The Black ratsnake
These wonderful and very common snakes can grow close to eight feet in length. They are excellent climbers and spend allot of time searching the canopy of trees, the lofts of old barns and attics of houses for their favorite foods--rodents, bats, birds and birds eggs. They are very effective predators on rodents of all kinds and luckily, because of this fact, most people welcome them in and around their farms, gardens and homes. You can see evidence of this if you look closely at the snake I am holding in the above photo. You can clearly see the large bulge in its stomach--probably it's breakfast of squirrel, rat or small rabbit! Also notice the big scar across the bulge--this snake had been hit by a lawn mower or a human with a hoe many years ago. The resulting injuries must have been horrible as there were several nasty scars all over its body--and a few ribs actually exposed and protruding through the healed skin! It is truly a wonder it healed!
One of the drawbacks of a large Black ratsnake around the farm is that they will also eat chicken eggs--right out from under the chicken--and sometimes they even at the chicken!! But despite this bad habit they more than pay for the occasional egg or chicken by keeping your rodents under control.
They have varied temperaments and where one snake will be docile and not mind being handled--as the one in the above picture--another will bite aggressively until you release it. If you ever encounter a large Black ratsnake and it kinks its body into a zigzag pattern, elevates its head, holds its mouth open, hisses and vibrates the end of its tail against the ground--leave it alone, this is its defensive posture--when they bite, they bite hard! I discovered this (again!) when I found this gnarly old snake under a tarp that was covering a woodpile. When I picked him up he quickly bit me on the wrist--but no worries--he's not venomous. After a while he calmed down and realized that I was no threat to his life and that my hands were warm. Shortly after this photo I placed him back into his woodpile and he quickly made himself lost.
Q: Do you hear strange thumping noises in your attic or behind your walls in the wintertime? Do you find snakeskin hanging from the eves or the side of your house in the springtime? A: SURPRISE--you probably have a few snakes using your attic as a place to spend the winter!
Black ratsnakes are known to hibernate in old houses where they have access to attics, cellars old fireplaces and the space behind the walls. They are attracted to these places because: 1-they are warm--because the people that live in the house like their home warmer than the outside air. Since heat rises, the attics stay warm. 2-these old houses often attract other animals like rodents and bats--the perfect foods for Black ratsnakes. So, if you were a Black ratsnake, wouldn't you like a nice warm, rodent filled attic to spend the winter in?
If you think you have snakes, rodents and bats in your attic--don't worry, they don't want to have anything to do with you. They will stay up there and leave in the spring when it warms up--then come back in the fall. Watching for them can be fun if you know where and when to look. However, if you still don't like the idea of them living in your attic, just wait until spring and call a local naturalist or wildlife damage control specialist in your area to come and remove them. NOTE: Always ask the specialist what he plans to do with the animals BEFORE you agree on letting him come into your home. Some of these people are exterminators--they will just kill the animals and dispose of them and then charge you a very high fee. Most naturalists will remove the animals either for free or for a very small fee. We don't want to see the animals harmed, they are trying to live just like we are and since thay often cannot easily adapt to our lifestyle we must try to adapt to theirs. Let's take care of our wildlife--not kill them.
HOT SNAKE FACT: It is best not to handle a snake that has recently fed. The stress may cause it to regurgitate (vomit) up its last meal--not a good thing.
One of the drawbacks of a large Black ratsnake around the farm is that they will also eat chicken eggs--right out from under the chicken--and sometimes they even at the chicken!! But despite this bad habit they more than pay for the occasional egg or chicken by keeping your rodents under control.
They have varied temperaments and where one snake will be docile and not mind being handled--as the one in the above picture--another will bite aggressively until you release it. If you ever encounter a large Black ratsnake and it kinks its body into a zigzag pattern, elevates its head, holds its mouth open, hisses and vibrates the end of its tail against the ground--leave it alone, this is its defensive posture--when they bite, they bite hard! I discovered this (again!) when I found this gnarly old snake under a tarp that was covering a woodpile. When I picked him up he quickly bit me on the wrist--but no worries--he's not venomous. After a while he calmed down and realized that I was no threat to his life and that my hands were warm. Shortly after this photo I placed him back into his woodpile and he quickly made himself lost.
Q: Do you hear strange thumping noises in your attic or behind your walls in the wintertime? Do you find snakeskin hanging from the eves or the side of your house in the springtime? A: SURPRISE--you probably have a few snakes using your attic as a place to spend the winter!
Black ratsnakes are known to hibernate in old houses where they have access to attics, cellars old fireplaces and the space behind the walls. They are attracted to these places because: 1-they are warm--because the people that live in the house like their home warmer than the outside air. Since heat rises, the attics stay warm. 2-these old houses often attract other animals like rodents and bats--the perfect foods for Black ratsnakes. So, if you were a Black ratsnake, wouldn't you like a nice warm, rodent filled attic to spend the winter in?
If you think you have snakes, rodents and bats in your attic--don't worry, they don't want to have anything to do with you. They will stay up there and leave in the spring when it warms up--then come back in the fall. Watching for them can be fun if you know where and when to look. However, if you still don't like the idea of them living in your attic, just wait until spring and call a local naturalist or wildlife damage control specialist in your area to come and remove them. NOTE: Always ask the specialist what he plans to do with the animals BEFORE you agree on letting him come into your home. Some of these people are exterminators--they will just kill the animals and dispose of them and then charge you a very high fee. Most naturalists will remove the animals either for free or for a very small fee. We don't want to see the animals harmed, they are trying to live just like we are and since thay often cannot easily adapt to our lifestyle we must try to adapt to theirs. Let's take care of our wildlife--not kill them.
HOT SNAKE FACT: It is best not to handle a snake that has recently fed. The stress may cause it to regurgitate (vomit) up its last meal--not a good thing.
Q: Do you hear strange thumping noises in your attic or behind your walls in the wintertime? Do you find snakeskin hanging from the eves or the side of your house in the springtime? A: SURPRISE--you probably have a few snakes using your attic as a place to spend the winter!
Black ratsnakes are known to hibernate in old houses where they have access to attics, cellars old fireplaces and the space behind the walls. They are attracted to these places because: 1-they are warm--because the people that live in the house like their home warmer than the outside air. Since heat rises, the attics stay warm. 2-these old houses often attract other animals like rodents and bats--the perfect foods for Black ratsnakes. So, if you were a Black ratsnake, wouldn't you like a nice warm, rodent filled attic to spend the winter in?
If you think you have snakes, rodents and bats in your attic--don't worry, they don't want to have anything to do with you. They will stay up there and leave in the spring when it warms up--then come back in the fall. Watching for them can be fun if you know where and when to look. However, if you still don't like the idea of them living in your attic, just wait until spring and call a local naturalist or wildlife damage control specialist in your area to come and remove them. NOTE: Always ask the specialist what he plans to do with the animals BEFORE you agree on letting him come into your home. Some of these people are exterminators--they will just kill the animals and dispose of them and then charge you a very high fee. Most naturalists will remove the animals either for free or for a very small fee. We don't want to see the animals harmed, they are trying to live just like we are and since thay often cannot easily adapt to our lifestyle we must try to adapt to theirs. Let's take care of our wildlife--not kill them.
HOT SNAKE FACT: It is best not to handle a snake that has recently fed. The stress may cause it to regurgitate (vomit) up its last meal--not a good thing.
If you think you have snakes, rodents and bats in your attic--don't worry, they don't want to have anything to do with you. They will stay up there and leave in the spring when it warms up--then come back in the fall. Watching for them can be fun if you know where and when to look. However, if you still don't like the idea of them living in your attic, just wait until spring and call a local naturalist or wildlife damage control specialist in your area to come and remove them. NOTE: Always ask the specialist what he plans to do with the animals BEFORE you agree on letting him come into your home. Some of these people are exterminators--they will just kill the animals and dispose of them and then charge you a very high fee. Most naturalists will remove the animals either for free or for a very small fee. We don't want to see the animals harmed, they are trying to live just like we are and since thay often cannot easily adapt to our lifestyle we must try to adapt to theirs. Let's take care of our wildlife--not kill them.
HOT SNAKE FACT: It is best not to handle a snake that has recently fed. The stress may cause it to regurgitate (vomit) up its last meal--not a good thing.