What Kind of Snake is This?

Frugal Sunnie
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June 25, 20130 found this helpful

The best way to identify this snake is to check with the cooperative extension office for your county (easily found online by using your county name together with the words cooperative extension service).

This is a taxpayer funded service through the state university system and the info available from them covers nearly every aspect of home life from gardening, pests (including snakes), cooking and food preservation-your tax dollars really are at work with the extension service and nearly every bit of info is free.

Use the navigation links on their pages to find the snake identification photos with info on discouraging them from moving into your garden, garage, and house. There may be an email option so you can email the picture for identification.

Meanwhile stay away from it. The triangular head may mean it is a venomous snake-but not always so please don't kill it. It's attracted to your property for a reason, usually that a food supply (rodents including squirrels) is plentiful. Trust me I know it's scary but it's keeping the rodent population down around your home.

Still, keep your kitty indoors as the snake clearly sees your cat as a meal, and keep the dog away from it as the snake could inflict a potentially fatal bite.

Be careful not to put your hand in anything that may provide a hiding place for the snake, and wear thick, long trousers if you have to get out in the area you think it may be hanging about until you have cleared off what ever is attracting the snake to your home. Once its food source is dried up it will move on to somewhere else.

sha

June 26, 20130 found this helpful

Looks like what we call a chicken snake or rat snake. They are not venomous and they love rats. If you have a barn put him out there. Cats love trying to catch snakes, but the snake will bite.