This past weekend I went to the farm by myself.
First the good news...I did not have to mow, it still looked exactly like it did last weekend when I did mow. I'm guess probably only one or two more times this year until next Spring.
Now for the other part...there is a box on the porch. It has a galvanized metal ring inside that we're going to use as a planter. I didn't get to it this year so it's just been sitting there on the porch. No big deal...or so I figured.
I was watering some plants on the porch and I leaned over to reach for something and saw this...
...a snake had shed its skin...
It wasn't coming out. It was going in.
OH.
HELL.
NO.
Of course now I have visions of the round galvanized fire ring inside the box with a giant snake curled up inside its comfy, wonderful, new home...
...raising a nest of baby snakes.
2nd Man asked if I was going to move the box.
NOPE. Gonna leave the box alone.
OMG; Heck No. I'm with you on NOT moving the box. I think I would still be running as fast and as far away as possible.
ReplyDeleteCall animal control if you have one in your area. They will try and get it and relocate it for you.
I'd check the online guide to Texas snakes to see if you can rule out venomous snakes. We have lots of snakes here in Tennessee, and I check often to see how concerned I need to be -- I am not a fan!
ReplyDeleteOh ick!!!! No thank you - I would not go near that box - burn the porch! HA HA
ReplyDeletei might have to sell the farm!
ReplyDeleteWhere there is one, there are two.
ReplyDeleteUmmm. Nuke it from space?
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to get a rope around the back side of the box and drag it off the porch? If it tips over the snake might fall out of the box and head for the hills.
Ugh...My nightmare! Did you see last week's episode of Bless this Mess? They punched a hole in the wall of their old farmhouse and tons of baby snakes fell out. Good idea, but don't bother calling our animal control. Check out Caleb Paul's FB group Southeast Texas Snake ID. He will also make house calls, if you are too far I'm sure he knows someone nearby. Good luck! Did I mention nightmares?
ReplyDeleteI think I would have to find out what kind of snake it was before I got in too big of a panic. If it is a friendly fellow it could help with rodent control. If it is not a friendly variety then, well, do whatever you have to! Napalm? Atomic bomb? Mongoose?
ReplyDeletecall animal control?
ReplyDeleteits a rat snake and it is living thre because you have mice at the house let the snake alone as it only wants to rid your place of those mice. win-win!!!
ReplyDeleteLions and tigers and snakes, oh my! When we lived in the country in Illinois, we had a terrible problem with mice. When we got all of their entrances to the house blocked, they congregated in the garage. That drew snakes to the garage. I'm sure they were harmless snakes that only wanted to eat the mice, but the sight of them made me even more upset than the sight of the mice.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Ummmm….nope, nope, nope. Love the idea of Leanna's to wrap a rope and drag it off the porch. But napalm or an atomic bomb works for me too. X
ReplyDeleteWhat a scary sight! I suggest getting a long pole and bang on the box every time you visit the Farm to hopefully make the box seem to be an inhospitable place to stay. The skin does appear to be a rat snake.
ReplyDeleteI'd wait until a cold day when the snake would be very sluggish, and just move the box away from the house into the bush. Open it up to see what is actually in there. When they get cold enough they can't move or react at all.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a Rat snake,or a Black snake,both of which eat rats/mice. Could be a King Snake,which eats poisonous snakes,which could mean you have another problem. Call a Snake Expert and see what you got (Zoo,Google)
ReplyDeleteI have a country house too and found a snake skin INSIDE. I joined a Facebook group called Central Texas Snake ID and it has taught me so much. I highly recommend joining a local FB group like Deb suggested. Also, like others have said, it's probably a rat snake. They're not venomous, and they are only there because they're following rodents. After I'd been a member of the FB group for a while, I found a live rat snake inside and I used a broom to brush it into a garbage can then carried it out to the woods. You can't do anything about snakes outside. None of those snake deterrents they sell work, or they're harmful to other wildlife, or just cruel (e.g. glue traps). Call a snake guy and tell him to seal all the holes a snake can fit through. That way you'll never have another snake follow a rodent inside your house again. Plus, the hole will be too small even for a rodent to fit through. Pest control folks will seal up holes that are big enough for rodents, but they may miss holes that a snake could fit through. You might be freaked out right now but trust me, it's fine! Join one of those snake groups ASAP. Snakes serve an important purpose, even the venomous ones. Without them, we'd be overrun with rodents, insects, and other stuff we don't want to be overrun with.
ReplyDeleteI've had several snakes come inside at the farm and city house. And the city house is brick. AND, two were copperheads. All total, five. I'm not afraid of snakes so it doesn't bother me. One was about six feet long and black. My husband found a huge rattlesnake in his cabin last week and it was gone back out the way it came in by the time he got his shotgun. He put snake pellets around.
ReplyDelete