Sorry I couldn't get a picture of the head but this snake was by the hose today - black, slim about 18 inches long. Love to know what it is.
Anyone know anything about snakes?
I'm usually to busy running the other way to get good ID's. I will say that isn't a deadly one. I have my copperheads, cotton mouths and rattlers down at this point. Coral snakes too just incase I run into one. It's not one of those.
I love snakes though I'm not an expert at all. Without seeing the head, I cannot ID for sure. My best guess is it's a black racer (good snake). The photo is too slender for a rat snake which is so common here. Racers are active during the day. Racers will bite if cornered, but are non-venomous and otherwise help tend your garden.
Here I am freeing a corn snake that was caught in some deer fence I put up to keep the dogs out of the garden. I was terrified, but did not want it to die. These snakes are commonly mistaken for copperheads and killed, though they are good snakes. Please learn to tell the difference between bullnose snakes and vipers. We only have a few viperous snakes in Georgia.
Laurel
I didn't think that this was a dangerous snake as he/she was very slender but there is always a concern when you have a dog about. I don't have a big fear of snakes but I hope they agree to my pact - I'll keep my distance if they'll keep theirs.
Non venomous snakes can give serious bites because they carry lots of bacteria. Our dog, Pepper, a Plotthound, has been bitten by copperheads seven times in three years. The hound genes in her can smell them in the ground and she digs them up. She goes on steroids and antibiotics afterwards. The site has gotten grapefdruit-size and she has not been able to lift her head. She's pitiful and pretty sick for a few days. I think it's the thing most likely to kill her. All seven bites have been in our Atlanta yard and not up here in the country. Since copperheads are active at dusk, we end up with these trips to the 24 hour emergency vet.. That bill has really added up! He says some dogs are "snake dogs" (sigh).
Laurel
Sorry to hear it, Laurel. We always want the best for our pets even though it can sometimes be so expensive. Fortunately for me, our dog is quite lazy andI think the only way he will be bitten is if it is by accident or the snake comes up to where he is sleeping and looks him in the eye.
SNAKES!!
I'm not afraid of 'em,IF they don't startle me!! I'll always try to live and let live,if I can. That being said,I believe your snake is a Black Racer ( or Black Runner in my youth ),not poisonous,and as a rule good to have around. PP
Laurel,
You're not thinking that copperheads are NOT poisonous are you. They definitely are,and if poor Pepper is a veteran of 6 or 7 bites,he must be a tough cookie. PP
This message was edited Aug 24, 2008 1:18 PM
Over time he'll be immuned to copperhead bites.
I have a schnauzer that enjoys a good snake chase. I haven't seen him kill one yet but it's not from lack of trying. The neighbors cat hoppy is a snake killer. He gave me a headless one on my door step. Guess he likes me.
Core, sounds like a love potion offering. Ha!
Poppop, so then you agree with what I posted above that it's probably a racer. I know copperheads are venomous, but as I said corn snakes are not and are often mistaken for copperheads. The one I tried to save died, but the very next day another one got hung up in the fence. I grabbed it behind the head and got DD to hold it with leather gloves. Got it cut out and away it went into the shed (picture).
Pepper is a tough girl, not a guy, and an Appalachian hound bred for tough living. Wikipedia just recently defined the breed. They are the state dog of N.C. and one of four native American scent hounds. These dogs will trail for days with no food. She weighs close to sixty pounds but can crawl under a six inch gate and shake a possum or raccoon out of a small tree. In fact, when she gets excited (like before being fed) she will run over to any small tree she can grab and start shaking! I think she can be meaner than a snake if inclined. Probably why she survived. We rescued her from being tied to a tree her first year of life and did not have experience with this type of breed. Gaming hounds are challenging as they seem to have an on/off button (well hidden).
Laurel
Laurel,
Sorry ,I missed that post about the corn snake.you are right for sure.The corn snake is a pretty creature., BTW,my apologies to Pepper for calling her a guy!
CoreHHI,
may be right about Pepper getting immune to the copperhead bite. BUT,I hope she doesn't get bitten anymore!! PP
I've seen that snake before. BE CAREFUL!
It's a deadly black mater snake.
Just gazing upon it will make you plant 3 times as many tomato plants than you can possibly use.
KEEP YOUR DISTANCE!
BB
BB - Please explain :-)
It's self explanatory Artgal. I gazed upon it and that's EXACTLY what happened!lol
Laurel
I feel you pain Laurel
BB
I'm so glad I don't have those mater snakes. I already plant twice the mater plants I need. LOL BB..... Becky
BB, I've got no black 'maters, though I should have had some Krims. Mine are pink mater snakes.
What's going on with your garden Becky? Obviously you do not have 'mater snakes as you only plant 2x the space and not the 3x quantity that BB has indicated as dangerous.
L
Maypop i have a basset mix that hates a snake and he has been biten about 5 times i believe he has become immune because they hardly make him sick now.
He is not perticuler about the snake he will kill any snake that crawls i believe he saved my life once i was standing at my chicken pens.
Well all of a sudden he grabbed something and ran and it was a copperhead i'm sure i might could have been biten if it wasn't for his quick action.
I use to take him when he got bit but the vet told me we live so far that if it was going to kill him he would of never made it the 30 minutes to the vet.
he recommend i just keep and eye out for infection and if it happened he would give him some antibotics.
He's a tuff dog he will catch and kill walf rats and eat them.
He's a cute doggie!
Look at that smile!
BB
Shorty is The Man!
I am definately not an expert but we had 3 big black snakes this year up by the hose. We caught 1 and took it to our vets for id. It was a very mad water mocasin. Because of the drought they are coming out of the woods and looking for water. The last one was nearly 5 feet long. Our cat was tring to take this guy on.
You caught a water moccasin/cotton mouth those are poisonous?
How on earth did you handle it?
My husband saw Steve Erwin catch one on tv with a stick that was shaped like a Y and thats what he got. He picked it up and put it in a box. Our vet is less than a mile so he ran it up there. It was really mad at that point. But she was able to peek thru and identify it. She said their had been several dogs in this summer with snake bites. He took the snake out and released it on this dirt road with a big swamp. The road is a cut thru and no one lives there and far enough away from here so it wouldn't be finding its way back! He said he was more worried about being bit trying to get the box out of the truck he could here the snake strking the box.