Need help ID'ing a snake - get a lot of them

[FarmerT]

Hello all,

I just found your forum and joined it hoping someone here can help me ID a snake. I *thought* I knew what it was, but in reading around, I found so much conflicting information, so now I really am not sure.

I have a little farm about 40 miles or so southeast of Dallas, Texas. I see a LOT of these snakes, usually in the process of eating (or trying to get to) some of my smaller animals. I do my best to put broody poultry, etc. in wooden boxes with fitted doors so snakes can't get to them, but that is not always possible. This snake got into my goat shed where a muscovy (large duck - about the size of a goose) was raising her babies. The ducklings were almost a month old, so they were NOT small. When I opened the door in the morning, the goats and ducks rushed out, and this fairly large (it's a little over 5 feet long) snake was going along one wall. It was very aggressive, I tried to remove it from the barn and it came after me, trying to bite me. Almost succeeded, because with the stall walls, the snake could move around a lot better in there than I could. It kept trying to bite (I rather expected it maybe to disgorge the ducklings, but it didn't, and managed to move quite well), and I did end up killing it.

I need to know what it is, because I see a lot of them. I thought it was a plain old rat snake, so I wasn't that worried about it -- just try to keep my animals in snake-proof housing. But the more I read, the more I wonder if I might not be wrong.

The countryside around here is trees, pastures, with creeks running through. I have an old barn on the property, a field of tall grass nearby, and lots of small wildlife around.

Attaching pics below, but I wanted to let you know in case it disturbs anyone here, the snake is dead in the pics.

Thanks if anyone can help ID.

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http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r546/Trish-Anna/Snakes%20-%20mostly%20dead%20ones/TrishsiPhone016.jpghttp://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r546/Trish-Anna/Snakes%20-%20mostly%20dead%20ones/TrishsiPhone015.jpghttp://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r546/Trish-Anna/Snakes%20-%20mostly%20dead%20ones/TrishsiPhone013.jpghttp://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r546/Trish-Anna/Snakes%20-%20mostly%20dead%20ones/TrishsiPhone012.jpg

[infernalis]

Looks like a rat snake to me.

[StudentoReptile]

Looks like a rat snake to me.

Indeed. Texas rat snake or possibly a Texas x grey rat snake intergrade.

They're pretty active this time of year. Usually not a bad snake to have around because as their name implies, they eat rodents. However, they also like birds, which is not always kosher with farmers. Some friends of mine have often had to remove rat snakes from quail farms around here.

[FarmerT]

Thanks, y'all, I appreciate it very much.

I guess there's just a lot of misinformation out there (or improperly identified snakes) but I'm glad to know it (and most of the others) are rat snakes.

I'm used to them going after setting hens and chicks ... that's why I designed a brooder box to keep them out. But it's much harder to protect waterfowl, who pretty much nest where they like, and even rabbits, who need larger cage openings for the feeders.

What bugs me most about them is I've had them kill animals too big for them to eat, then move on and kill more. I once lost all my almost-grown chickens of my favorite breed to a single snake killing them all, trying to eat them (he got only the heads in his mouth, judging by the bodies) and failing. I discovered him as he was wrapping around the last one, and it was already dead too.

But this one surprised me by being so aggressive. Most of the time they just want to sleep, or get away. I thought I'd better find out for sure it was a rat snake, in that case. I try to know what the local snakes are because I get a good number of copperheads too.

Since you mentioned a friend "removing" snakes from quail farms, I wonder if there is anyone around here who would want them? I don't mind capturing them and letting someone take them, as long as they take them AWAY, instead of me killing them. I had a friend who loved snakes when I was in Florida, and between the chickens and my daughter's pet gerbils, I often got snakes in and around the house, and I would usually catch them and turn them over to her. One turned out to be some kind of rare snake, according to her.

Unfortunately, I don't really "need" them around here. I've never seen a single rat in all the time I've lived here. The lady just down from me collects cats, and they are pretty much feral. They will eat my young chickens too ... but at least there are pretty much no rats around. Maybe that's why the snakes are so keen on my poultry and other small animals.

I appreciate the information. I'm glad to know from y'all, since your information looks so much better than what I've seen on other kinds of forums. I hope I didn't upset anyone by posting pics of a snake I had to kill.

Thanks.

[Lankyrob]

Nrmally showing a killed snake on a snake forum would get you flamed but i hope we are all mature enough to realise from your posts that this needed to be done in this scenario. Kudos on removing the others without destrroying them.

I hope someone will be able to help you with regard toremoval of the others :)

[StudentoReptile]

Thanks, y'all, I appreciate it very much.

Since you mentioned a friend "removing" snakes from quail farms, I wonder if there is anyone around here who would want them? I don't mind capturing them and letting someone take them, as long as they take them AWAY, instead of me killing them. I had a friend who loved snakes when I was in Florida, and between the chickens and my daughter's pet gerbils, I often got snakes in and around the house, and I would usually catch them and turn them over to her. One turned out to be some kind of rare snake, according to her.


I would start by maybe locating a herp club or something in your area. I wouldn't specifically advertise that you're looking for someone to remove snakes because you may start attracting people who just want to collect free snakes and resell them. Even though you're probably not really into herps and reptiles that much, you may want to be vague at first and just act like you're looking for fellow reptile enthusiasts in the area, and then go from there.

[FarmerT]

Thanks, I'll look around and see what I can find.

I'd really rather not kill them, but I do need them gone if they are coming inside.

Believe it or not, my first job was working as an assistant to a professor who headed up a Herp group, and I got to see all kinds of interesting things working for him.

While I'm not really "into" them myself, I understand they have a place. With such a big city fairly nearby, hopefully I can find something. Thanks for the warning, I never would have thought to be careful of anyone just wanting to collect and sell them.

In fact, I'll see if I can contact my old boss or my friend in Florida, they may have contacts near me.

If I may ask one more question ... if I capture them and put them in some place to hold them, how long is it reasonable to expect them to survive? Meaning, how far away can I look for someone and it be reasonable for them to take them? I can put it in something where it will have air, certainly, and I know they can go a while without food, but will they need water all the time? And I'm guessing I can't put more than one together, even of the same type, without risking them hurting each other? Especially if they've just been among my animals?

OK, that's a few questions. But I'm thinking it may not be easy to get them to someone for a couple of days, most of the time, and I wonder if that's reasonable for the snakes' survival?

Oh, and I forgot, it gets very hot here, and I have to worry about my own animals regarding the heat. In summer, we often have a stretch of days around 110F. Last year it was about 45 days. Is that too hot for a snake to be confined outside? Hopefully in a shady spot or in the barn, which is a bit cooler, they will be ok? Thanks again.

Thanks. :)