I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner when Ab said, "Mom, did you not hear Daddy yelling at you?" I was cranky and didn't want to look at his stupid truck, which is why he'd gone outside in the first place. I threw down my dishtowel and stomped out the front door. He said, "C'mere!" Well, having been married to this man for 12 years, I know that when he says "C'mere" like that, it's best to investigate before simply coming'ere - usually it means he's dangling a critter like a mouse or worse, a possum. I said, "NUH UH! I'm not going anywhere near you till I see what you have!" He said, "Oh for cryin' out loud, woman, COME HERE!" I took a few steps toward him. Got close enough to see that he was poking a baby copper head with the side rail of the kids' wagon. A freakin' baby copperhead! "Lookit this!" and he'd jab at it and the little critter would strike and hang on. Ooh I had heebeegeebees alllll over the place.
He was obviously upset at the constant poking.
What worries me is that I doubt he's an orphan snake. There's gotta be more of the nasty things lurking about my front yard. We've always had them and water moccasins down by the pond, but we've never in four years seen one in the yard. So much for that record.
9 comments:
How big is that baby?
You're not the first to look at the picture and ask that. I was not standing close and had the camera on macro, full zoom, in order to get the pic. He looks huge in the pic, doesn't he? In reality he was only about 18 inches. Bleh. Still gives me the creeps.
A "baby" Copperhead in my demented little world is approximately the size of a worm. This would rank in the Anaconda-sized-snake if I were telling the story.
Yeah, when we started encountering our baby copperheads in the house and yard I knew there was a mama somewhere coiled up close-by. Luckily she stayed hidden. May you never have to see mama!
Mrs. Coach - It just looks big in the picture! Of course, even a little snake is too big in my opinion!
Babs - Amen!!
Sorry to break it to you, but that's not a baby copperhead. In fact, it's not a venomous snake at all. Looks to me like a hatchling black rat snake. If you don't believe, go retrieve the body (I assume you killed it, and try to find a pair of fangs. Betcha don't...
I agree with anaymous - that is not a baby copperhead or anything remotely poisonous - sorry. I know when they're small, who's going to look closely enough, but it is a juvie black rat snake. As a matter of fact, I raise mice to feed my snakes and I have a black rat that got into one of my cages yesterday and helped himself to seven of my mice - (he was a wee bit bigger than your baby - about 4 1/2 ft)!
Now that he's nice and full, he'll go to the woods today far, far away from the house so he doesn't come back for more.
For comparison, found a page that will show babies of both - the black rat however you show looks to be a young adult or juvenile, and the colors do change as they get older - most adults are black on top with white chin, throats, some with red between the scales.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/reptiles/chamo.htm
Well I was about to defend you fearlessly and swear the dissenters was crazy and BTW I just found a copperhead in my hat shop at the bottom of the stairs but now it appears that living here a life time has taught me nothing and its surely a rat snake after all. Regardless I did not get to kill it and its still in the walls. I did kill two mature copperheads last week under the porch however as they cozied up mating.
Charlie
gladhatter
See my post here if you like :
http://www.gladhatter.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=22866#22866
Hey, from one diva to another, I like your snake post. I googled snake diva, and I found you, not too far from me. I learned to love snakes from a pair of 5 foot long chicken snakes, aka rat snakes. And no I am not weird. I I just think snakes are pretty and where I live we don't have poisonous ones. Where I grew up was another story. Keep on writing. You are magnificent.
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