mr handy

+1

dangerman

my wife's horse was bitten on the nose by a baby rattlesnake two years ago in Topenga. Got him right in a vein, and killed him within 8 hours. Most aweful thing I've ever witnessed. His head swelled to 3 times normal. I've never seen an animal suffer like that. The vet tried to save him, but the internal bleeding was too much.

Snicklefritz

How awful. snakes suck.


do snakes do anything useful besides keep the rat and mouse population under control and provide material for high priced handbags and shoes?

JimDibb

Don't take that too lightly? Ever seen footage of a mouse plague? Worse than a snake here and there any day...

dcvelo

Why do snakes have to do anything useful? They have as much right to be around as anybody.

Sorry to hear about the horse though...that is pretty awful. I'd worry about my dogs if I lived in a place with more rattlers, but there aren't too many in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

couleeman

This one got my attention last week. I have been in the norhtern midwest most of my life and never seen one of these. This one was an easy four feet long, no problem...harmless, but it sure got my attention.

https://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/...watersnake.htm

tubs

Ran into this rattler coming down Mount Hamilton in San Jose about 3 weeks ago. I was descending along side of a buddy of mine and all of a sudden he freaked me out when he looked like he was having a heebeegeebee siezure. Turns out there was a 4 foot rattler stretched out on the road (and I didn't see it LOL) that just gave him one of those disgusted phobic kind of shakes and once I realized this I just laughed at him. Had a camera handy and got this picture of it looking pretty pissed after we urged it to the side of the road:

Cain

I saw a cottonmouth in the street this morning on my ride. I typically ride through a neighborhood with a lot of local wooded wetlands and a golf course. There are snakes all over that place. People build houses and the snakes look for new places to live.

Whoever mentioned cottonmouths aren't friendly is right. I've seen my share of them and they are very aggressive. When that one saw me coming, it stopped and opened its mouth. I've seen them do that from time to time - I wonder if it's a defense mechanism or something. It wasn't coiled up, just a little curvy like it had just been cruising along.

urbanknight

Personally, I think ANYONE who doesn't do something useful at least some of the time should just save our resources and die. But that's just me.

Keith99

It would take some strange circumstances, but possible, the head is not going to jump off the table and get you like in a bad movie. But kids or drunken 20 year olds could accomplish this fooling arround and putting the head in other peoples faces. It is very possible for a dead snake to strike. (and even with a log dead snake the poison does not go away by magic so I guess you could still get in trouble if foolish enough).

Rattlesnakes at least are usually pretty shy. As long as you watch where you are putting your hands and feet the chances of getting bitten are very very small. Actually I'd bet as long as you don't have oave a half acre your dogs would be pretty safe after a year of so, e.g. once they have been making a racket for a while and the rattlers have moved off.


Oh and it is not hard to catch a rattlesnake, all the 12 year old boys in my social set knew how to do it. (Not theory, experience). Just like fishing catch and release.

BillyD

There are so many false myths perpetrated in this thread I don't know where to start.

Suffice it to say that you can dismiss virtually 90% of what you just heard in this thread as FALSE.

Sorry to disappoint the ever-present snake bashers; don't believe me, look it up.

As for what good are snakes . . . they wage war on rodents.

urbanknight

Then just tell us the ones that are true and we can toss the rest.

Don't forget kids, if you read it on the internet, it MUST be true

rog

Generally, at least the ability to spell guy...

rog

On the other side of the Beltway, however...

ryanspeer

With their heads still attached, but having been killed, their muscles start convulsing and writhing, causing the snake to still be moving for a while after dying - theoretically meaning you could still get bitten. At least, that's what I've been told by my dad, recounting one of his run-ins with snakes during his childhood/teens.

Matt888

I think it's 7 out of 10. But it's one of those funny stats that change often. And yes, Kiwi Land is a bit of a safe haven as far as any deadly animals go they have none. On land anyway. The 2 countries geography is very different though. NZ is mostly cold and snakes aren't made for that. I've been bitten by snakes twice, once by a read belly black snake mostly harmless as long as you get to the doc quick enough, but once by a Tiger snake about 3 years ago. It was only a tiny little thing, a baby they told me. Droped me like a sack off crap. It actually struck me 3 times in the blink of an eye and I hardly even saw it. Once we had a compression bandage on it, it was sort of bearable untill we got in the Ambulance and they took it off (Idiots). I had heat and pain go up one leg and down the other and I thought my gut was going to explode. Good times, 3 nights in Hospital and a very healthy respect for all gods creatures both great and small. All good though. Still wouldn't want to harm one. Lets face it I probably scared the ***** out of the little fella.

Paul L.

Rattlers are actually a very nice animal. Unlike a mountain lion they announce their presence and warn you usually. At least in Arizona the only people that really get hurt from rattlers are idiots that try to kill them or play with them.

jimx200

My sister's encounter with rattler was such that the snake did NOT rattle, if fact, after striking her above the knee, it coiled and stuck again missing her as she jerked back from the bite...both times no rattle. My experience has been that rattlers may or may not rattle. When they do, it's not a typical rattle sound, more of a loud angry buzz. About 5 years ago while fishing the N. Fork or the Kaweah River (south of Sequoia National Park), I stepped on a 3 footer...it buzzed, and I probably beat Beamons world record for the long jump getting away. My family has property off N. Fork Drive (Three Rivers area) and this area has many rattlers...and yes, some have been blasted away with a 12ga. if close to the house. Yeah, I love nature and animals, but sorry, I just can't get fuzzy about a rattler. BTW, my nephews frequently find California King snakes and treat them gently as they are a big predator of the rattlesnake.

blanqui

Snakes are essential for keeping the rodent population in check. In PA you can rarely encounter timber rattlers. However, I did come across a 6' (72 inches I sh**T you not) Black Rat Snake the other day.

My brother's dog was, however, bit on the nose by a rattle snake. Its head swelled to the size of a large microwave oven and it lost half of its tongue but the dog (Panzer) survived. Unfortunately Panzer was killed by a truck a few weeks later. Guess you can't cheat fate.

2Tired2Shift

Not true; it took me 9 years to get my ex-wife to leave.

adamfresno

Having grown up in Arizona, Cali and now Nevada a rattlesnake is not too much too worry about. One of the things that I like about cycling is all the animal watching along the way and I always enjoy a snake. Sometimes I will help the non venom snakes across the road. But you still need to be careful.

cccorlew

I see 'em on rides. I go around 'em. What's with all the snake panic?
I do see too many flattened king snakes and garter snakes on my rides. Makes me sad.

bmfsiii

LOL

That sir, is a different kind of snake, and unfortunately you can't just kill'em.

BillyD

Cause you kept feeding her.

evanatorx

one time a cat jumped out of us...look out! too late..