# Snakes!Snakes!Sanakes!



## Huckleberry (Mar 12, 2010)

I hate snakes! I have a terrible fear of them, I'm talking everything from a tiny garden snake on up. I seem to be learning that taking care of goats and snakes go together. It's winter and they aren't supposed to be around, only last night one decided to hide in the alfalfa I picked up and leaned against my chest to carry to the boys house  . The alfalfa flew and the goats looked at me like I was crazy! Last summer, they loved to hide areound the water buckets and I would scream, the goats would look at me like I was crazy and walk over and nose the snake to let me know it was ok!


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

I am not afraid of snakes or spiders.
But the snakes will startle me an you may hear
a small screech for me. 

Just remember. Snakes kill those pesky disease
ridden mice, rats, and squirrels.
Please do not kill them just because you fear them.

Spiders kill mosquitos and flys.

((((((_You are getting sleepy.......I am not afraid, I am not afraid_))))) :shock:


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## IceDog (Aug 1, 2010)

We have a lot of snakes around here. They don't bother me.

A friend about 4 miles away had feral peacocks hanging around that drove them nuts until her scared-to-death-of-snakes husband found out that peacocks eat snakes.

The peacocks and the never ending clean up after them were welcome after that! :lol:


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## jross (Dec 20, 2008)

The only snakes I worry about are rattlesnakes. We have some, but not a lot, here. I worry about them when hiking with the goats and the dog. The most dangerous time for them is summer evenings. The heat of the day has passed and the snakes come out to hunt. My policy is to NEVER wander around outside on summer evenings without a flashlight. I encourage bull snakes (aka gopher snakes) because they supposedly kill or chase off rattlesnakes. They are also great mouse eaters. But any rattlesnake around my home or my camp gets blasted (.38 pistol or .22 rifle with snake shot cartridges). Sure, they may eat their share of vermin, but the consequences of a human or animal getting bit are just too severe.


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

Snakes that you see and hear rarely bite, so when you see and hear them... don't worry.

You should worry whenever you don't see or hear them ;-)


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## feederseaters (Nov 8, 2009)

I transport hay often times in my subaru, which means that I often transport a stow away snake. Thank goodness I am not afraid of snakes and very rarely am startled by them. 

I was driving down a busy city street one afternoon, driving with the sun shining directly in my eyes. I was shortly coming up to a traffic light when I noticed something just in front of my face. My first thought was the hay. I have hay hanging from my interior ceiling more often than not. But the hay is always in the back. I tried to focus but was having difficulty with the sun and the close proximity of the obstruction. Then I got a bit better look at the silhouette and said to my daughter in the pasengers seat..."is that a worm". :idea: Now picture me driving with the sun blinding me, and me crossing my eyes trying to look at a "worm" hanging in front of my face about to slam into the car in front of me who is stopping for the light. :arrow: 

Well luckily the shadow of a house covered my eyes just in time for me to realize that it was a snake looking back at me only a few inches from my face and the car in front of me stopped early for a pedestrain. 

Yep, a harmless brown snake (common round here) made home above my visor and decided to come see who was disturbing his slumber. I wasn't startled at all, in fact I was kinda in awe an showing him off to my 9 year old girl in the car with me. 
I left my windows open for him to excape that night. Hope he's ok. 
Most folks may have driven off the road in panic, not me. I love the little snakes. Maybe not so much affection for the venomous ones.


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

I am not afraid of snakes. but I would probably
of ran into the guy in front of me.
Great story.
May not ease the OP posters mind though. LOL


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## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

the thing to remember about snakes is they are scared of you and like to hide. rocks, leaf piles, hay, etc. are all good hiding places for snakes. they like cool moist places.
for the most part if you keep seeing alot of snakes then your yard has good hiding spots and you keep finding them.

i like snakes  
but i would be suprised if there was one on an armful of hay i was carrying :lol:


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## cryptobrian (Apr 26, 2012)

I don't mind snakes too much, but good grief, wouldn't want them in my car! A few years back I was cleaning up around the property and threw an old tired into the back of my Polaris Ranger ... a few minutes down the trail and a snake peeked over my shoulder. The Ranger has no doors so I jumped ... the snake was only about 1 foot long but up close seemed like a monster!

Sorry, no video of that event ... but here's a video of a Rattlesnake we came upon hiking last year. Goats weren't bothered by it at all. We just gave it space and went around.

[youtube:1qokaoau]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv_-ayyD3m0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL[/youtube:1qokaoau]


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## jross (Dec 20, 2008)

Here's a pic of a big fat blacktail rattler that came out from under a big rock the goats slept on one night. He really was mad at us and wanted us gone. So we left. He could have bitten me, the goats, or my dog during the night, but he didn't. I was already packed to leave when he came out from under the rock, so we just left him alone.


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