# We saw a snake yesterday.



## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

The first one to see it was a hummingbird. She was going crazy by the feeder but wouldn't come to it.
Then my wife saw it and said, "You better come look at this."
(That's never a good thing when I hear it)
So I finally came out to see what all the ruckus was about.

It was hard to get a clear picture of it but I'll post one of them and it's not really for identification purposes. When I was a kid, I loved to study reptiles and I got a real good look at this one and watched him move thru the trees for about 20 minutes. 

The thick screen on the porch obscures some of the view - and the other reason I couldn't get closer was it was 20 ft. off the ground.
The little guy, just a baby, was *wrapped around our hummingbird feeder.
*
He was about a foot long, thick as a pencil, had the markings of a rat snake but not quite and definitely not the head of a local snake. I saw a rat snake in the road last month walking the dog and let him be.

Nope, his head was different, more triangular with a blunt nose. This wasn't a native southern appalachian snake, I think I saw someone's escaped baby boa/python yesterday........

It's summertime, so we have lots of visitors around until the first cold snap and I hope this guy disappears after that too because I don't want to run across him in the woods when he gets full grown.


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

If you look to the right of the feeder, you'll see what looks like a green twig extending vertically between the branches - that's him. When he went from limb to limb, about 3/4 of his body could reach out unsupported. That's classic characteristic of a constrictor. I'm sure some other snakes can do that too, but combined with the shape of his head, I'm pretty sure about what I saw.
We're gonna keep an eye out on our hummingbirds until the first cold snap though. Hopefully this snake won't survive the winter.


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

I took a while to find a picture of a baby rat snake that had the same look, but I finally saw one.

http://herpsofnc.org/rat-snake/










And this made me 2nd guess myself and hopefully we have all the "good" snakes we want around here.


http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Learning/documents/Profiles/Reptile/Rat_Snake_Profile_2018.pdf


> A juvenile rat snake looks nothing like an adult, with a bold, blotched pattern on


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

video.









I guess I uploaded it wrong, it won't play for me. 

It was only 18 seconds, but you could see that sucker stretching out all the way.
The hummers were having a fit that morning!


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## oldasrocks (Oct 27, 2006)

Cute little snake. I went to get some canning jars out of the shed. Opened the cabinet to come face to face with a 6 ft black snake. I backed off then took jars from the lower shelf and left him alone.


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

It was cute all right, I'd never seen one that young before and couldn't believe he climbed that high.

But I was relieved when I finally saw a photo of a rat snake that looked like it. Until then I thought we had a non native snake on the loose in our woods.


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## 4tu (Jul 24, 2018)

blow it's head off if it hangs out in trees especially if it's not a local species look at Florida it's loosing it's species to boas. Rat snakes just don't eat rats.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

4tu ..... um. 

There are good snakes.


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## 4tu (Jul 24, 2018)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> 4tu ..... um.
> 
> There are good snakes.


dead ones, they have bitten my dogs eat my chicken eggs and copper heads have parked themselves on my front and back porch had I not seen them I would have been bitten the few supposedly good snakes eat harmless and beneficial bugs frogs (not toads) and lizards that eat mosquitoes they don't eat moles my yard proves that so I do not actively search for snakes but if in my daily routine I find one it dies.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Understand, given your experience.


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## timMe (Mar 28, 2018)

We - I see snakes pretty regularly and I like the snakes.. I get quite a rise from the lovely wife when I bring them in the house..LOL.. I'll see rat snakes, prarie king snakes, speckled king snakes, garter snakes and pygmy rattlers for the most part plus we have a heaping helping of glass lizards, ( leg less lizards)..


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## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

Rarely a day goes by that I DON'T see a snake. Most every one I see are harmless & I leave them alone.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

Esteban29304 said:


> Rarely a day goes by that I DON'T see a snake. Most every one I see are harmless & I leave them alone.


All of the ones I see are harmless... When I'm done with them.


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## 4tu (Jul 24, 2018)

I like eggs snakes like eggs, If I want eggs for breakfast I need to beat the snake to them and kill them off or I get no eggs.

There is enough land to support plenty of snakes so trying to save them is not necessary and all poisonous snakes I kill within a hundred yards because they will propagate and you'll be up to your armpits in snakes, and at night you have to watch out because they like the night life.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

My wife always tells me to leave those snakes alone as they eat the field mice....eh yeah, among other things.


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