Teaching kids about venomous snakes

[Emily Hubbard]

Hey all. For the vast majority of U.S. residents, we share our backyards with at least on species of venomous snake. Even if you live in the inner city, take a camping trip just about anywhere and you are in the territory of a rattlesnake, copperhead, cottonmouth, or coral snake, sometimes all four. Personally, I live in the rural northern California foothills, so rattlers are absolutely everywhere. Of course, nothing makes me happier than coming across one, from a safe distance of course. Sadly, the reaction most people have to spotting one is to get the shovel, a thought that saddens and sickens me. I fully understand that yes, this has the potential to be a dangerous animal, but I also fully believe that there is plenty of room for everyone. Because I can't change the attitudes of everyone, I have come to the conclusion that the best I can offer is to raise my children, someday when I have children, how to have a healthy respect for venomous snakes without having a fear of them.

So my question is, how have you all done that, or how do you plan to? How do you go about teaching a small child who has grown up with "nice" snakes in the house that there are some snakes outside that can make BIG booboos. This is an important lesson for kids to learn, especially kids who grow up in rural areas. I think those of us on this forum have a responsibility to raise a new generation with respect for all snakes, harmless or not. I have tried so hard to explain to people that rattlesnakes are great little hunters that are controlling the populations of all manner of rodents and you WANT them around. But when it comes to snakes, people really don't change well. You either have to be born with some unexplainable fascination, or raised with them and raised with a respect and appreciation for them as valuable creatures in any environment.

Share with me some of your thoughts on this subject, as well as some of your tactics in ensuring the safety of your children without compromising the life of a beautiful and valuable animal.

[The Serpent Merchant]

I don't have kids yet (only 19 lol) but I plan on raising my kids along with my snake collection. Even with the harmless ball pythons they will know that you can get hurt if you don't treat them with the proper respect. I would think that even a child could distinguish how much more dangerous (thus how much more respect is needed) a venomous snake is. A child that has grown up around snakes and has learned that they are something to be respected and not feared is all that's needed, because it's the fear that brings out the shovel to kill the monster snake.

[Emily Hubbard]

it's the fear that brings out the shovel to kill the monster snake.

I couldn't agree more. Fear masked by a superiority complex. I have heard people say, "I kill them so they don't bite my dogs!!" and I am just dying to say, "Firstly, a dog that gets bit is retarded (and I have had a dog get bit, so I am authorized to make that statement. He was indeed the dumbest one alive.) And since when do your dogs have more right to exist than that snake?" So many people just don't understand and view snakes as something that will "come after" them. I tried so hard to show my ball python to my very phobic relatives in a safe, secure, happy way. They trembled in front of the glass, but as soon as I put my hand out to slid it open, they leaped back and out of the room. In their mind, my sweet little BP would have shot out of the tank and latched onto their face.

People think the same thing about rattlesnakes, that they are sitting in the TREES waiting to pounce on them. I think people actually give snakes WAY too much credit, making them into these conniving, evil, plotting creatures. Any snake, be it a harmless colubrid or deadly viper wants to eat and not be eaten, and a safe place to curl up at the end of the day. Just leave them alone and there is nothing dangerous about them!

[jeff_blake]

I'm currently 20, and a python owner. growing up, I told to stay away from snakes in general.. as you can tell. didnt happen! unrelated story i have to share. This past summer my little brother (who is 15) and I went to my grandpa's, in a little town called desert aire. (i pratically grew up there. and always seen rattlers as a kid) We arrived there around 730pm, and the sun was just starting to set and it was roughly 70-75*. We haven't been up there for a good 5-6 years, so my little brother goes, "lets walk around." Without any hesitation i ran into the room, grabbed my flashlight and headed out the door. as we got toward the end of my grandpas driveway i noticed the bushes on the side of the road moving around, almost the same time my brother asks "why did you bring a stupid flashlight, we know where were going?" at this time the rattler was coming on to lay on the warm road, so i pulled my little brother back a bit to give the good sized rattler some room. (knowing they can lunge quite a distance), and shined my flashlight on it. i go this.. is why i have a flashlight. so for the remainder of the week we were there he always cautious, and pointed a few out i didn't see. just a neat story i had to share when i saw this.

[kevinb]

I've was born, raised, and reside in rural upstate new york. We don't have many venomous species if any that show up, I mean yes there are eastern diamond backs that show up from time to time, but in my almost 20 years of living I have yet to see any venomous snake around here. I plan on raising my children with a wealth of knowledge about snakes, and would love to see them get some of their own when they get old enough. I agree with pretty much everyone else by saying that to many people think they will chase after you or attack out of aggression, this is almost never the case. Out of all the snakes kn the world I think the only one that has been documented chasing anyone is the king cobra....none of those here....

[kevinb]

I also feel that a lot of the hatred towards snakes comes down to the bible, now I'm not religious in any respect, but as the bible says evil took form of a snake and made adam and eve eat the apple from the garden lf eden. I feel this is part of why people think they have the ability of scheming, thinking, and judgement. Just my $.02

[mommanessy247]

hey emily, i hope my info/experiences can help you out a little.
unfortunately i'm sad to say my dad is one of those who grabs a shovel when a rattler is spotted too close to the house. he says "a good snake is a dead snake." although it always made me a little sad to know the snakes were killed, i do however understand my dad's reason, protecting me. i was always out & about pickin' up anything & everything i found, alive & dead, indiscriminately thrusting hands into bushes & holes on my never ending search for critters. not to mention i was always up a tree just hanging out or looking for baby birds to gawk at. i dont have enough toes or fingers to use to count how many times a rattler has almost been stepped on by one of us cuz it found the perfect camouflaged basking spot. the only snake my dad has ever let live after having been discovered were the kings & i actually "rescued" one when it was found & cornered by our dog. his barking alerted me to the situation as the snake was trying so hard to blend in & hide itself from the frantic dog. i picked up the snake & released it in the hills near the house so it could go on to eat more rattlers.
although i have a paralyzing fear that my 7 yr old disabled son will someday run into trouble with a wild snake in our neighborhood cuz he's just like i was with being oblivious to danger & his being disabled plays a huge part in that. he knows no enemies, human or not & that is bound to land him in a pickle should he come across a cool lookin' critter or "friendly" stranger. i believe that tears at every parent's heart & it's an unavoidable danger but the best defense us parents have is arming our babies with knowledge while being ever watchful.
when our backyard fence is finally built i'm gonna go the extra mile to secure the fence with more wire (since it's gonna be a split rail) that'll hopefully prevent venomous snakes from entering our yard while also keeping their potential food sources on the property minimal as much as possible but i'm fully aware of
"where there's a will, there's a way."
i have a very prominant fear of venomous snakes, instilled in me from my upbringing, but i channel that fear into respect & use it to admire the critters from a distance but i tell ya, i get a little chill through me upon seeing them whether on tv or here. they're fascinating no doubt. i'm going through the process of educating my oldest daughter about the local wildlife, especially the venomous snakes so that if she comes across something she'll be able to identify it enough to know to leave it alone.
kevin b - funny you should mention that cuz that's precisely my mom's reason for hating snakes. which bugs me to no end cuz i've gone
"mom! if the devil disguised himself as a bunny, would you say bunny's are bad or evil too?!"
i mean c'mon really?!
thats all i'm gonna say about that topic.

[Denial]

I had this problem with my first child. He tried to pick up a copperhead outside in 2008 when he was 4. We have had many talks with him and his brother about how wild snakes are different from the ones we keep. He is almost 8 now and knows the difference between venomous snakes and non venomous.

[AndrewGeibel]

I grew up in Oklahoma and encountered venomous snakes all the time. My neighborhood was separated from the rest of the city by several miles and is in the middle of a wooded area. I'd say in any given summer I'd see 50 plus copperheads and the occasional cotton mouth or rattle snake. With the amount of time I spent camping or walking through the woods I can't believe I was never tagged.

[The Serpent Merchant]

I also feel that a lot of the hatred towards snakes comes down to the bible, now I'm not religious in any respect, but as the bible says evil took form of a snake and made adam and eve eat the apple from the garden lf eden. I feel this is part of why people think they have the ability of scheming, thinking, and judgement. Just my $.02

I agree with you that many people think snakes are evil because of the bible. The only problem is that there are 4 times as many snake references in the bible that show snakes in a positive manner as there are negative references (actually read the whole thing). I'm not the most religious person these days but I grew up with religion (both my dad and grandfather work for the Methodist church). Just another case of people misunderstanding what the bible was trying to say.