Jvonna....
Best advice for snake elimination, get a Rat Terrior, and let him kill all the snakes for you. They're probably just grass snakes. In case of poisonous snakes, keep some Benedryl Liquid in the house and administer an appropriate dose in case one of your pets gets bitten, and then of course, take him to the vet.
Oh, and if you can't stand mowing the grass right now, you might get someone else to do it for you. That makes creepy crawly things more visible when the grass is kept mowed pretty short.

Barbara

Do you mean they are Pygmy rattlesnakes? I would call in the pro, because I would be afraid also.

I have seen 5 pygmy rattlesnakes this year. I see about 2 per year on average and they are the most frequently seen snake on our bottomland forest in Okmulgee County. For some reason (many hawks?) I don't see many snakes, but half of the ones I see are pygmy rattlers. I usually see them near tree trunks. Fortunately I am often on a tractor. They are not large, so I probably miss many more than I see.

Eight years ago I didn't even know such a thing existed.

Yes I'm talking about Pygmy rattlesnakes I never knew they existed until we killed three and one got away. They are big ugly and will make us all sick. I mentioned it on facebook that's how I learned of others here in town that have been getting them an they always go to the patio glass door. The first one I was letting my three dogs out and happened to notice that thing coming at me as I opened the back door fortunately I lured the three dogs back real fast promising treats. I live on a dead end with one house behind me and behind it is a several acre pasture. I've had back bull snakes before but they won't make you sick. Suppose it's hot and they are after water. Just scares me. I know to keep the grass short so tomorrow I'll mow with my cowboots on if only I could figure a way to tie a shovel to the push mower in case I see another. Just gives me the creeps. Thanks for any advice but you need to watch out for yourself and your pets.

jvonna...

Are you saying these pygmy rattlesnakes are aggressively chasing you, or trying to get into your house?? Yikes!! I guess I am not familiar with rattlesnakes behaving this way.

One of the things I believe you could do to drive them away from your house is to put a few moth balls along the foundation and the patio door. The naptha in mothballs repel snakes. You would have to be careful not to place them close to where your pets lay, as moth balls are extremely toxic and the fumes can make people and/or pets sick if they are in close proximity to them. You also might try tossing a few around the boundaries of your property. I don't think pets would be the least inclined to sample them. Eventually, the rain would melt them and you'd have to replace them, but they aren't expensive. The naptha in moth balls is the same ingredient as what is in the expensive product sold at feed stores, Lowes, etc, as a snake repellant at a much more expensive price. Something like $12 as I recall.

Other than mothballs, like I suggested before, Rat Terriers are great snake killers, and good to have around for other varmits, such as rats, as well.

What usually happens around my place, since I no longer have a dog, is that my cats point out the snakes for me, and then I have to go get the hoe and kill it, which I HATE doing with a passion! I had a terrible time with snakes when I first moved into this place, but gradually, we've gotten them almost eliminated. The mom cat Turbo killed a small copperhead, which is what we mostly see around here, besides an occasional grass snake, rather than rattlers.
My four cats, (stone cold killers), patrol every inch of my property, and notice the slightest thing.

What ever you do, be careful and be safe! I hope you get rid of these horrible things some way.

Barbara

Jvonna,

The first thing I would do would be to try to find someone in a position of authority and discuss it with them. I'd start by looking in the blue pages or yellow pages and finding a number and calling the country agriculture extension agent. If that person cannot help you with a pygmy rattlesnake issue, he or she ought to be able to refer you to a wildlife management officer who can give you some advice.

If your city has an animal control officer, they might be able to help you.

Keep in mind that these snakes normally do not seek out humans, so this is very odd behavior, and perhaps y'all can analyze the situation and figure out why they're behaving this way.

I have a couple of ideas:

(1) They are looking for food. Snakes eat rodents and pygmy rattlesnakes also eat some insects. So, if there is the slightest chance you have mice inside or around your home, that could be one reason the snakes are there, and I don't mean that as a reflection on you....when you're surrounded by fields, field mice simply are going to come and try to get inside your home, garage, sheds, etc. So, setting some traps and seeing if you catch mice might provide a clue.

A couple of years ago, a neighbor of ours had a sudden infestation of mice even though they'd lived in the house a couple of decades and never had a mice problem before. I suggested they get a cat or two or three, and they did. Not only did the cats quickly take care of the mice, but for the first time since they built that house, they went a whole spring/summer without seeing a snake. In the past, two people had been bitten by copperheads on that property, so a snake-free summer was a relief.

2) They are looking for shelter and safety. Something has happened in their normal habitat and they are fleeing and looking for a safer place. Since I don't live near you, I have no idea what that would be in your particular part of Oklahoma. Here in our county, this often happens when we're experiencing major flooding, like when the Red River flooded in June/July 2007. It also might be that whatever predators you have in your area that generally eat pygmy rattlesnakes could be there in large numbers and the snakes are trying to get away from them.

To keep snakes away, mow down everything as short as you can. Don't leave any tall grass standing around brush piles, fence lines, etc. Be very careful about picking up anything that is on the ground because a snake might be underneath it. I normally use a rake or shovel or a long wooden stake (I have a 6' long 1" x 2" that I often use) to lift stuff up off the ground. If you have a bird feeder or other source of food that mice might be after, stop using it or move it as far away from the house as possible.

I would not use moth balls around the exterior of the house because it is dangerous and it is against the law to use a registered pesticide (in this case, mothballs ARE a registered pesticide) in a manner other than what is specified on the label. People who have put out mothballs to deter snakes have often inadvertently harmed their own cats and dogs, sometimes leading to the animals' deaths, because the fumes from moth balls can be deadly to pets--especially small pets--and, in fact, mothballs can harm people as well. Once or twice a year someone here on this forum suggests mothballs be mis-used and it just isn't wise....or legal....to do so.

As Barbara pointed out, there is a snake repellent called Snake-Away (and I am sure there are others---but Snake-Away is the one I see in stores here) that contains naptha and which has been formulated for outdoor applications, but the fumes from Snake-Away are just as deadly to pets and just as harmful to people, and I've never seen any research that says it works either. The people I personally know who have bought it and used it did not think it was effective. If you wanted to use a naptha product, at least Snake-Away is labeled for outside use. I'd never use it though because I love my pets.

Jvonna, I hate snakes and because I live very close to the Red River (it is on three sides of us), we have oodles and oodles of rattlesnakes--especially Timber Rattlers and Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes but we also have Copperheads and an occasional Cottonmouth. We see the occasional pygmy rattlesnake although I've only seen ours down in the woods, and not up in the more open area around the house. We kill every venomous snake that comes near the house, yard, garage/barn or garden. We have numerous cats and it is their job to keep the property rodent-free, and they do, so we don't have snakes up around the house very often although the woods and pastures are full of them. We also have free-ranging chickens and guineas who keep insect numbers low around the house and that helps.

I think sometimes pygmy rattlesnakes also eat small lizards, so if you have small lizards around the house, they might be after them.

Good luck with the snake problem. If it continues to occur, I'd certainly call an exterminator and see if there is anything they can do safely to eliminate any possible food sources for the snakes around your place, but of course you'll have to be careful that they don't do anything that will harm your dogs.

If the snakes started trying to come in during the recent heat wave when temps were in the 100s and heat index numbers were even higher, then brace yourself because the heat is returning.

Please be careful. We've lost several pets to rattlesnake bites over the years and it is hearbreaking. (Several of our cats and dogs also have survived rattlesnake and copperhead bites, and one cat has survived being bitten by a copperhead on two separate occasions.)

If you have a local newspaper, I'd call them and alert them to the situation. If they run an article on it and more people are aware of what is going on, that could force county and city oficials to formulate a plant to helpe their residents deal with this sudden 'invasion' of snakes.

Finally, upon the advice of our vet, we keep liquid children's Benadryl on hand at all times to give to a pet that has been bitten. We generally only use it if the bite is on a limb and the reason why is that a snakebite often cause rapid swelling on the limb and that swelling can cut off blood circulation and cause the dog or cat to lose a leg. We also give it to the dogs or cats bitten on the head because swelling there could cause breathing difficulty. Vets do not keep antivenin (it is very expensive) on hand to administer to pets bitten by snakes, so we normally just treat our animals ourselves if they are bitten by a venomous snake.

Good luck,

Dawn

For several years I've been killing rat snakes (big black snakes) whenever I find them on our place, because they were eating chicks and eggs. But last fall and winter we had an explosion of rodents and I decided "Okay, unless I find them in the act, or in a very incriminating position, I'll let them alone."

Now, reel forward a bit. All summer we've had a couple of hens laying eggs UNDERNEATH the little house we built for one of our bucks (male goats). Every day I have to get in the pen with that buck, distract him with something to eat, get down on my hands and knees, lift that house (which is about as heavy as I can handle & hold up), reach under there, and get those eggs out; all before I have to let it fall back into place. Lately I've taken to resting the house on the back of my neck while I extract those eggs.

Anyway, last night, as it was getting dark, I got into my daily position to get those eggs under the buck house. It was almost too dark. But I decided to be diligent and get them. I lifted the house, rested it on the back of my neck, reached in.... and found a 5' rat snake instead of any eggs!!!

Grunting and straining under the weight of the buck house was not a good position for deliberation as to what to do. So, I opted for mercy. Besides, I didn't care for grabbing the snake while balancing the buck house on the back of my neck! But if I find him there again, I'm either going to have to relocate or kill him. Can't afford two to four eggs a day.

George
Tahlequah, OK

I would be careful about letting a terrier kill snakes.
We have a little yorkie that thinks he can kill an elephant, but he has been bee stung 2 times. The last time (about a month ago) I thought we were going to loose him. He went from a healthy, happy dog, to a coma or seizure in about 10 or 15 minutes. I grabbed him and started trying to do cpr while my wife drove us to the nearest vet about 9 miles away.

You seem to get very attached to your pets and fear for their safty. These two trips to the vet has cost us $675.00. I use to let the clover grow and bloom for the bees, now I mow as low as possible and hope to kill it all out.

This little dog weighs 7 lbs., but thinks he weighs 100 lbs. I am afraid he is going to force something to kill him because he cant keep his mouth shut and leave things alone. He is never off his leash while out side. Larry

George,

I can relate to your black snake story because they always get in our coop and kill our baby chicks and keats. Last summer, sometime in July I think, I walked ito the chicken coop to check on the keats and there was a huge black snake. I could have gone inside for a gun but was afraid the snake would leave and I'd miss the chance to kill it and then have to deal with it another day. So, I called two neighbors and they both came. (It was a very big snake!)

Anyway, one guy put on some thick gloves and grabbed that big old rat snake and threw him out the door. Then, the second guy shot the snake as it flew by. Being a woman who isn't a shooting expert, I probably would have shot the thing inside and then spent time later repairing the bullet hole in the building afterwards. LOL

I wish you chould have seen my face when that snake came flying out the door just a few feet from where I was standing. Later, I asked the guys why they didn't tell me they were going to throw it out, because I assumed they'd carry it out. They just gave me that look than men give a woman when they think she is asking a stupid question. Turns out, I guess, they didn't want to handle it any longer than necessary, which I can understand.

So far this year, only one snake in the henhouse, but I still am not over the shock of the hawk/snake mutual combat by the dog yard, so I think I deserve a "light" snake year this year. Actually, everyone but me has seen a lot of snakes this year. Maybe I'm just not paying attention.

Dawn

Well, we've had more copperheads than usual, and I show no mercy with them. I'm always afraid I'm going to reach for an egg, in some dark corner, and get bitten.

I should have gotten that rat snake and at least re-located him. For two days now we've had no eggs in that spot, and egg production has plummeted. My guess is that this one has decided that eggs are easier than mice.

George

George,

We don't even relocate them any more because they come right back to the chicken coop once they've developed a taste for eggs/chicks/keats. Simply being present in the coop is an 'instant death penalty offense".

We haven't seen many copperheads this year, but I'm not complaining. The rattlesnakes are making up for the lack of copperheads.

Dawn

Hi,
Thought I'd chime in on this subject. :-) We have really been overrun by snakes this year. Being a transplanted citygirl I don't have much experience identifying snakes. I know what copper heads look like because we have so many. In fact my then 17 year old son was bitten last year when he took the trash out at dusk. (hopefully he now sees the reason for always wearing close-toed shoes outside) The ER told us that although copper heads are highly venomous they don't usually leave much venom in their victim. We were thankful that was the case with our son.

Does anyone know of a great website to indentify snakes and other creepy crawlies?

God Bless,
Connie

Connie,

Click on the link to the Ardmore-based Noble Foundation's snake page. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the Noble Foundation, they do a lot of agricultural research but for some reason seem to be better-known worldwide than right here at home in Oklahoma.

One thing it took me a while to learn is that there can be some color and pattern variations. For example, every copperhead doesn't have the same coloration or exact same pattern. Still, they are similar enough to recognize.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Noble Foundation Snake Info

" (hopefully he now sees the reason for always wearing close-toed shoes outside) "

Yes, I cannot even imagine wearing open type footwear out where there are snakes and other wild critters. Here's a funny one for you:

A couple of years ago we had some teen aged visitors from suburbia. They were very inexperienced with country living. The two young men wanted to walk out to our pond, and our 16-17 year old daughter offered to take them. While they were walking the guys commented on all the manure they were seeing and commented, "We're going to step in your foot steps, so we don't step in any of it." Our daughter didn't even look back. She simply stated, matter of factly, "That won't work, I don't try to avoid it!"

George

can you tell me how much liquid benadryl to give a dog? i can't find it online. do you buy this at the drug store? will it keep the dog from dying?

Jessaka,

All the benadryl does is stop the swelling that generally occurs with a snake bite. Our vet always tells us to give it to the dogs if their snake bite is on a part of their body, like a leg or on their face, where swelling could cause further problems. So, it will not necessarily save their lives.....it does nothing to counteract the venom.....it just helps keep the swelling to a minimum.

We buy it at the drugstore...we just get the children's liquid form of Benadryl. Once, before we routinely started keeping the liquid handy, we had to break open the pink and white Benadryl capsules and mix them with water to give a dog who'd been bitten.

I'm not a vet, so I can't tell you how much to give a dog, but I can tell you how much I give a dog or at least how I figure it out. I just use the guidelines given for children and adjust the amount upward or downward based on the dog's weight and age.

For example, Duke--who is a Rottweiler-Terrier Mix, was bitten right on the side of his nose by a timber rattler when he was about 15 months old and weighed about 65 lbs. We didn't have any liquid Benadryl, so we broke open two capsules, mixed them with about a teaspoon of water, and used a syringe to squirt it into his mouth. At that point in time, about 15 minutes after the snakebite, he was in shock, was glassy-eyed, his nose and face were swelling, and I was having to hold him upright to keep him from falling over. I didn't think he'd survive. Within maybe a half-hour of giving him the Benadryl, the swelling was greatly reduced, his eyes weren't as glassy, and he could sit up and walk around on his own. We gave him Benadryl every 6 hours for the first 24 hours after the snake bite. His nose/face still swelled a little, but not much.

Duke, by the way, is now full-grown and is 3 and 1/2 years old. He has the big, broad body of an adult Rottweiler now. He probably weighs 140 or 150 lbs. He's just a big old muscular dog. If he were to be bitten again on a part of his body where swelling could be an issue, I'd probably call the vet and ask him how much to give a dog that large.

Based on our experience with our animals here, they normally survive if it is a copperhead bite, but normally do not survive a rattlesnake bite, and there is little to nothing a vet can do in terms of the venom since antivenin is too expensive to routinely use on animals. (Its' cost is staggering.) A cat is more likely to die than a dog, and I assume that has to do with their smaller size. (All my dogs are big, so I don't have any experience with small dogs being bitten.) Sometimes a vet will keep a snakebit animal a couple of days and keep it on an IV to help flush out the venom more quickly. Sometimes they'll administer Benadryl, or tell you to do so, to reduce swelling, but generally only on bites involving limbs or the face. When Slim (a cat) was bitten in the abdomen, the vet did not recommend Benadryl.

A local remedy recommended to us by one of our neighbors after Spotty (a cat) was bitten was to give her an egg mixed with bacon drippings. He said that's what his mom always did when one of their cats was bitten by a snake. I don't think it has any curative properties, but I think the egg gives them protein and the bacon grease entices them into eating it. I've found most cats won't eat it unless I give it to them ASAP after the bite because once they really start feeling the effects of the bite, they are too sick to eat. Spotty I did survive her first snakebite, but died after the second, which is exactly what the vet told us was likely to happen. Her replacement, Spotty II, has survived snakebites on two separate occasions. I don't know why both my "Spotty" cats were bitten twice, but suspect their coloring (white with black spots) made them highly visible targets.

Dawn

We found a pygmy rattlesnake under our vinyl siding when we had to tear part of it down. Is this common!!! Cuz I'm freaking out! They have more siding to tear doen!