Had a heart to heart talk with a garter snake this morning

[TEB]

Last edited Sun May 31, 2020, 09:36 AM - Edit history (2)

Third time I found a garter snake in like five days on the wall that is around our sunken patio. And the third time I moved the snake to the pasture. Not sure if it’s the same snake I know why they are here. Bugs and mice they’re on the hunt.

I explained we have a chocolate lab menace. Who would see you wanna play with you. Tossing you in the air then end up eating you. And then later on throwing you up in the house.

How do I know this prior practice on the lab. Once my wife had friends over he was maybe two. And as the ladies sat on the back porch having wine. Chocolate knucklehead came strolling thru with a black snake in his mouth. That caused the ladies to mass exit into the family room. And he stood at the patio sliding door with dead snake hey where did you all go wag wag.

[Xipe Totec]

1. They come in looking for mice

Check if you have mice nearby, a wood pile or high vegetation.

No food for the snake, no snake.

[TEB]

2. That is why

Our wall has mice the wood pile is good 100 feet from house.

[TEB]

4. And I do not mind them

As we have black snakes as well. They do keep mice down and copperheads. We did have copperheads in lower field by stream. And black snakes kill them. Since we did flood control years ago hope they’re gone. Once in awhile I get a scent of that smell like cabbage that they give off.

[applegrove]

3. I picked up a garder snake once at the cottage to show my nephew who was

3. It was very cute. He yelled "Give it back to it's mummy!".

[TEB]

5. Awwww

[applegrove]

6. He came out with the cutest things. When he was 4, he and his 7 year old,

they were in the car with my sister. The older one asked what the helipad was at the hospital as they drove by. My sister said it was for helicopters to land. The little one piped up and say "yeah ......, that's how they get the dead people up to heaven".

[cyclonefence]

7. When my brother was about 4-5 years old

he loved to catch these guys (catch & release) but he soon learned that they will bite if you're not careful, so he started wearing heavy wool socks on his hands. His hunting outfit.

[TEB]

8. Lol

[PJMcK]

9. I recently built a greenhouse for my wife

It was a kit from Home Depot and it's remarkably designed and well-made. She's growing a slew of vegetables for us. It was modestly priced, relatively easy to construct and the finished building is actually quite attractive.

For flooring, we used some leftover T1-11 siding and, of course, a few snakes took up residence underneath. They are garter snakes, (hey, TEB, check your spelling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_snake), and are harmless. In fact, they're better than that since they keep any rodents from trying to get into the garden.

Our house is in Northeast Pennsylvania on the Delaware River and we have a few venomous snakes here including rattlesnakes, copperheads and Eastern Massasaugas, none of which we've ever seen, thankfully! Most of the snakes we find are very small, less than six inches.

We take a live-and-let-live policy with them since they keep the rodent population in check.

[Rorey]

11. A greenhouse....my dream

I'd love to have a greenhouse in my back yard. I just need someone else to do the work with the plants.

[TEB]

14. Thank you did not have my glasses on

Awesome on green house. We are in south Central Pennsylvania.

[PJMcK]

16. Is your region opening yet?

It was weird yesterday when I went golfing with my neighbor. Although we were practicing safe distancing, etc., most people weren't. Kind of distressing, actually. No masks, no gloves. I don't get it.

Frankly, this disease is going to be around and it baffles me as to why so many are in such a hurry.

Stay safe, friend!

[TEB]

17. I agree we're all open June 4

[TEB]

18. I'm ready to vote Tuesday friends

[Rorey]

10. You're a kind soul

I'll trade you your snake for my raccoon(s).

I've lived in my house for 16 years and have yet to see a snake of any kind. I know they're probably around. My neighbor on one side has a pile of scrap wood behind a shed, and my neighbor on the other side has a wood deck that sits just above the ground, so I'd guess that both places are great places for mice to live.

[TEB]

12. Sorry we have the geico raccoons

On night before trash day

[Rorey]

13. Mine comes for cat food

I'll be stopping that opportunity for them soon. I've got a plan in the works.

[Tech]

15. I did an internship as a counselor at a halfway house for adult male offenders, but most were just

Young men around 18 years old who had goofed up. I wasn't much older than them, and they were always trying to mess with me. The home was an old farmhouse with out buildings. One day they showed me a small snake they caught. I took it from them and played with it, much to their dismay. They did not know I was from a large family with of which there of my siblings were brothers lol. Thank goodness they did not hand me a spider!

[SharonClark]

19. I have lots of garter snakes in my yard

and I have to protect them from my dog. Fortunately, he has a short attention span.