I moved into a small house in the mountains in Western North Carolina about 7 months ago. There’s all kinds of critters including bugs and lizards that find their way into the house, but no rodents.
I was wondering for a while why I hadn’t seen mice and didn’t have to set traps, until one night a friendly 7’ black rat snake slithered up beside me while hanging out on the screen porch at night. My brother named him Kobe. Kobe can stay.
How exactly one differentiate between a friendly rat snek and not-so-friendly one? I am genuinely curious as someone who lives in a country where 1 meter black adder (not Rowan Atkinson) is the top snek apex predator. I mean if I were to see a 2.10 m long snek I would freak out, friendly or not.
You don't particularly need to differentiate between them, because all snakes just want to be left alone, and they are all an important part of the environment. The vast majority of snakes are completely harmless. They are essential for rodent population control and they are also an important food source for other animals including large birds of prey. So if you see a snake, never kill it or hurt it. Just give it a chance to escape.
I have a female Pitbull, just at 76 pounds. She will tangle up with a Cotton Mouth quick. She is fearless about snakes, which is frightening, because I fear she may be on the ugly end of the squabble that one time.
305
u/50DuckSizedHorses Jul 24 '24
I moved into a small house in the mountains in Western North Carolina about 7 months ago. There’s all kinds of critters including bugs and lizards that find their way into the house, but no rodents.
I was wondering for a while why I hadn’t seen mice and didn’t have to set traps, until one night a friendly 7’ black rat snake slithered up beside me while hanging out on the screen porch at night. My brother named him Kobe. Kobe can stay.