If it can get into your loft, it will try to eat eggs and babies. If it can't get in, don't worry about it.

 

Please don't kill it, if you can catch it relocate the snake. If you do catch it be aware that they WILL poop on you, it smells terrible.

 

catch it, not me !!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm with you..........

 

King snakes are very beneficial. Just make sure the snake can't get in to your loft/pens. He will keep mice and other snakes out of the picture for you.
Daryl

 

This is right. Also did you know the only snakes that eat other snakes are the one that have "king" in their name. These snake are harmless to us and if your loft is secure (it should be ) you will be fine. Also if you live in an area where posionous snakes are they will eat them also.

 

Make sure your loft has no open areas larger then 1/4 inch. I would relocate it, as I have snakes that try to get in my loft when the door is open and they will swallow eggs and I have even heard of them swallowing dummy eggs.

 

"They will swallow eggs"...that reminds me of something from my childhood. There was a snake stealing eggs from the henhouse and my brothers set a trap to catch it. They fashioned a wire container with openings big enough for the snake to enter but not big enough to pass an egg thru. The idea was to put an egg on the outside of the "cage" and one on the inside. When the snake would eat the outside egg then crawl thru the wire to eat the inside egg and not be able to leave the cage as the swallowed eggs would prevent it from leaving. Mind you.....I don't remember if the plan worked ... but it seems reasonable. If the king snake is very large...you might have to use goose eggs. At any rate, if it works, then you could call some brave soul to put it in a container and take it far, far away.

 

What's a King snake?

 

A snake that wears a crown.

http://www.desertusa.com/magfeb98/feb_pap/du_kingsnake.html

 

What's a King snake?

A snake that wears a crown.

 

Lovelace,
I'll come move the snake for you. I'm not afraid of snakes. All it will cost you is a round trip ticket from Maine to La. and back
Daryl

 

Pigeonmama, you are so cute! Do you do Gardner & Pine snakes too? That is about all we have here! I DON'T like them, but hubby just relocates them for me. I did take some really cool pics of one eating a frog once. Really cool too!

 

FWIW You could easily make a snake trap and relocate the little bugger. When I had my collection of snakes we always had an escapee or 2 and the traps work like a charm. I wonder if it would be worth it as a preventative measure to always have a snake trap inside your loft in a snake-prone area? I may not know much about pigeons yet, but I have found my fair share of snakes in underwear drawers and other unfortunate places.

 

Snowbird Sue,
Just be sure to send the round trip ticket to me. We have garter snakes up here in Maine. I'm head snake wrangler in this household. My husband is scared to death of snakes and mice, what a wuss. I can not think of an animal I am afraid of. There are many animals that I am respectful of and wouldn't handle for any amount of $$$, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of them.
Daryl

 

Snowbird Sue,
Just be sure to send the round trip ticket to me. We have garter snakes up here in Maine. I'm head snake wrangler in this household. My husband is scared to death of snakes and mice, what a wuss. I can not think of an animal I am afraid of. There are many animals that I am respectful of and wouldn't handle for any amount of $$$, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of them.
Daryl

I like to think the same thing....I can't think of one I'm afraid of (I even move monster daddy long legs with my BARE HANDS, every day! ), of course I haven't come face to face with a grizzly or a great white, so I couldn't say for sure.

 

I think king snakes are awesome! Yes the 2 large egg trap would work, but I would just use one egg on the inside of the trap. Or 2 eggs inside the trap.

Why don't you just walk over to it, say hi, and leave it alone? And if it is inside, pick it up and walk it out like I did.

 

They can bite if they feel threatened , although usually not , so use caution if you attempt to handle them . But they are a good snake to have around your place . Out here they will kill rattlers and keep mice , lizards and gophers at bay . I like seeing them around here ..... too bad they're arent more of 'em . We get CA kingsnakes and bullsnakes ... they scare you when you happen on one unexpectedly but they are harmless and not really aggressive . You dont want to kill these fellows .

Rattlers are another story , I have no use for them . They wind up with a bad case of lead poisoning around my place

I guess any snake will make a meal of birds and eggs , just make sure your pen area is secure and you should be OK .


Hambone

 

They can bite if they feel threatened , although usually not , so use caution if you attempt to handle them . But they are a good snake to have around your place . Out here they will kill rattlers and keep mice , lizards and gophers at bay . I like seeing them around here ..... too bad they're arent more of 'em . We get CA kingsnakes and bullsnakes ... they scare you when you happen on one unexpectedly but they are harmless and not really aggressive . You dont want to kill these fellows .

Rattlers are another story , I have no use for them . They wind up with a bad case of lead poisoning around my place

I guess any snake will make a meal of birds and eggs , just make sure your pen area is secure and you should be OK .


Hambone

Sorry, Hambone, but I REALLY take exception to your sentence.

I like snakes - ALL snakes and also have a healthy respect for them. They all have their place and I get REALLY upset with yahoos running around the desert shooting rattlers for their skins or to eat them! IDIOTS!!

There are many different kinds of rattlers and they are quite fascinating creatures and deserve to live too!

Shi

 

A bunch of years ago, I was toting some corn husk out back. I was in shorts and barefoot. Didn't notice what was under foot. Stepped on a huge garter snake, which crawled up and wrapped around my leg/thigh. Initially, I jumped, but, after figuring out what was wrong, I stepped off the poor snake, and grabbed it to make sure no injury was done to it. My husband was watching out the kitchen window. I could hear him screaming and swearing clear out to where I was. Like I said, he's a wuss.
Daryl

 

Hi,m Shi,
Yup, you're right about rattle snakes. They have a purpose, to keep varment population under control. I don't kill snakes. I move them to different areas. I even caught a rattlesnake when I was 6 yrs. old, and visiting my grandmother out west. It was a little'un, and I pinned it's head down with a stick, then grabbed it. My grandmother bout had a S-H when she saw what I had. I knew what it was, I knew it could hurt me, but I also knew even then how to handle snakes safely. Funny, what did me in was the chlorinated water in the swimming pool. I swallowed a bunch and puked my insides out.
Daryl
D

 

You are intitled to your opinions Shi and pigeonmama . Thats the first argument I always hear , about how beneficial rattlers are for vermin control . Bullshxt !!! There are lots of GOOD snakes to take care of rats mice etc . Not to mention hawks , owls , road runners , guineas etc etc out here to keep vermin in check . Rattlers are very dangerous and that outweighs any benefit they have and its not worth the risk for you , your pets , or your kids to have them around where they are a threat .

You folks have obviously never lost a beloved dog or pet to one , ( I have ) or lived where people have lost a horse or an animal to one . Or many thousands of dollars to treat a rattlesnake bite .

Mind you , I dont go out of my way to kill them .... but if they are on my 4 acres or in the road right around my place , lets just say I also ... " relocate them " . Usually in pieces .

Incidently they taste terrible

Hambone

 

You are intitled to your opinions Shi and pigeonmama . Thats the first argument I always hear , about how beneficial rattlers are for vermin control . Bullshxt !!! There are lots of GOOD snakes to take care of rats mice etc . Not to mention hawks , owls , road runners , guineas etc etc out here to keep vermin in check . Rattlers are very dangerous and that outweighs any benefit they have and its not worth the risk for you , your pets , or your kids to have them around where they are a threat .

You folks have obviously never lost a beloved dog or pet to one , ( I have ) or lived where people have lost a horse or an animal to one . Or many thousands of dollars to treat a rattlesnake bite .

Mind you , I don't go out of my way to kill them .... but if they are on my 4 acres or in the road right around my place , lets just say I also ... " relocate them " . Usually in pieces .

Incidently they taste terrible

Hambone

I am with you, buddy! That snake would have NO place in my little piece of earth, either. Sometimes, you just have to do what you have to do. I have relatives in CA., and they don't like them either, and they don't 'relocate' too well either! ( I am sooo glad they don't taste too good either! ) YOU GO HAMBONE!

 

Rattle Snakes

I agree that we should leave them alone when they are in their habitat, but they have to be dealt with and dealt with quickly in a neighborhood environment, they don't just go away.

I am not a snake handler either, but we did have a rattle snake that made its way into our garage, my son walked in with wide eyes ond could barely speak when he saw it, then he said there is a huge snake in the garage. .AND it was huge...it would not budge...it would not leave, we had to get a snake handler there fast, as it was most obvious it wasn't going to leave on its own.

It's true. You don't mess around with them, let them be and live in the dessert, but you cannot have them around in a neighborhood with children, they are of utmost danger. You have to act quickly.

 

I was camping with school and my friend stepped on the rattle of a missauga rattlesnake and luckly never got biten then we kept going on and found some other cool snakes one was so small it was crawling around my finger. then the next group caught a rattle snake.