Cookie and the coral snake.

[RayRay]

Today I was outside with Cookie letting him free roam in the yard with me following close behind him.

I was outside for a long time with him, and sat down near the ruins of his old pen (it was 4 boards in a square) and the boards were standing straight up.

Cookie started walking inside of it thru the gap that was caused by one of them snapping in half.

I moved so I could watch him better and there was a coral snake right on the other side of where I had been setting.

Cookie was inches away from the coral snake, and it started to slither away from me (they are skittish) so I quickly grabbed Cookie, and ran inside and put him in the bathroom in his container to save him from the cats and dogs.

I then grabbed the shotgun and ran outside and proceeded to not find the coral snake after searching for 10minutes or more.

This is the second coral snake we have seen in this week, or two, they always come in pairs because they stay near their partner.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_snake

That's the type of snake.

 

[JoesMum]

How big is Cookie? I would have thought too big to be thought of as dinner by a Coral Snake?

 

[MPRC]

I wouldn't expect the snake to have any ill will toward your tortoise. Could you just pick it up with a rake or something and relocate it?

 

[JoesMum]

More likely that there's prime basking for more than one type of reptile in a tort enclosure

 

[Rue]

I love snakes...hope it's okay.

I know they are poisonous. But they aren't out to get you either. Are you sure it wasn't a milk snake?

I have had snakes since I was 12. My last snake died a couple of years ago and I found I missed her. That's the main reason I got another reptile...

...just thought I would try a herbivore with legs this time

 

[RayRay]

Cookie is still small I just didn't want our dog to get bitten. It was right where they had been playing earlier before.

 

[Speedy-1]

I love snakes...hope it's okay.

Are you sure it wasn't a milk snake?

Good point ! You just need to remember the poem ;

Red Touch Yellow Kills a Fellow
Red Touch Black Venom Lack

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Snakes are very cool.
SCARLET Kingsnakes can often be mistaken for a Coral Snake.
I may find 10 scarlet for every one coral snake.
None are common.
Coral snakes have tiny rear fangs and it's pretty unusual to actually get bitten and injected.
I good way to get bitten is to go after the snake.
Letting it flee will leave you, your pet, and the snake safe.

 

[surfergirl]

many people are very afraid of snakes and kill all they run into contact with. I have never had a reason I needed to kill any. I bet that some snakes probably use /share burrows with certain torts in certain areas. water moccasins are the only ones I do not trust to leave the area when given a chance. they will come right back at you... I was bitten by a copperhead when I was 14 in jasper Alabama. walking through my grandparents yard and I stepped on it with flip flops on. I never go out walking in the dark without a flashlight anymore. nocturnal snakes soak heat in at night from yards and stumps/roots and you can step on one on the way to check your mail box at night. I stepped on him otherwise he very likely would not never bitten me. around here you can never eliminate the risk even if you kill everyone you see. lots of eggs and live born are had every year, if they become over populated so will the king snakes. never kill king snakes - they eat the venomous snakes.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I grew up in the woods and only got bitten once by a pygmy rattler that I accidentally stepped on.

 

[RayRay]

How big is Cookie? I would have thought too big to be thought of as dinner by a Coral Snake?

Yeah I was more worried about him getting bitten tho.

 

[JoesMum]

Yeah I was more worried about him getting bitten tho.

I think it's unlikely. Snakes generally only bite when surprised like when someone steps on them

 

[surfergirl]

I grew up in the woods and only got bitten once by a pygmy rattler that I accidentally stepped on.

I grew up in south east/mid fla near the glades at time. no joke the size of any snakes down there. we had tons of interaction with them and it was in Alabama where I never saw them that I got bitten. guess I let my guard down. A pigmy rattler bite can be pretty serious. best case scenario is that they have eaten well and dumped some of their venom load. the copperhead that got me was full grown and had a full load. my foot grew 19" around they were about to start cutting the flesh to keep it from dying when it started backing down in size. whew! spent a few days in icu - I was allergic to the anti-venom. nerve in my third toe on left foot was impacted but otherwise just a small story in my life's book.

coral snakes are a whole other level of venom though- we have them here but i have never seen one. I am a believer in keeping my tort area and close to my home a venomous snake free zone by relocating them if I see them. just like when a shark comes close to me in the water while i am surfing, I paddle my board in and sun bathe for the rest of the day. figure why push the point he may just get curious and take a bite.

 

[Tom]

Today I was outside with Cookie letting him free roam in the yard with me following close behind him.

I'm glad everyone survived with no harm done. Hopefully the snake will leave and not return.

Still, I think the "free roaming" is a bad idea. Your tortoise needs to be contained. SOOOOOOO many people, including me, have lost tortoises and turltes doing what you are doing. Everyone, including me, thinks that we are being super vigilant and careful, but the inevitable always happens eventually.

Also, just in case no one has emphasized the point to you before, never let the dogs have access to the tortoise area. Best case would be that even in the event of an accident, where someone else lets the dogs out, not knowing the tortoise is out, the tortoise is still safely contained in an area that the dogs cannot gain access to. Like behind a fence, or in an sturdy enclosure with a sturdy welded wire cover. The damage a dog can do to a tortoise can happen in seconds, is catastrophic, and cannot ever be un-done. Be careful. Never let this happen. It feels awful.

 

[Speedy-1]

Snakes are very cool.
SCARLET Kingsnakes can often be mistaken for a Coral Snake.
I may find 10 scarlet for every one coral snake.
None are common.
Coral snakes have tiny rear fangs and it's pretty unusual to actually get bitten and injected.
I good way to get bitten is to go after the snake.
Letting it flee will leave you, your pet, and the snake safe.

Our biggest problem every spring is Rattlesnakes til it gets hot and they stay in thier holes except to go hunting ! We just keep our dog on his leash (with one of us on the other end !) until it warms up !

 

[Rue]

many people are very afraid of snakes and kill all they run into contact with. I have never had a reason I needed to kill any. ...

I liked snakes since Day 1...I never understood why people go cuckoo and want to kill them 'just because'.

When I was in my early 30s, I was at a riding arena...I heard a big shout from the inside...we all went running inside, and some grown man was pointing at a snake...dancing around it like an idiot, and shouting for someone to bring him a shovel...

It was a garter snake. They are great to have around.

I took it outside and let it loose. I hope it was smart enough to never go back in the riding arena...

The idiot was mad at me. I was mad at him. Lucky neither one of us had a shovel in hand at that point...

 

[surfergirl]

I liked snakes since Day 1...I never understood why people go cuckoo and want to kill them 'just because'.

When I was in my early 30s, I was at a riding arena...I heard a big shout from the inside...we all went running inside, and some grown man was pointing at a snake...dancing around it like an idiot, and shouting for someone to bring him a shovel...

It was a garter snake. They are great to have around.

I took it outside and let it loose. I hope it was smart enough to never go back in the riding arena...

The idiot was mad at me. I was mad at him. Lucky neither one of us had a shovel in hand at that point...

lol! that's funny....I embarrassed my neighbor who was scared to death of a king snake and I heard him screaming while grabbing a hoe and about to kill it when I walked right up and grabbed it from the ground. I put it in my back yard three doors down- glad to have him around here. my neighbors daughter and wife were like- what just happened. hahaha! sorry for the high jack - but had to share because so many snakes are really good for the environment. I understand though if venomous ones get too close for comfort like this one did to RayRay and cookie.