Hi I'm GayleC

[GayleC]

I currently live in Oregon with my husband, 6 dogs and 3 horses. We are considering moving to Central Virginia because of my daughter. The problem is I'm deathly afraid of snakes, and it seems like there are quite a few in the state. Any suggestions, or words of encouragement? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

[Minkness]

Get a pet snake and over come your fear. =)

[Tiny Boidae]

Unless you're looking for them, you really won't ever see them. Just don't go blindly sticking your hands down holes and you shouldn't have a problem with them really. It also helps to memorize dangerous species in your area as I have, as there really aren't that many and it's a safer and easier way to determine if this is an animal you want to be messing with.

The only time you'll probably see a snake is if you're out in the woods in the early morning or evening hours, and even then they'll probably retreat into a hiding spot before you notice them. There's a trail up in the hills that I walk all the time, and often enough if I'm out in the evening I'll see a snake or two resting on the side of the path, soaking up the heat from the asphalt. I only ever spotted one venomous snake on these paths and that was a timber rattlesnake. Gorgeous guy but none of them have ever charged me. They'd kind of just watch me walk by and if I was too close for their liking, they'd "s" up or back up off the path.

They're really just an animal that would rather not be messed with, and if you can respect that you're good to go. They're a vital part of the food chain and keep mice from taking residence in your crawlspace, so if you do see a snake that isn't to your liking, just call a professional to remove it and please don't try to kill it or mess with it. That's the best advice I can give you in case you do run into a potentially dangerous snake: don't approach it and call someone to relocate it. Good luck though and hopefully you won't have this problem.

[REM955]

Get a pet snake and over come your fear. =)

Not everyone can solve problems the way you do, Mink. :p

I am looking to get my first snake and still am not terribly comfortable with handling. I just started looking for reptile groups and I have gotten some experience from going out there and visiting.
But this just is coming from the perspective of someone who wants to come into contact.

[Nightflight99]

Tiny Boidae's advice is right on the money. Depending on the part of Virginia that you're moving to there are only a couple of venomous species that you'll have to be familiar with: copperheads (occur throughout the state), cottonmouth (restricted to the SE parts of the state), and timber rattlesnakes (occur in the western half of the state). This distribution means that regardless where in Virginia you live, there will be no more than a maximum of two of those three species present.

Use this link (http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/snakes/snakes_of_virginia.htm) as a good starting point to learn what those species look like. The golden rule is that regardless whether you are able to positively identify the snake or not--it is completely harmless if you leave it alone. Snakes don't chase after people, regardless of all the stories you may have heard. To the snake, you are the predator, not the prey.

As for keeping snakes off your property to protect your animals, there is no single solution short of solid, gap-free fencing around the entire property (and even that is not 100% reliable). Instead, focus on making your property unattractive for snakes: keep the grass short, immediately remove any debris or wood piles, and control the rodent population (or else the snakes will feel compelled to do that for you). I used to do a lot of snake removal in college, and those where the main factors that would keep the snakes off the property. If you happen to live very close to a creek or some other type of body of water, then it may be infinitely more difficult to keep them away, as you're essentially living in their kitchen.

Do not waste your money on chemical snake repellents, as the only one thing that they are effective at is repelling your money.

I foster dogs, and always teach them not to get near snakes. They pick this up fairly quickly, and my own dogs will always keep their distance.

Hope this helps, let us know if you have any other questions.

[GayleC]

Thank you all for such helpful advice. We we're considering growing are own hay but that might not be a good idea for a person with snake phobia in VA. I suppose I'll just have to take all of the advice I've been given and cowgirl-up.