We live in eastern west virginia and have a lot of different kinds of snakes. I was always taught the only good snake is a dead one, even before moving to the mountains. My nephew killed a three foot timber rattler the other day, but it was in their goat cage. We usually don't kill them unless they are poisonous or threatening us or our animals. A woman that I sell at the local farmers market with was telling us how the rattle snakes in Texas will rattle when you get anywhere close to them, but the ones here don't rattle at all until they are about to strike. My neice was the one that spotted the snake in the goat cage and had to warn my brother in law cause he was about to step on it. The snake never even rattled and they are lucky she spotted it. Ever since that happened I have been on high alert for snakes. They scare me so much, any snake at all. We are really far from a hospital (like 45 - hour), so I never want to take the chance of getting bitten. What would be a good option to keep snakes out of our fenced in area in the yard, where we have dogs and a 7 month year old who likes to play outside? Something that isn't the spray "snake guard" or whatever. It says it only lasts 30 days and is like $50 for a quart.

I have just encountered snake (garter) number 2 on my kitchen countertop! Now I am not about to lie about being someone who is going to be concerned about killing a snake that finds my kitchen a happy habitat. I live in Minnesota, we have just been through a long winter, but I cannot live with these things in my kitchen! We started seeing them about 3 years ago when a development began across the street - we first saw them in the basement in the fall, then spring, last fall was when I found the first one on my countertop. I am at my wits end!! They can live in my yard, but not in my home!!! We do have rock around the foundation and around the deck of our above-ground pool, We dont have much for heavy shrubs around the house and we keep them trimmed. There is an open field on ten acres next to us which Im sure has a nice population of mice. We have yet to find a mouse in our house, but thats likely because the snakes may be getting them. We thought we found how they were getting in, closed it off, didnt see any for a year, but now they are back. Now what? Do we have to dig up around the entire foundation to look for other entry points to get rid of them? Or should we get a cat or mouse traps, we also live where there is much marshy land, which the frogs/toads like. Help I am getting desperate!!!

I'm no fool, I don't like the poisonous ones. But other than that I'm not afraid of snakes. But I do understand phobias since I have one with cockroaches (go figure that I stay here in Florida!) Anyway, last week while in the veggie patch, I noticed the dog growling and jumping at something. Sure enough, it was a HUGE striped rat snake. I made her stop since it's harmless and I don't want her messing with snakes since we have killed rattle snakes here. Later on that afternoon I go to the chicken coop to gather eggs, I opened up the hatch to the nesting boxes and this snake is inside one of them, trying to swallow a golf ball, with a real egg laying right beside it. So I grab a stick and try to sweep it out of the coop, the stick is brittle and keeps breaking off. I finally get it out of the coop on the ground, still the golf ball is in it's mouth. So I go to look for the pitchfork only to pick it up and move it off the property - when I get back it is gone - the golf ball lying there where it finally managed to spit it out. So I'm searching for it, can't believe it disappeared so fast. Then I looked up in a close-by tree and there it is, out on a limb, sticking it's tongue out at me. So I gave up for about and hour and went back to check the coop - it's back in there AGAIN trying to swallow another golf ball. I chased it back and forth all over that chicken coop but it got away through the chicken wire and into another tree. The next time I will get a pair of gloves on and snatch that sucker up and dispense with him to the neighbor's property.

Jack Russell terriers are some of the best snake killers around. They are just too energetic for an old dude like me. In Judy's case I would suggest a Rat Terrier. No kidding! If you live around an owner with Rat Terriers used for squirrel hunting, beg them for a puppy. These incredible little dogs are practically incapable of leaving a snake alive! I have seen many Rat Terriers and Beagles, from many hunters, that were bitten by Rattlers and Cottenmouths. Of all these bitten dogs, only one died, And, she was a beatutiful small female that was recovering from a very tough delivery of a litter, only the day before. I took her for a gentile walk, she spotted, smelled, or heard a very large Rattler about 40 yards away, and took off, by the time I got there, the snake was dead and she was bitten on the side of her face. She lasted 4 days, even in her weakened condition. Rat Terriers are the most lovable dogs, smart beyond belief, strong, and totally fearless. They will kill mice and rats continuously for great fun. Squirrels are right up their with mice and rats. Rat Terriers wake up happy and, stay that way all day. They live vigorous, and long healthy lives. But, all the sporting dogs I've been exposed to, seem to take snake bites with no permanent damage. Rats and mice are the lure. They can be discouraged. Prevent the rats and mice from getting to the animals food. Keep your animal feed enclosed. Feed only as much as they will eat in an hour or so. We started keeping our feed in thick plastic drums with tops that would latch down. Clean up areas where they might live. Our rat and mouse population plummeted and the snake problem went away. The Rat Terriers came years later.