Lookie what I found in my shop

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Russianwolf

Russianwolf

Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2007
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5,690
Location
Martinsburg, WV, USA.
Went down to the shop to do some clean-up. With all the rain we've had lately I had a bit of water infiltration and some boxes of stuff I had stored down there got wet. I went to move something and as I walked to another spot stepped on something that wasn't supposed to be there. Looked down in time to see this guy making a break for it.



200851819237_Picture%20282.jpg



Pretty sure its just a Garter but am making sure before I turn him loose. Right now he's nursing his tail wound in the bottom of one of my trash cans. I'm figuring he's about 18 inches long but I'll measure him later.
 
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We only have two poisonous varieties in this area. The Copperhead and the Rattler, and he definitly ain't one of those. I was flopping between the Garter and the Ribbon, which look very similar and are often confused. The big difference is habitat. The Ribbon usually lives in wetlands/marshes which it has been plenty wet here lately.[:p]
 
I've heard that if you look at their pupils, the general rule of thumb is that if the pupils are round, they're not poisonous, and if they're slitted, watch out! Don't rely on that too much though...

I for one have no intention of staring into their eyes as a reliable means of determining whether or not I could become a fatality. Just put some PR in there with it, the fumes should knock it out, and then you can look. heh
 
This is my old friend Thamnophis proximus orarius or what most people call the Western Ribbon Snake. These are a common Garter snake in Texas. They live along the coast and maybe 100 miles inland. They like humid, grassy areas and are not found in our hill country or hot and dry country. They do a food job of keeping small rodents and frogs in check. I frequently see them in the springtime in my rain barrels fishing for tadpoles. They will dive down and come up with a polly tail still protruding from their mouth. Nice friendly little fellows. Our yard man insists on weed-eating them when he finds one. I can't convince him not to
 
I had one about that size for a pet when I was a teenager. Until the time I forgot to put the lid on his terrarium after feeding him and he got loose in the house. Mom was NOT pleased. AHHHH - the memories of youth :D.
 
Luck you! I was talking to a friend Friday who found an 18" rattlesnake in his shop, complete with 4 buttons.

How would you like to be reaching down under the bench for something you dropped and have that little sucker bit you!
 
snakes don't scare me much. I grew up catching them for fun with my bare hands. It wasn't until I hit about 12 that I found out that about half of the ones I was catching were Copperheads!!!! Then I learned all the poisonous ones in the area and was a little more careful when catching them (read, very little improvement). I used to worry my mother constantly.

This guy was a bit upset (still is) since I stepped on his tail and messed it up pretty good, but he wasn't a problem to get my hand on. He is a bit snappy though.

I'll likely just turn him loose in the shop so he can keep the other critters down. That's what I was planning on doing with a 3 foot black snake my dogs found last year, but he disappeared before I could nab him.
 
Garter snake all the way, do you want a hundred more or so? If so I can get them for you in a couple days of "dumpster tipping". They are thick around hear. Not much of a mouse eater, but if you have a frog problem, he will help you out. :D
 
Please don't kill it. It is a ribbon snake. Here is another picture of one found here in Fla. Not very good pic.
ribbon2.jpg


Here is a picture of a garter snake. Not a very good either, but you can see the difference between the markings on the body. The garter has different markings where the ribbon has stripes. Not all, but most are like this.
garter.jpg


If you handle it and get bit, wash it really well and keep an eye on the bite area. Believe it or not, some people consider them to be poisonous. It's just that some people that get bitten by them have a bad reaction to the saliva. I know a guy that got bit by one and his hand around the bite area swelled up really bad.
 
Many garter snakes also have stripes without splotches. For some, it's just a phase. For others, it's permanent. Garters are a little thicker bodied than ribbons, so I'm pretty sure yours is a garter, Mike.
 
I've probably handled a thousand of them since I was a kid, they will bite and yes the bite can hurt and get infected if not cleaned, but no real danger. Again, it feeds on mostly insects and amphibians so probably wont do you much good for mousing.
 
I have a particular aversion to snakes in a dwelling.

Many years ago, It was a particularly cold August day, about 55 F and a 4 foot rattlesnake came into my house to warm himself. He/she did not take kindly to the fact I wanted it OUT of my house.

*Shudder*

What I remember most was thinking, "Hmmmm, that thing has a really big mouth", as it was striking at me.
 
Suppose I could say that here in dark Africa we have lions instead of cats, use elephants to haul freshly cut logs to the workshop and that snakes are soooo everyday. But, if I stood on one in my shop, would need a fire hose to help wash the place down!:):D
 
Originally posted by Russianwolf

YEp, it's a garter, did some more checking and Ribbon's have never been reported in our area.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't let that stop you from calling it a Ribbon snake.

MO conservation department swears up and down that there are no mountain lions in the state of Missouri. I can tell you right now there are, I'm just glad we were on the boat and he was up on a cliff when we saw him or my wife might have had a heart attack right there.

I don't have to worry much about snakes at the house, our little dauschund takes care of all manner of invaders in the yard. She is fierce I tell ya!!!

:D:D
 
Mike, I have been collecting and playing with snakes since I was a kid. That is a young garter snake and I am happy to hear that you are lettinng it stay in your shop. It won't stop the mice from coming in, but it will stop them from growing in numbers as they love those pinkies. If you want any more, my kids are always bringing a snake of some sort home and yes, they have brought home a few young copperheads until I showed them the 2 types to stay away from around here. One of my brothers does snake removal from homes and businesses and you should see some of the snakes he has picked up and brought over, I still have the black king snake that he pulled out of a house that didn't own any snakes and they are not native here. Someone left the cage open somewhere.
 
Nice pic of your little pal there. It reminds me of the pair of copperheads that decided to nest in my shop last summer. I wasn't nearly as tolerant of them, though. I have about three more pens worth of copperhead skin left :D.
 
I currently have a beautiful and gentle Carpet Python as a pet (5 years now). She is quiet, clean, never so much as hissed at anyone, much less bitten. She comes to me when I open her cage, loves to be held, and has more personality than many warm-blooded pets I have had, and certainly more than any other snake I've owned. She has been to many schools for show-n-tell with my grandkids, and has helped dozens of people overcome their fear of snakes. Respect, understand and yes, be cautious, but please resist the urge to kill on sight... :(
 
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