Do you kill snakes you find in your yard?

[BPelizabeth]

well I live in SW Arizona and 99% of the snakes in our yard or near our yard are rattlers. I am so scared that my 9 year old is not going to be paying attention and step on it. Soooooo....I do not go anywhere near them. If we see them we call the Fire Department and they relocate them.

[stealthk7gsxr]

i voted no. i saw a garter snake for the first time in about 20 years up close. i was working and walked up to a house and saw the last 4-5 inches slithering in the cracks in the sidewalk. i thought it was cool. far from wanting to kill it

[Crazy4Herps]

I've never actually found a snake in my yard, but I see plenty hiking in the foothills ten minutes away (walking). Rattlers, Cali kings, garters, etc. Even if I found a N. Pacific rattler in my yard, I would NEVER kill it, but I would sure as heck remove it. I've got 4 cats living outdoors.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

I voted NO.

I live in the burbs as well and it is uncommon to find anything other than a rat snake or garter around here but it is not unheard of. In fact, there have been rattlesnakes found in grant park in the city of chicago. Not to mention the cougar they killed in the city last year. (for no good reason might i add)

So no. Even if i did come across a venomous snake i would not try to kill it. I would avoid it but i would not hurt it. About the only thing i kill is rodents (humanely) for my snakes, & the occasional spider or house centipede if its in my house. Those things just CREEP ME OUT!

[Oxylepy]

I would if it were poisonous and near my door. Otherwise I'd pretend I never saw it.

[T&C Exotics]

Normally I would read an entire thread prior to responding but in this case i do not need to ebcause it is an opinion thread so here we go.

I would not kill any snake if it is on "my' land because the snakes were here first this is where they live. The reason we have "problems" is because we decided that we needed to live where the snakes once lived and now the snakes are pushed as far away as possible from us and now have nowhere to go. When I see snakes in my yard I just leave them alone or move them as far away from humans as possible. Currently I live in WA state but did once live in Florida and I never once killed a snake for any reason. There are many points of view and i am not going to argue with anyone on any part of that. I just state my points. I know for a fact that a snake will not bother being close to you if the yard is kept well cut because they do not have any where to stalk or hide. Any snake I have ever seen in the wild have either been in tall grass, under a log or other such item, or on the road at dusk when it is still warm. Ok done now.

[Brunoheart]

I would not kill a snake if I found one in my yard (though I rarely do). My children are taught to stay away from all animals that they are not familiar with (even a neighbors dog) without asking. I was taught that if you don't do what you are told, there are consequences and if that consequence is getting bit by animal I should not have been near, maybe I'll learn. Being over-protective of our children is not going to teach them how to live in the real world. We are told by the powers that be in my state that there are no venomous snakes here, but I have heard several accounts of sightings in limited areas. I have caught several snakes at different places where I have worked without knowing what the snake is because leaving it there would have meant someone else would kill it. These snakes I just moved in a bucket to a more wooded, less traveled area of the property for their protection. If you really want the general public to be more tolerant of all species of animals, you can't say, "but that one was threatening me or my family". We, as herpers (and animal lovers), have the duty to educate ourselves (as well as the general public) on the best ways to deal with that threatening native species that does not involve death to the animal. If our fear of the possible threat makes it okay for us to kill, then anyone that perceives a threat from any animal should have the right to destroy it. Just my opinion. I am not a PETA supporter and feel that the AR groups out there are more of a threat to animals than a help, but I do feel killing creatures that we feel threatened by is wrong.

Old ass thread... LOL

Later, Matt

Not trying to be rude, but if us newbies don't read/search through old posts for info before asking a question, people will respond to our questions with "why don't you try searching for that info" but if we do search and bring up an old post like this, there is always a comment about it being an old post. Sheesh, sucks to be a newbie trying to educate yourself.

[aybe.sea]

I would if it were poisonous and near my door. Otherwise I'd pretend I never saw it.

snakes aren't poisonous, they're venomous. (with 1 or 2 exceptions )
I wouldn't kill one no matter what kind it was. If it was venomous I would relocate it for my own safety. I would leave it be in any other case.

[Drew87]

I live in arizona with alot of open lots near me, go outside and pretty often hear a rattle I have not killed one ever just find me a nice long stick and point him in the correct direction. Now I do not own any dogs or kids that would go outside but if I did the story might be a little different.

[CA cowgirl]

In my eyes it is awesome to find a snake near my home. When I lived in the hills I found a couple of small (small as hatchling western hognoses) snakes. I looked them up back then and I believe they were juvenile sharptail snakes. Both snakes and I were lucky because I was busy with the weed wacker. They were gorgeous little things!

If I found a venomous snake near my home, I'd secure it and call in someone appropriate to relocate it. The only critters I ever knowingly kill without intent to eat are silverfish, ants, an occasionally a spider.