questions

[olddeej]

Hello to the Thamnophis community,

I am olddeej and I am a 51 year old female. You promise you won't bite, but you may after you know why I registered.

I recently bought my Mother's home. I knew there were garter snakes for a number of years, but I thought on an occasional basis. This summer I saw two racing to get away from me in the yard not far from the neighbor's plants, a shedded skin, and the tail of one going into a deteriorated cement block. Two times this past week when picking up after my dog, I have seen three dark gray snakes with pale yellow stripes, all approx. 12-15 inches long. One was stretched out in the grass, head raised, red tongue out, one five minutes later ( may have been same one) slithering away from me and into a hole in the yard, and one this A.M. partially in a hole that went completely in the hole when I touched it with my handy pooper scooper. I know you are snake lovers, and God bless you all, but this is freaking me out! I am used to looking down to avoid piles of poop (no doubt gross to some of you), but not to avoid stepping on a snake. I would like to know if there is a way to safely keep them out of my yard, and also to learn more about them, as I don't think I realized they used holes in the ground. Do they have a system of holes? I did not run in to any when picking up the yard this summer, not in the back of the yard especially. We keep it mowed short, we have raked the leaves, there are virtually no plants back there, although there are trees and a lilac bush.

Sorry this is so long, but I need advice from experts and, after checking out other web sites, thought you might be the people I needed to consult with. Will appreciate any info you can give me.

[abcat1993]

If you don't want snakes in your yard you could by snake repellant. they sell sell it online. My garter does bury itself in the substrate, but I am no expert on them indoors or outdoors (especially outdoors).

[Cazador]

Hi deej,
Well, this isn't my area of expertise, but I can offer you a few facts and ideas that might help. Snakes are looking for a protected place to hibernate right now. It sounds like they may have been hibernating under your/your mom's house for quite a while.

They don't dig holes, and are probably going into rodent (mouse, vole, mole) holes, looking for food. I know you don't want to be overrun by wild snakes, so you might try to find a happy medium between the snakes and the rodents. If there's one thing young teenager boys enjoy (and are able to achieve), it's catching snakes. It sounds like you're religious, so maybe you could ask some boys at your church (or elsewhere) if they know of anyone who could help you catch and relocated a bunch of snakes from your new property. If you move them over a mile, they'll probably find a new home, particularly if you can drop them off near a stream, pond, or lake. They provide prime habitat and a good food source. I know you want it done as soon as possible, but like I said, they're about to go into hibernation.

When they come out of hibernation (around late March or April), they'll be looking to mate. You need to know that some large females can have up to 80 offspring in one litter. They give birth to live young around July, so this gives you plenty of time to find a helper to catch and relocate those snakes. I'd offer him/her about $1 per adult snake, and tell him there are plenty.

Snakes rely heavily on their sense of smell. Adult snakes secrete odors (pheromones) on the grass and vegetation as they migrate to hibernation sites (probably under, or near, your home). Young snakes follow these scent trails to find a suitable hibernaculum. Based on the time of year and bounty of snakes around your property, it sounds like many have already laid their scent trails, so removing them this fall would really be an uphill battle. The good news is that your dog (a low level predator) will continue depositing his scent (urine & feces) in your yard all winter long. This might make the area less attractive to the snakes in the spring, but they naturally disperse after mating anyway (just for the summer). Did your mom have a dog or cats?

Believe it or not, many snake populations are declining, so accolades to you for not killing them on site. They're really harmless. Their teeth are a lot like sandpaper. They just move quickly some times, so try to overcome your fears and calmly hold one. If you're scared and jerk, the snake will react to your fears and try to quickly escape, which will also frighten you. As you learn more about them, you might even come to apreciate having a few around. Proceed with an open mind and try to learn what you can about them. A good, cheap (~ $5), easy-to-read book for beginners is Garter and Ribbon Snakes by R.D. Bartlett & Patricia Bartlett. You can find it at Amazon.com. It will give you a brief introduction to the variety and habits of these snakes as well as brief life history characteristics and facts on captive care, which I realize you're probably not interested in.

Relocation into prime habitat is probably the best idea, perhaps supplemented with Matt's snake repellent idea. The farther, the better if you don't want them to return, but prime habitat over a mile away should do the trick. I'm sure there's a lot more to say, but this is getting long. Best of luck,
Rick

[CrazyHedgehog]

I AM SOOOO JEALOUS....
Please can you tell us where you are from, and also a picture of the snakes would be good if poss..

[olddeej]

I want to thank those of you that replied to my questions. Cazador, I found your information helpful and plan to get the book you suggested. Crazy Hedgehog, I wish I liked snakes as much as you. I tried to talk myself into believing they were nothing to be sqeamish about, but it didn't work. I have not gone into that corner of our yard this week. Plan to let them be till Spring. Hopefully, when we get a fence up and our dog has the run of the yard, it will cure the problem, at least in the back yard. I can deal with that. If the dog starts encountering them and does not leave them alone, will have to have them removed. I'm not that religious, but they are God's creatures also, and I would rather not kill them. If they were poisonous, that would be a different story as far as I am concerned. I live in Southern Wisconsin only miles from the Illinois border, and if you live nearby, Crazy Hedgehog, you would be more than welcome to scarf them all up. My neighbor would be grateful also. Thanks again and you all take care.
olddeej