That is great! I will never complain about the coachwhips and black racers that visit my yard, but I would love it if I another type would show up and hang around.

What you have there (in the pic) is an eastern garter snake. They usually eat toads but could potentially eat fish and other amphibians as well.

That's great! Hard to tell from the photo but I agree it's not a baby rat snake. It could indeed be a garter snake but it also looks like a ribbon snake - i have one on my yard. Either one they're great to have around !

Be happy. Garters are much kindlier snakes than rat snakes, which are pretty snappy, even as juveniles, although I'm thrilled to have them around.

What's cool is seeing all this acceptance of snakes, period! Can't believe how many such animals have been killed for absolutely no reason. Bravo, you guys!

Oh boy! Garter snakes are cool. So many snakes look so much alike down here. This one is not aggressive at all, so probably not a rat snake if that is a measure of identification. If he wants to eat the Cuban tree frogs, more power to him. Whatever he is, I love him. He is now living in the pile of leaves and such I put around the banana tree, so I will have to be careful when I remove that. I don't really want him eating my earthworms, though. :( All but venemous snakes are welcome in my yard.

I leave the snakes be unless they get into the chicken coops and start eating eggs. I have found a few huge snakes in there. When I find one, I just move them off into another part of the yard. It usually works.

Last fall we found a fully grown rat snake in our chicken house (pic 1) You can see how big it is in the second pic after I grabbed it to evict it. It had come in through a couple of holes in the chicken yard fence that have since been closed.

I didn't want it in there because I was afraid it might kill one of the hens if they got curious with it. Being constrictors it could easily do it even though my hens are too large to swallow.

it now uses a large hole in one my live oaks for home and gives fits to the wild birds if they spy it going up or down that tree!

Wow! That is one big snake! I hope mine doesn't eat all my little lizards. I really like them. If I ran up on one that big, I would definitely jump!

Bea, is that you in the picture ? if it is you are one brave woman! I don't think I can ever do that, I will run the other way for sure!

Silvia

Silvia yes it's me. I wouldn't do this for poisonous snakes. But I kept non-poisonous snakes for years so I'm pretty comfortable handling them.