[Ravenlost]

Well I seem to be middle of the road here... I will avoid a snake on the road, leave a snake, even a copperhead, alone in the woods... but if they are in the *yard* area... or the animals pens, I kill them. I never hurt a black snake, garter snake, etc. but I kill the copperheads that have been too close to the house and animals. I have 2 kids, and could never forgive myself if I let a copperhead live that was in the yard, and ended up biting my kid.

Killing for the sake of killing makes me sick.

Stephanie

Same here. We killed two water moccasins a week ago. One was in our front yard right next to hubby's lawn chair and it WASN'T trying to sneak quietly away. The other was in our bigger pond...a pond that people like to fish in and our dogs like to swim in and it came FOR us when hubby shot it.

On the other hand we've had king snakes, black racers and garter snakes in the yard and we admire them and move on. Well, I did run over one by accident on the riding lawn mower. Made me sick to have killed the poor thing.

We have killed Black Widow spiders on our porch and in our garage. Hubby killed the spider that bit him on the hand last Saturday. Right now we have a big garden spider (those black, white and yellow spiders) on a web right above the back door. Hubby pulled it's web down and put it in the yard because he didn't want to kill it. However, it was back above the door by that evening so now I just use the garage door and leave the spider alone.

If a stray dog comes up to my house I adopt it. If a rabid dog comes up to my house hubby will shoot it. It will make him sad to do so, but it has to be done.

We moved out to the country to ENJOY and RESPECT nature, but we didn't come out here to get bitten by poisonous snakes (we spent $180 on the dog's water moccasin bite earlier this summer) or spiders. We do everything we can to encourage the natural cycle of nature on our property. We don't allow deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, etc. hunting and we don't shoot crows, etc. Heck, I even stop and get turtles/terrapins out of the road!

We share what we have with the wildlife, but we have enough sense not to risk our health and welfare!!!

 

[Ravenlost]

I just read page two and I am confused. How does keeping an animal locked in a cage contribute to the ecological balance?

 

[Dreams30]

Tango, I agree with you on many things but, never this one.

As one of those who was as a child bit by a copperhead my thoughts on this are as always ...the only good snake is a dead one. I don't ask it if it is posionious, I don't really care.

I remember the trip to the hospital, I remember my mother being scared and crying, I remember my bother trying to explain to my mom what kind of a snake it was as my leg swelled up, I remember crawling on the floor after I got out of the hospital because it was easier than walking. NO snakes...ever.

My ex loved snakes. He knew my past and how I felt about them so when he moved out he let a snake loose in the house and I found it curled under the bathroom rug. Not all snake owners are nice people nor do many of them care what happens to their pets.

 

[rambler]

In my part of Minnesota there are not supposed to be any venimous snakes. I enjoy the occational garter snake. Think they are neat.

I would stop to kill anything venimous. I hear rumors they are intorducing rattle snakes more or less around here - quietly. Not on my property. I think too much of my pets, livestock, & human folk who visit or live here. Perhaps I just don't know enough about that type of snake, but i'd mash first, ask questions later.

--->Paul

 

[Tango]

It is interesting how old this thread is and to see it still around and with so many varied opinions inlcuding those of people who no longer visit this board. I have very few opinions set in stone : this is one of them. I breed and raise snakes and have many friends in reptile education, rescue, and friends who keep what we call in our hobby "hots," aka venomous snakes. I am a bonafide snake lover. My own snakes are large enough to constrict me if they had a mind to- so far I haven't seen that mind (but they love rabbits and pigs). Learning about snakes, including how to avoid them and making one's home and property unattractive to them is the only way to go here if one believes keeping ecological balance is important. If you don't think keeping ecological balance is important this is a moot point for you.

 

[rambler]

It is interesting how old this thread is and to see it still around and with so many varied opinions inlcuding those of people who no longer visit this board. I have very few opinions set in stone : this is one of them. I breed and raise snakes and have many friends in reptile education, rescue, and friends who keep what we call in our hobby "hots," aka venomous snakes. I am a bonafide snake lover. My own snakes are large enough to constrict me if they had a mind to- so far I haven't seen that mind (but they love rabbits and pigs). Learning about snakes, including how to avoid them and making one's home and property unattractive to them is the only way to go here if one believes keeping ecological balance is important. If you don't think keeping ecological balance is important this is a moot point for you.

You raise some different issues here. I believe rabbit & hog lovers would have at least as many issues with you as you might have with others.

Seems it has more to do with the 'snake lover' part than the 'ecological balance' part. Just my observation tho, no big deal.

Keeping one's home safe is paramount to most human beings, and getting rid of threats takes preference to ecological issues. Else we would all live in natural caves, not timber frame houses with heating & cooling....

--->Paul

 

[Jan Doling]

Our snakes prefer the wooded portion of our acreage and only come into the acre we've "tamed" if the swamp rises. We pretty much have a mutual "stay on your side of that line" attitude. The hurricanes have caused flooding which has resulted in a new addition to our pond....does anyone want a small gator? He doesn't seem to know where I drew the line.

 

[BamaSuzy]

I am an animal lover and an almost complete vegetarian BUT I hate snakes and that's it.
If they're not poisonous they're swallowing eggs or swallowing baby bunnies....
Then there's the poisonous ones who are biting livestock and pets....
Then there are those who have "pet" snakes, poisonous and otherwise dangerous who escape into their communities endangering others; endanger others such as paramedics etc. who have to come into their homes...not to mention when there are housefires...
I was riding with a city policeman one night (I was doing a story for my newspaper) a he got a call to a certain house....I remainded in the patrol car and he started to go inside...
A man came outside with no shirt on and a HUGE snake wrapped around him...when the policeman got into the house he said the house was full of big tanks and cages full of snakes....a few months later the house burned....some of the snakes were found BUT not all of them....
I hate snakes. If you like snakes, keep them all on your homesteads, not mine!

 

[breezynosacek]

You raise some different issues here. I believe rabbit & hog lovers would have at least as many issues with you as you might have with others.

Seems it has more to do with the 'snake lover' part than the 'ecological balance' part. Just my observation tho, no big deal.

Keeping one's home safe is paramount to most human beings, and getting rid of threats takes preference to ecological issues. Else we would all live in natural caves, not timber frame houses with heating & cooling....

--->Paul

I thought that snake worshipping had been done away with, LOL! There is actually a python spirit.

I like nature and I'll protect it from blatant abuse but I'll be dang if I put the life of a loved one or any human being over that of a critter. For that matter, feeding livestock to a snake is downright abuse from my viewpoint.

Now, I can see keeping venomous snakes as part of a anti-venom farm so that you can have something to help people that git bit by one of them suckers but to actually take those suckers and feed a nice healthy innocent rabbit or pig to it? That isn't abuse...what I think of that isn't allowed to be spoken on this forum it is politically incorrect.

 

[Tango]

You raise some different issues here. I believe rabbit & hog lovers would have at least as many issues with you as you might have with others.

Seems it has more to do with the 'snake lover' part than the 'ecological balance' part. Just my observation tho, no big deal.

--->Paul

I raise my own rabbits and pigs, chickens, et al for my own snakes and for my family. That hasn't anything to do with ecological balance. I don't use pesticides, rodenticides, or herbicides on my property and I don't hunt wild rabbits and pigs (though in FL hunting wild pigs is a beneficial action for ecological balance). So I ' m not sure where you are coming from with your post. I'm talking about leaving wildlife as untouched as possible while keeping a safe home. People jumping out of cars to kill a snake is not about keeping a home safe but about a phobia or misguided intention. Please explain to me your post.

 

[Tango]

does anyone want a small gator? He doesn't seem to know where I drew the line.

sure wish I could take him. I always wanted a gator but I don't have a license

 

[Tango]

I like nature and I'll protect it from blatant abuse but I'll be dang if I put the life of a loved one or any human being over that of a critter. For that matter, feeding livestock to a snake is downright abuse from my viewpoint.

How can feeding livestock raised for food purposes be considered abuse Do you think I feed prey live? Or do you think feeding livestock is just abusive in which case you would also consider eating meat abusive? I don't feed live btw. I've gone through a great deal of expense purchasing and constructing a CO2 chamber- the same thing slaughter houses use and it is a method approved by the AVMA as humane for dispatching certain animals. Captive snakes can be injured by prey and it isn't something many advanced keepers with expensive snakes do. Now if you are vegan then I will shut up because we are not arguing leaving wildlife alone but something else entirely. And also I do not put the life of my family before the life of my animals or wildflife, I simply protect my property and wait in my car while a venomous snake crosses the road.

 

[Tango]

My ex loved snakes. He knew my past and how I felt about them so when he moved out he let a snake loose in the house and I found it curled under the bathroom rug. Not all snake owners are nice people nor do many of them care what happens to their pets.

I'm glad your ex is an ex. He sounds nasty but I have to object to you saying "nor do many of them care what happens to their pets." I don't think you can make a case for "many." Snake keepers have their share of morons and people on ego trips; unfortunately they make the headlines more often than the responsible keepers. Name one hobby or segment of society free of fools.

 

[bgak47]

Tango... I got into a tiff with someone on another forum because they had bragged about stopping their vehicle to kill a rattlesnake with their handgun. Their post featured how they had their CCW permit & seemed to me to be an attempt justify their CCW permit by the fact that they had found a dangerous snake to shoot. It was actually the dumbest testimomy to gun ownership that I have seen. This gun-happy idiot saw a rattlesnake on the side of the road, stopped & shot it, & then bragged about it to people on a forum. Most of them aggreed that he was a hero & a good shot!

 

[Dreams30]

Tango, I will agree with you on that point. I am still very upset over the incident.

You mentioned something about making a place unattractive to snakes...other than just keeping the junk cleaned up what else can be done??

 

[Tango]

It was actually the dumbest testimomy to gun ownership that I have seen. This gun-happy idiot saw a rattlesnake on the side of the road, stopped & shot it, & then bragged about it to people on a forum. Most of them aggreed that he was a hero & a good shot!

I've seen many similar responses right here on this forum- the display of arrogance is very depressing :waa:

 

[Tango]

deleted.

 

[maro]

Anybody that don't have enough brains to kill a posion snake needs to get back to town and stay there. We got enough trouble out here without a bunch of snake huggers.