Do you kill snakes you find in your yard?

This should be an interesting conversation IF everyone keeps their cool.

I voted yes. I live in NE Florida. I have a sewage retention pond near my back yard and 9 times out of 10 the snakes found are either water moccasin or another undesirable snake for my kids to come across when playing in the yard. shovel to the head... then throw it in the lake so nature will dispose of the body.

HOWEVER! If I found a Ball Python, or a Cornsnake, or some other "pet" that was likely let loose, I would more then likely take it to the vet and attempt to keep it... but have never found anyting like this.

How bout you?

Mikey

NO!!! Oh NO!!! heh...kidding...I wouldn't find anything poisonous so no, but I can't say I know what I would do if I did.

yeah.. i get rattlesnakes in my back yard during the summer.. =/

No, I would not kill them.

I dont live in a area that has dangerous snakes nor do I have kids but wouldnt a better Idea be to keep the areas where snakes hide off limits or teach your kids what to do if they see one?

I live in the suburbs, so you wouldn't normally see many venomous snakes. But if I lived on a bunch of land, I'd set metal sheets in my yard to 'collect' them, then call a professional to relocate them.

My vote is no. I love it when I see snakes come into my yard since I don't get to see them often. I live just feet from a wildlife reserve, I usually just catch and release them, or just watch them slither on by.

I live in NW Fl. and I have seen my fair share of vemonous snakes too. I don't kill them either, I usually just call my neighbor (vemonous snake wrangler expert) and we catch them and place them back deep in the reserve. A majority of the vemonous snakes we get are diamond backs, the biggest one I have seen in my neck of the woods was a 6 footer, and by the looks of it, it was an old one.

Now if say I saw a "pet" snake such as a ball python, burmese, boa, etc. I would take it in, quarantine it (of course), take it to the vet, get it back to health if its sick, and when it passes quarantine and is healthy and eating, put it up for adoption. Fortunately I have never had to do this since I have never seen any pet snakes roaming around my area.

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Originally Posted by djansen

No, I would not kill them.

I DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN...BUT IF/WHEN:


I dont live in a area that has dangerous snakes nor do I have kids but wouldnt a better Idea be to keep the areas where snakes hide off limits or teach your kids what to do if they see one?

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i doubt it. BOYS WILL BE BOYS....and i know i'd definately go to where snakes were to see them. the problem is, if a dangerous snake was in my yard, and my kid came across and was to young to differenciate between my pet, and a harmful one.....:fishslap: :bonk:....and no more dangerous snake. sorry to say but my child's safety is far more important

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Originally Posted by djansen

No, I would not kill them.

I dont live in a area that has dangerous snakes nor do I have kids but wouldnt a better Idea be to keep the areas where snakes hide off limits or teach your kids what to do if they see one?

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Uh.... the area where the snakes hide would be the entire yard, and every other neighbors yard too. My boys have been very well educated what to do / not to do when they come a cross a wild snake. However, considering most "attacks" come from accidentilly stepping on them, their knowing what to do when they see one would not prevent most of the problem situations.

I voted no, because now that i live in NE georgia, i dont come across many and if and when i do the typically arent dangerous.

HOWEVER.... I used to live in central FL till 2 years ago, and there i had problems with dangerous snakes and if and when i came across them...yes i killed them. but never any that were harmless

NO WAY!!! My fiance and I snatch em up and relocate them to a more snake friendly area.

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Originally Posted by nybp

i doubt it. BOYS WILL BE BOYS....and i know i'd definately go to where snakes were to see them. the problem is, if a dangerous snake was in my yard, and my kid came across and was to young to differenciate between my pet, and a harmful one.....:fishslap: :bonk:....and no more dangerous snake. sorry to say but my child's safety is far more important

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I can agree with that, who knows what kinda trouble I would have got in if I was around dangerous snakes growing up lol.

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Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

Uh.... the area where the snakes hide would be the entire yard, and every other neighbors yard too. My boys have been very well educated what to do / not to do when they come a cross a wild snake. However, considering most "attacks" come from accidentilly stepping on them, their knowing what to do when they see one would not prevent most of the problem situations.

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true, I do agree that people are more important than animals so if you dont want to relocate them its your call.

i have never killed one snake at work home on the farm or any of that.
when i was little my mom did all the time and they were just garters.
she still doesnt like them and i was informed in the fall they killed a bullsnake at our cottage it was in our golf cart. and i asked them why they eat rodents leave them alone.

at work ppl have found snakes and asked me about them or ive caught them and showed ppl what they do is pretty much just defense. around here your not going to see much in hots. usually its just a brown snake or garters ive even showed them that those snakes are good for us to have and they dont hurt when they bite.

as for other herps i have had turtle soup, alligator, rattlesnake, and frog legs.
personally if your going to kill it you better be willing to eat it, but some animals get into places where there is nothing more to do but to kill them.

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Originally Posted by djansen

No, I would not kill them.

I dont live in a area that has dangerous snakes nor do I have kids but wouldnt a better Idea be to keep the areas where snakes hide off limits or teach your kids what to do if they see one?

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Originally Posted by djansen

I can agree with that, who knows what kinda trouble I would have got in if I was around dangerous snakes growing up lol.



true, I do agree that people are more important than animals so if you dont want to relocate them its your call.

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THIS IS THE PERFECT DISCUSSION, ONE MEMBER CAN SEE THE OTHERS POINT. if i came across the snake and it was not a threat to me, and i had no kids...leave it be. but my kids will come first.

Just remember it's venomous, not poisonous...

it should also be noted that some animals will come back if they are relocated like rattlesnakes going back to the same den.

yea ive killed rattlers

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Originally Posted by DutchHerp

Just remember it's venomous, not poisonous...

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Hah hah! YEP! My son has a tall pile of reptile books and one of them - a kid one - says Poisonous Snakes in the book cover - and my son complained that I got him a stupid book. It has really nice pictures though, so he still spent a good time reading it over and over.

Anyway, I'm in NE Florida too. Retention pond in the backyard that occasionally coughs up a water moccasin. We also have a family of racer snakes hiding somewhere between our house and the hedge next to it. We see them race across our yard once in a while. The kids would sometimes come home with a racer among other things like lizards, tree frogs, caterpillars, butterflies, and the like - we have a rule they can only keep them until dinner time and then they have to let them go.

One time we had a hurricane, the water went half-way up the backyard of my friend's house (also on a retention pond). When the water receded, it left a water mocassin on the yard. They had a 3-year-old and she was running towards the pond and was about to run towards the snake but their dog rushed ahead and attacked the snake - the snake bit the dog on the face and it made his head swell up like a balloon. My friend killed the snake, rushed the dog to the vet and spent $1200 on medication. But, hey, that could have been the daughter.

Another time, my next-door neighbor had a children's party in their backyard and one of the racer snakes - he was about 6 feet long - crossed my backyard and crawled under the fence to my neighbor's yard. My husband caught his tail before he got all the way across the fence, and yelled at the other parents to stay back. But, the racer was hissing and trying to bite my husband through the fence. The kids at the party and the parents were panicking and my husband couldn't pull the racer back under the fence so he made a snap decision and chopped the racer up with the hoe.

When I lived in the Philippines, my mom would line our house with garlic to ward off snakes. We had 2 snakes go inside our house, both got chopped up. We had 1 that the doberman chewed up. I didn't know anything about snakes then, so I don't know what kind of snakes they are. My dad shot a 14-foot reticulated python one time that got tangled across the tennis court net. My family there will kill a snake if they see it - unless it's in a zoo! They still think I should kill my snakes before they kill my children. Sigh.

Anyway, I guess the short answer is - venomous or not, we let it be, unless it poses a danger to the kids.

NO WAI I take poisonous snakes and grab them and bite them on my arm to increase my poison resistance I'm hardcore like that.





But seriously, I used to live in the south(Live in MN now), and I have never killed a snake in my life. I can't count the number of cottonmouths and copperheads I've had to deal with being in the outdoors in Louisiana and southeast texas. If we ever found any snake in our yard/pool, we'd relocate it a few miles away simply to get it further away from roads.

If you kill a handful venomous snakes, you're deluding yourself that it makes you or your children safer. The ones you have to worry about are the ones you don't see.

I came across venomous snakes(rattlesnakes)as a kid and since I have been a herp nut from the get go, I knew to just keep my distance. I know my two boys are smart enough to do the same. That being said, I would not just leave a venomous snake in my yard in South Florida, since boys tend to run around without looking where they are going, and my kids aren't the only ones who frequent my backyard either. I would not kill a snake though, I'd simply grab my trusty snake hook and trade it with one the many venomous keepers here for cash or a nice ball python morph!

There should be a poll option for "I love my gartersnakes!" :D That's all we have around here..

Well I live in a rather urban area so chances of finding a snake in my yard are rather slim. But if I did come across anything I would leave it be poisonous or not. I understand you (op) have children but Even if I did I still would not. I would educate the children and urge them to use caution.

lol I'm the only person that voted there's no snakes around me. Of course there are technically some snakes in Wisco, but I don't think I've ever seen one in the like 8 years I've lived here. Not wild ones, anyway.

Totally off topic but I'm super excited... I just finished paying off the 4 snakes on the bottom of my signature and the lady is throwing in a free 5th BP! Woo hoo! I can't wait to get them on Tuesday.

I see no reason to kill any animal because it's just happened across your path or in your yard. I'm all about calling in professional snake wranglers and relocation.

We've taken enough of nature, we don't need to destroy it anymore.

I keep trying to attract snakes to the yard to kill all of the GD chipmunks !!!

I have never seen a snake in my yard (a turtle once) but we see lots on hikes and camping. We let them pass.

JohnNJ

Not that I would want it to happen to my boy, but being bit by a copperhead when I was young got me into reptiles...

We have a couple of rattlesnake varieties where I am at (we are up against a wilderness area), so education for my boy (and dog) was/is the key.

Only the copperheads. Rat snakes and yellow belly racers can roam free.

I would never kill a snake in my yard, I simply catch and release elsewhere, even if it is venomous..... If you relocate an animal, there is no longer a threat to your kids or animals in your yard.....

Personally, I love when I get a wild herp in the yard, venomous or not.

We has seven inside dogs, so when one turns up, I grab the snake hook and relocate it away from humans, domestic animals.

There are so many preventatives we can utilize, so we do not have to destroy creatures we find to be problematic. They sell a mesh you can place at the perimeter of your land that snakes can not come through. I've never tried it, but supposedly, snakes do not like passing over strips of copper. Along with repellents, and humane traps, there are other alternatives.

I voted "No".

Living 11 miles from a ROAD in the middle of forest, you can imagine we come across plenty of wild herps.

Among the treasures are water moccasins, copperheads, the occasional rattler, and the rare gem, coral snakes.

Nothing delights me more than seeing them! Even coming across a hognose or ratsnake makes my day. Finding a coral makes my week!

We don't bother them. They rarely come close to the actual house, and there is little they can harm out here. I consider spotting a herp as a sign of a good day personally. :)

However, I can understand the need to remove snakes in other situations.

I actually got into a debate with my dad about this one. My dad killed a copperhead last summer. And from what I have been able to research there have been very few deaths from copper heads and most involved multiple bites to a child or elderly person. He said that it was a dangerous snake. I countered by saying next time I found a stray dog that I thought might be dangerous I would just kill it. Clearly I am not serious on that statement but I think it proved my point to him because he never had a response.

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Originally Posted by AndrewGeibel

I actually got into a debate with my dad about this one.

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Andrew:

As a father I try to teach my children to respect nature and life in general. We spend a lot of time outdoors and we practice the "Leave No Trace" concepts taught by the Boy Scouts. Basically, if they find something special, even a rock, I encourage them to leave things as they found them so the next person that comes through can have that same experience.

That said, I would not hesitate or give a second thought to killing anything that could possibly harm my family. I would try my best to avoid it, and have done that so far, but I long ago made up my mind as to how I would handle a real threat.

Don't come down too hard on your Dad. I'm sure he's trying to do the best he can with what he has. I know I didn't make it easy for my father and my children are returning the favor ten fold. :rolleye2:

JohnNJ

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Originally Posted by sg1trogdor

Well I live in a rather urban area so chances of finding a snake in my yard are rather slim. But if I did come across anything I would leave it be poisonous or not. I understand you (op) have children but Even if I did I still would not. I would educate the children and urge them to use caution.

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You say you lie in an urban area correct?

Why would you just leave a venomous animal be? Would you not worry about the other people in your neighborhood that might not be educated and get bit or kill the animal?

I am not saying kill it but calling animal control (which will probably just kill it) might be a better solution to at least try and protect your neighbors and more importantly the animal.

I live out in the country so I come across a few snakes, this year I have found 3 copperheads and a yellow belly water snake. I tried to catch one copper head but ya know trying to free handle a copperhead with little experience is just plain retarded so after a few strikes I left it be. The yellow bellied water snake I misidentified as a water moccasin at first my wife wanted to kill it....

But have no fear I caught it and relocated it to a stock pond (the closest body of water) and let it be I have not seen it back yet.

I am really excited about this upcoming Spring and summer because that means I get to do some serious field herping. I can only hope I will have some snakes in my yard and hopefully I can get a few hots to look at.

Mike

I can't say that I comprehend the need to kill a venomous snake. If someone doesn't know how to handle one, simply call someone who does. There are other options, even in states like Florida where relocation is illegal. Some people love hots as pets just like we love our BP's.

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

Andrew:

As a father I try to teach my children to respect nature and life in general. We spend a lot of time outdoors and we practice the "Leave No Trace" concepts taught by the Boy Scouts. Basically, if they find something special, even a rock, I encourage them to leave things as they found them so the next person that comes through can have that same experience.

That said, I would not hesitate or give a second thought to killing anything that could possibly harm my family. I would try my best to avoid it, and have done that so far, but I long ago made up my mind as to how I would handle a real threat.

Don't come down too hard on your Dad. I'm sure he's trying to do the best he can with what he has. I know I didn't make it easy for my father and my children are returning the favor ten fold. :rolleye2:

JohnNJ

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That probably sounded a little stronger than I meant it to. It was all done respectfully and my father and I have a wonderful relationship. This wasn't a yelling type debate by any means. More of a debate while having a beer. That is kinda how my family works. If we disagree with another family member we let the family member know in a calm respectful way and then we agree to disagree and once its over its over and no hard feelings.

Thanks for the concern though. In the situation I didn't feel like anybody was in immediate danger and I had the means to safely move it. So that is what I chose. If I had felt that anybody was in danger I would probably have a different opinion.

I don't have kids, but I have dogs and I would not want them coming across any venomous snakes. However, I can't picture myself killing anything, so I'd just have to keep them out of the yard. I don't know what I'd do if it were inside my home, though.

I found a Boa once in the day care I used to run. I caught it & took it to the wildlife rescue right by my house. I lived with someone at the time who was terrified of snakes so I couldn't keep it.

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Originally Posted by MuzeBallPythons

I don't have kids, but I have dogs and I would not want them coming across any venomous snakes. However, I can't picture myself killing anything, so I'd just have to keep them out of the yard. I don't know what I'd do if it were inside my home, though.

I found a Boa once in the day care I used to run. I caught it & took it to the wildlife rescue right by my house. I lived with someone at the time who was terrified of snakes so I couldn't keep it.

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I think I would use a snake hook, stick it in one of my extra tubs with holes, secure the lid, and figure out a safe place to relocate it. Yeah, that's what I'd do.

A note to the people who do kill venomous snakes they find in their yard:

I lived in Anchorage, Alaska for a short while when I was a kid, and my parents just moved back this past summer.

There are bears and moose everywhere. I saw two bears on average on every riverside hike when I was on the kenai peninsula last summer(some were repeats, but I'm sure I saw at least 15-20 individual brown bears, and maybe 4 or 5 individual black bears). If my dad treated bears and moose as you treat venomous snakes, we would have had to shoot every single one. They are a considerable threat and quite dangerous, and you have to be careful.

However, that doesn't mean you shoot the bull moose at your kids' bus stop(happened more times than I could count) wandering around the neighborhood. You just left it alone and kept your distance, and drove the kids to school yourself.

Just a thought I had. I don't see why snakes are treated differently than other dangerous wildlife.

Where I live now don't see many snakes unless I go looking. Where I used to live I'd see all kinds including timber rattlers. I've never been one for killing them if it was avoidable. Only had to kill 2 that I can recall. One that my dog mangled had to be put out of its misery (an eastern garter if memory serves) and one of the rattle snakes.

Usually tried to catch the rattlers and move them about 5 to 10 miles away but one of them we shot and used it along with a shock collar, and some fishing line to teach our dogs that snake's should be avoided. Did the trick but in hindsight I think a rubber snake would have worked just as well.

Since there are now venomous snakes around where I live and it would be illegal even to touch the nonvenomous, which are rare enough, i voted that there a no snakes around.
The only time I had to deal with a large number of snakes was on a fishing trip, where a couple of dozen ringneck snakes (german name is Ringelnatter) tried to cross a street, with a lot of casualties. I picked up every one of them I saw and carried it over the street and because some of them were around 4 to 5 feet, got some nice love bites.

I have never killed a snake. Around here we have prairie rattlers, and although the state does not recognize them as native, there is a lake a few miles away that has water moccasins.
Both my husband and I agree, that only if someone gets bit, we would first try to "box" the snake, but if it could not be boxed without other bites we (he) would kill it. The only reason we would do that is that for many types of anti-venom it is best to have the snake for ID purposes.
Any other time snakes are relocated. A lot of people we know kill them just for the sake of killing something, so if we see one around these people, we will relocate.
We also stop the car for any snake in the road, I keep a long stick (4-5ft long dried willow branch) in both of our cars, so in the event it is something other than a bull, or garter (the 2 we see all the time) we can use the stick to help move the snake out of harm’s way.

But in my “yard” we hardly ever find anything, only little garters, we pick them up and show them to our little girl, and tell her that they are a “good” snake, that if she sees them it’s ok. We have a SD herp book, and show her the ones that are “ok” and the ones to stay away from.

We have no venomous snakes that I know of, but when I see a snake in my yard, it's usually sunning and I like to take pictures of them. I did have a small garter living under my pool filter last summer and we spent some good quality time together because the filter kept breaking down. Eventually it stopped scooting away every time I came near and would just hang out while I worked on the filter...an outdoor pet snake! It was fun!

i vote no!
its not there fault we wreck there natural habitat and build homes.you invaded its home,where is it supposed to go?wouldnt you be mad and wanna bite too?

if i seen a neighbor killing a snake or turtle for no reason except its dangerous to the kids i would seek revenge for the snake.

if where you live is dangerous to kids MOVE!

Nope :colbert:

However, once garter snake slithered under my riding lawn mower...Thus, I didn't intentional do it...Sorry had to confess...:bow:

I'm gonna say this one time and one time only THERE IS NEVER AN EXCUSE TO KILL A SNAKE THERE ARE ALWAYS WAYS TO REMOVE A SNAKE WITOUT HARMING YOURSELF

I WISH I found snakes in my yard, the only thing we have where I live are garter snakes in open fields.

HOWEVER, for the sake of the poll, I would NOT kill them.

I find it HIGHLY irresponsible to kill any native wildlife where it can be avoided, if not for food purposes. ( I make an exception for some bugs... Mosquitos are quite plentiful! but even i dont kill spiders i see.... or even every wasp, or bee)

There is no reason to kill snakes in ones yard, regardless of species. If you find that you have problems with Venomous species, i suggest hiring someone to come and remove the species for you, to relocate them. And checking your yard regularly when your children go out to play, if they are that much of a problem. Also teaching your children where to play, and what to do when they come across a snake in the wild is far more responsible than killing an animal that is, more than obviously quite fit for survival, and is continuing its species.
I think it a great waste when people kill snakes, and other reptiles/animals in their yards, just because they can, for no other purpose than because they dont want it there. :colbert:

i dont care how plentiful that species is unless it is a nonnative species that is causing destruction of the local habitat. ( Burms/Iguanas/Feral Cats/Feral Dogs)

Just an interesting observation.... Seems like most that are ABSOLUTELY against it are ones that live in areas that don't have hots, or don't have kids, or both.

The ones that feel this way and don't have kids... consider your neighbors kids.

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Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

Just an interesting observation.... Seems like most that are ABSOLUTELY against it are ones that live in areas that don't have hots, or don't have kids, or both.

The ones that feel this way and don't have kids... consider your neighbors kids.

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I was a kid, and we have Timbers as well as Copperheads up here. Never had a problem! I knew that if i came across a snake that i couldnt identify, i would leave it alone!

I say, have some common sense, and check your yard before your kids play, if they are THAT much of a concern and you live in a very active area for snakes. Take some initiative! Why not be responsible for your childrens saftey, AND animals by preventing a problem, possibly before it starts?

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Originally Posted by mooingtricycle

Take some initiative! Why not be responsible for your childrens saftey, AND animals by preventing a problem, possibly before it starts?

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LOL... that is exactly what I do. If there is a water moccasin in my back yard, that sucker is history! Then he is fish food!