The mama had a daddy
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85146)
Shingle Springs, California
July 28, 2010 3:50pm CST
It was two years ago that we had our first rattle snake encounter. Richard saw a medium sized one in the front yard, up close and personal. It slithered into our rock wall before he could do anything.
After we found two babies in the back yard, he put up snake fencing. We haven't seen any in the back yard since then.
And then last month, he got a large one in the front yard, and we thought our troubles were over for a while.
Not too long after that, our dumb neighbor killed a king snake, and since then, the mouse population has exploded.
Last night, R called me to come outside. There was a large snake inside the rock wall, and he wanted to know if it was a rattler. Well I couldn't see but an inch or two of scales, but it sure looked like one. And if it is a rattler, it's a pretty darn big one.
Maybe the mice attracted it.
Goody...
Maybe I should call in a professional.
Not that I have anything against snakes in general, but poisonous snakes and children just do not mix.
Yikes....
3 people like this
20 responses
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
29 Jul 10
Well thank you. I will look into it, and also have another "how to deal with snakes" talk with the kids.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
29 Jul 10
yeah they can kill, but there are poisonous snakes all over the US, so unless I move closer into the city, I am potentially going to have to deal with snakes.
@blue65packer (11826)
• United States
29 Jul 10
If the snake is poisonous I would get help to get rid of it! How big is these so called king snakes you talked about?
I hate snakes! I think they are slimey looking! Small ones,like a garden snake don't bug me but I can't stand looking at the big snakes like the boa constrictors!
I am all for s nake being around for mouse control and long as I don't bump into it! I am all for it! Snakes are creepy looking!
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
29 Jul 10
King snakes average 4 1/2 feet. The rattlers we have here are probably around the same size.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
29 Jul 10
I saw a huge one in the Santa Monica mountains years ago, fortunately not up close and personal. A cobra would really be scary. Some of them are a lot more aggressive than rattlers.
@blue65packer (11826)
• United States
30 Jul 10
Iwould not like to meet a King snake! Yikes! With the Rattles even more because they are poisonous! Glad we don't have that probelm with snakes were I live!
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
28 Jul 10
Well Hallooo there, how the heck are you? Yeah I noticed....
Hanging in there. About to go on vacation next week, probably camping.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
28 Jul 10
maybe up the coast where the redwoods are...
Where do you camp?
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
28 Jul 10
Come to my Island where there are no poisonous snakes - excepting of course the two legged ones that are in government. 
I once held a python called Percy. I had a visitor come to school in the U.K. to show animals and snakes to inner city kids. He had no fangs or poison was drained or something and when he put him on me I wanted to die and scream but couldn't because of the children. I stood there terrified as it slithered around me and then put its head close to mine and looked me in the eye. God, I will have nightmares tonight. I can conjure up how it felt on my arms. 
I once held a python called Percy. I had a visitor come to school in the U.K. to show animals and snakes to inner city kids. He had no fangs or poison was drained or something and when he put him on me I wanted to die and scream but couldn't because of the children. I stood there terrified as it slithered around me and then put its head close to mine and looked me in the eye. God, I will have nightmares tonight. I can conjure up how it felt on my arms. 1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
28 Jul 10
Repeat after me:
Percy the python has no poison.
Although if one bites you, you could get a nasty infection.
There, I've eased your mind, haven't I?
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
29 Jul 10
Sometimes Dawn - you are just mischievous and evil
1 person likes this
@JKLlewthor (39)
•
28 Jul 10
That's intense. Maybe calling in a professional would be the best thing to do, just to sort of be on the safe side? Makes a great story, there are only a handful of non-poisonous snakes here in the UK, and it sounds like in America they can sometimes pose as a problem. Hiding inside the rock wall...devious. But anyway, that's just my 2 cents on the matter, maybe it'd be easier just to check it up against a picuture on wikipedia or something.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
29 Jul 10
You're welcome. Did you know, they actually vaccinate the dogs here for snake bites?
@JKLlewthor (39)
•
29 Jul 10
Oh wow, that's quite a snake - we only get grass snakes and that kind of mundane flora and fauna over here. Interesting, very interesting indeed. Thanks for posting up the link!
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
29 Jul 10
Eek!Throws blanket over her head and refuses to come out...
I am scared of snakes. I hate when the snakes get close to the house we have 17 kids around up in our holler and last year alone in my own yard they were about 6 Copperheads Killed alone not including the other snakes. And yes, we have a abundance of mice now..but for the kids safety and my sanity..they had to go.
Throws blanket over her head and refuses to come out... I am scared of snakes. I hate when the snakes get close to the house we have 17 kids around up in our holler and last year alone in my own yard they were about 6 Copperheads Killed alone not including the other snakes. And yes, we have a abundance of mice now..but for the kids safety and my sanity..they had to go.1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
29 Jul 10
I don't blame you. I was reading that a copperhead bite is rarely fatal, but still...
TATA.
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
31 Jul 10
i'd throw some cheese on that neighbor's porch for taking out the king snake.
maybe the mice will go over there followed by snake.
maybe the mice will go over there followed by snake.1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
29 Jul 10
Plenty of mice and a nice place to hide. I'm sure it's not going anywhere voluntarily.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
29 Jul 10
How about you go find a king snake somewhere and transplant it into your yard.. and warn your neighbor not to kill it this time!
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
29 Jul 10
I think if his wife saw one, it wouldn't matter what I said...
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
1 Aug 10
No, I haven't procrastinated it enough yet...
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
29 Jul 10
Hello here in my place we donot see snakes any more, not a single in the city, only when you go to village area, in fields you can see one or two eating frogs, i am told they are nonpoisonous.. i donot have much idea about behavior of snakes..
Thanks for sharing.
Welcome always. 
Cheers.
Professor
Cheers.
Professor
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
29 Jul 10
the snakes around here are not very aggressive, but the rattlers are poisonous
@mario_stevens (6971)
• Malaysia
7 Aug 10
yup... poisonous snakes and little children really don't mix. big children on the other hand.. 
over here, when i was living in a house that was bordering a mini forest-reserve when i was growing up, we had a problem with Pythons and little Coral Snakes...and an occasional cobra. with the help of the local Fire Dpt, we managed to bag a few over the years... lucky thing that my parents aren't staying in that house anymore, we never knew when one of those slithering snakes might pop-up and scare the living daylights out of anyone 
over here, when i was living in a house that was bordering a mini forest-reserve when i was growing up, we had a problem with Pythons and little Coral Snakes...and an occasional cobra. with the help of the local Fire Dpt, we managed to bag a few over the years... lucky thing that my parents aren't staying in that house anymore, we never knew when one of those slithering snakes might pop-up and scare the living daylights out of anyone 1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160949)
• United States
28 Jul 10
Maybe it is so big it cannot get out, because it has gorged itself on all those mice? I would have my yard taken care of professionally although they tell me that garden centers carry a spray that you spray around and it repels snakes. I did not know there was such a thing as snake fencing.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
28 Jul 10
It's a fine mesh that they can't get through. You put it along the bottom of your fence, and a few inches into the ground.
@savypat (20216)
• United States
28 Jul 10
As a child I lived in rattlesnake country and we were taught to be careful at all times and how to identify these snakes. Children can live with snakes and if you could get a couple of kingsnakes they would clear your rattlers. Try to find a pest control person who goes the natural way, we have them here. One thing I do know that if you have one you will have others.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
28 Jul 10
Yeah, and pretty quickly apparently. Soon as the one moved out, the replacement was moved in.
I'll see if there's anybody around here who does it the natural way...
The children have already had a few lessons!
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
29 Jul 10
I tell you what…I would not hesitate to get a professional in; I would not mess with any snake! I had the experience of touching some docile non poisonous ones at my daughter’s school and that was interesting but I would not like to come across one in an environment that does not feel as safe as the school! One of the kids at school has two pet snakes, what could ever posses anyone to make them have snakes as pets??
1 person likes this
@much2say (56053)
• Los Angeles, California
28 Jul 10
Mice . . . is there not a Pied Piper around? I can't imagine living in snake land . . . I think I would freak. We walked around yesterday and found wiggly worms . . . that's just about as big a wiggly slithering animal as I can take! I would think poisonous snakes and people in general do not mix!!
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
28 Jul 10
I don't mind them as long as it's from a distance. And once I can see that it's not a rattler, they don't bother me at all.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
29 Jul 10
he can kill the rattler, it's just dumb to kill the other snakes around here, they eat pests...
@stefanisaiah (167)
• Philippines
29 Jul 10
Oh my God! That's big. Aren't you afraid?
You are right, that snake definitely a daddy. And it scary to know you have snake in your area. To be honest I'm so afraid of snake, even a small one. So if I were in your shoes I don't know if I will be comfortable going outside.
You better call a professional to handle that.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
29 Jul 10
I may do that. I wonder how they could possibly get it out from the rocks though, they go pretty far back into the hill.
