rodents. The river was - and is - very low, but it never dried up so water was always available. So maybe my share of snakes is staying at the river.

Around 1963 they built a dam close to Borger, Texas. Bulldozers and heavy equipment were brought in and for two years they were digging out the earth to build this lake. A small town nearby struggled to deal with the hundreds and hundreds of snakes, especially rattlesnakes, that moved out of that canyon.