Getting a few snake calls with these cooler temps. Had this nice Eastern Rat snake in a home a few days ago... but the home had a real mouse problem. She would have been better off leaving the snake in there! My nephew is certainly comfortable with helping me.... medium-sized rat snake at 56 inches.

That will be the talk of the neighborhood.

They are still moving here. I have received an unusually large number of calls recently for juvenile (newly hatched) Gray Rat Snakes inside homes. Here is a picture of a “first shedding” left at a weep hole.

Six young Gray Rat Snakes were caught coming out from under the kitchen sink cabinet. All weep holes were screened.
I received a call last Friday, 23 Oct 09, reporting a snake in the yard. My Rat Terrier pup was bitten by a Copperhead a couple of years ago. http://www.trapperman.com/forum/ubbthrea...html#Post214312
Since then he is not too fond of snakes. He will find them but will not approach them. So I took him with me. Here is what he was soon barking at-

They were together. I haven’t sexed them, but suspect a small male and larger female.

Ron, call me crazy but IMO the southern copperhead has got to be the prettiest of all our snakes.

I agree!

I am off on a call this morning to a telephone office about 30 miles south of here. Apparently they have a Rattlesnake in their generator/warehouse building. Some folks were rattled at yesterday and now nobody wants to go into this area. You have to consider that it is -2 C out and did snow some yesterday. I have my own thoughts that it might be a Great Basin Gopher Snake but I will see when I get there.

Call turned out to be a small gopher snake that had come up through the drain into the warehouse. Captured, gave a quick hands on talk on snake identification and safety issues, out the door, released and was gone.

It's amazing how many people have no idea that many species of snakes shake their tail when distressed. I think that's how so many stories get started.... they HEAR a rattlesnake (so they think) as a common species shakes it's tail in the dry leaves or dead grasses. Sure.... sounds a bit like a rattler, but only if you've never actually heard one. The fact that way too many people have a completely unreasonable fear of snakes also adds to the stories being blown out of proportion.