I need to get me a pet mongoose.

69427

69427

The Artist formerly known as Turbo84
Joined
Mar 30, 2008
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Clinging to my guns and religion in KCMO.
Walked out to the barn this morning and found two snakes caught in a sticky trap I put out there last week to catch one that scurried away under the tractor before I could take a shovel to it. Thankfully these snakes were still manageable size (about 10 inches), but dammit that makes five snakes I've had to contend with just this week (killed 4 out of the five). Did get a reasonably big one purely by accident last week when I drove over it when I took a short cut across the front yard by the garage. I swear I had less issues with snakes when I lived in Florida, but I was living in a subdivision and not out in the country there.
I still need to look up and find out what kinds of snakes these two new ones are (they're different from each other). I'm a live and let live kinda guy, but if you slither up near the house and barn that just annoys the hell out of me.
 
That snake repellant from HomeDepot/Lowes seems to work quiet well..... Be careful to not "trap" the snake with that stuff.....
 
MYBAD79 said:
That snake repellant from HomeDepot/Lowes seems to work quiet well..... Be careful to not "trap" the snake with that stuff.....
Click to expand...

Moth balls work well also, I have them under the front deck, around the house outside in a few spots....:crutches:
 
Well, in addition to the two snakes I trapped yesterday, I got three more today. This crap is pissing me off. :suspicious: Part of me likes the repellent stuff, but I do like seeing the absolute results of these glue traps (and what scares me more than the snakes is the probable reaction from the wife if I suggested we get a snake hunting dog :wink:).
 
Any luck finding out what they are? Even though I border 'wetlands', luckily I don't find many snakes. The ones I find are typically Garters, so I'm not too worried.

That's a hell of a lot of snakes if you're trapping that many. I wonder what the rule of thumb is for how many caught vs. population size.

Good luck!
 
If it was me, I'd first try to identify the snakes. If poisonous, you don't have a lot of choices and should probably eradicate them. However, if they are harmless snakes, you should leave them alone although repellant to keep them away from the house and barn might be something to consider if you just can't live with them. Non-poisonous snakes are so beneficial that many who live out in the country actually want them on their properties. They help control insect and mice populations. I know people who keep bull snakes in their barns to control mice.

DC
 
greg75vette said:
Any luck finding out what they are? Even though I border 'wetlands', luckily I don't find many snakes. The ones I find are typically Garters, so I'm not too worried.

That's a hell of a lot of snakes if you're trapping that many. I wonder what the rule of thumb is for how many caught vs. population size.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

I'm kind of embarrassed I haven't got around to it yet. I've been somewhat busy with some other temporary distractions to google the local snakes. Maybe I'll try to do this after this post. I did notice that there's three types caught on the glue strips. I'm guessing that the caught population is usually damn small compared to the local population.
To be honest, I've never been bit (or overly inconvenienced) by any of the snakes on the property, and maybe it's just my personal phobia, but I just don't want these things near the house or barn.
I've got a couple of wood piles around the barn (I heat the barn and supplement the house in the winter), so that's probably a good place for them to hang out. I think I'll try some of the repellent stuff that Karsten mentioned so I can at least reduce the incentive for snakes to hang out nearby.
 
DC3 said:
If it was me, I'd first try to identify the snakes. If poisonous, you don't have a lot of choices and should probably eradicate them. However, if they are harmless snakes, you should leave them alone although repellant to keep them away from the house and barn might be something to consider if you just can't live with them. Non-poisonous snakes are so beneficial that many who live out in the country actually want them on their properties. They help control insect and mice populations. I know people who keep bull snakes in their barns to control mice.

DC
Click to expand...

Makes sense. :thumbs:
 
Well, near as I can figure, the three varieties of the six snakes I've got trapped are Eastern gartersnake, Bull snake, and the Prairie Ring-necked snake. Assuming I identified them correctly (some snake varieties look rather similar) it appears that they are not venomous. If I see these away from the house or barn (shop), I'll leave them alone. If they're in the shop or garage/basement they're toast.

They still creep me out. :censored:
 
Non-venomous snakes are great for rodent control. Like cats, although snakes probably don't eat as many birds as cats. The main objection is it's hard to get used to having a snake curl up on your lap while you're reading a book or watching TV.
 
Still waiting for the pics of snakes... :club:


Sounds like repellent might not be a bad idea. Coming from a guy that has had mice in his sheds and workshop on and off for the past 2 decades...I'd rather have the snakes. Even if rodents don't chew it up or nest in it, they really can stink up the place. :sick:
 
I think the name of that stuff is "snake'a'way" or something like it..... It does smell a bit like mothballs so it might be part of the recipe....
Just be careful: don't trap the snakes..... If theres a nest in or by your shed they will not leave......
A shovel does wonderful things.... I just had a huge snake at my front door a few weeks ago..... Damn thing hissed at me and acted like it was going to attack me.... LOL.... My shovel and German precision smacked the crap out of it..... Took a bit to clean up the mess..... That repellant is way cleaner ..... :lol:
 
greg75vette said:
Still waiting for the pics of snakes... :club:


Sounds like repellent might not be a bad idea. Coming from a guy that has had mice in his sheds and workshop on and off for the past 2 decades...I'd rather have the snakes. Even if rodents don't chew it up or nest in it, they really can stink up the place. :sick:
Click to expand...

I apologize for that. Right now the glue strip just looks like that (Greek?) character Medusa with all the snakes intertwined. I'll try to get a picture posted if I get a moment.
 
dried blood , available at a garden store sprinkled aroun an area will keep them away, they won't crawl across it.
a 12 gauge is effective too.
as mentioned, snakes kill mice and rats which tells me you have a food source for snakes. i think i hate them more.
 
Here's a vote for leaving them alone if non-venimous.

If you catch a harmless snake in a glue trap, just pour some vegetable oil on the animal. .it'll release the animal instantly.
 
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