My very scary visitor.

[Terry Allan Hall]

Terry~ Do you have a lot of bushes and ground cover? I am always afraid I wil get bit by one I don't see.

Fair amount, I suppose...lot of rose bushes by porch, a meadow for a front lawn.

The trick is to make noise (not walking "sneaky") and snakes'll avoid you.

I have no idea about that. Have not heard it before. We get so many I am sure another is near. This was my first this year (that I saw) but my nieghbors have had them. Well I had a little guy that I thought was a rattler a week or more ago, but he could have been a gopher. Anyway my next door neighbor had been doing some grading so that could have drove him out. I have heard that the babies stay near their nest for like a year or two and that kind of freaks me out as I have seen babies. One was tinny tiny I know some of you would be thrilled to host these visitors, but I don't like them. Yes it is fear. I know they are not bad......

Get a guinea hen or two...they keep snakes away.

 

[natsamjosh]

Shortly after I bought our place (about 7-1/2 years ago), I discovered that there was a fairly good sized Western Diamondback living under the front porch...somehow, he aquired the name Old Moses. I showed the kids how far he could strike and told them to never get any closer than twice that distance, and that should he crawl to nearby, to stomp their feet and/or strike the ground w/ a stick, so he'll feel the vibrations (snake hear very little) and go away.

Periodically, I catch him and measure him...currently, he's right at 6'. He often suns himself on cool days on the corner of our front porch, which tends to get visitors quite excited at times.

We leave him alone, he leaves up alone.

Good to hear this. Not sure why people are so scared of snakes, seems like there are a million more things to worry about in life. I've relocated a few copperheads around here (central NC,) but I'm sure Western Diamondbacks are a whole lot more aggressive. Of course, your story might be fictitious if you don't post pictures! I'd love to see Old Moses.

Thanks,
Ed

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Shortly after I bought our place (about 7-1/2 years ago), I discovered that there was a fairly good sized Western Diamondback living under the front porch...somehow, he aquired the name Old Moses. I showed the kids how far he could strike and told them to never get any closer than twice that distance, and that should he crawl to nearby, to stomp their feet and/or strike the ground w/ a stick, so he'll feel the vibrations (snake hear very little) and go away.

Periodically, I catch him and measure him...currently, he's right at 6'. He often suns himself on cool days on the corner of our front porch, which tends to get visitors quite excited at times.

We leave him alone, he leaves up alone.

Good to hear this. Not sure why people are so scared of snakes, seems like there are a million more things to worry about in life. I've relocated a few copperheads around here (central NC,) but I'm sure Western Diamondbacks are a whole lot more aggressive. Of course, your story might be fictitious if you don't post pictures! I'd love to see Old Moses.

Thanks,
Ed

Next time I see him I'll take a picture...may have to be a cell-phone pic, as my daughter usually has the good camera with her.

 

[Angi]

I wanted a Guinea Hen, but we can not have any fowl or split hoved animals in our HOA, even though we live in a farm area.

I think I do walk too quietly, I have been knocked over because my family doesn't know I am there. I have two huge boys. They always say don't sneak up on me, or how did you get there, or geez Mom......