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Old 06-12-2009, 09:56 AM
 
Location: Clayton
431 posts, read 1,333,801 times
Reputation: 158

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So now that we're getting settled into our new home and loving it....we've already come accross a black widow sitting right on my 5 year olds slide...

Made us a bit uneasy.....but we've showed the kids what to look out for and know to basically avoid them and putting their hands in dark spaces etc....

With that said, my parents came down for visit and bought a house around the block from us.. This house was a relo so its been vacant for almost a year now.

My parents have moved their things in but are not officially living there yet so we are taking care of things. Meaning that there really isnt much activity in the yard etc.

We went to check on the house last night around 7 pm and right on the concrete walkway just up against the bottom of the front step in the crease was a 2.5 ft snake......Couldnt see the head to well but from a distance I threw a stick and when it turned the head was an orangy/tan color.

Went to get a shovel but it was gone when I got back. I looked it up and had taken a pic with my cell phone and it definately looks like it was a copperhead..... Also in the overgrown garden/pine straw where the snake came from it had just shed/molted its skin....

I've read that they will come back to their dens every year and then have their babies late summer.....

What should we do? If it was in the back out of the way I'd say let it be but it was right where you step out of the front door......so anyone walking out or up the steps their little doggie included would easily have stepped on it.....Thats the concern

Are the ways to prevent them from coming back every year, do we call in a pest control....

Any ideas are appreciated.......Loving it here just not thrilled at how many poisonous critters I've encountered in the past 2 weeks....lol......my neighbors who've been here 2 years havent seen anything.....
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Old 06-12-2009, 10:05 AM
 
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I read somewhere that most problems with copperheads come when people are trying to kill them or get rid of them.

I saw one in the very back of our yard once a few years ago. Never again.

Don't worry about it. The snakes don't want to see you, either. With more human activity, they may go somewhere else. You may never see one again.
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Old 06-12-2009, 10:11 AM
Status: "Here comes allergy season " (set 5 days ago)
 
Location: Planet Earth
8,769 posts, read 10,171,369 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lovebrentwood View Post
I read somewhere that most problems with copperheads come when people are trying to kill them or get rid of them.

I saw one in the very back of our yard once a few years ago. Never again.

Don't worry about it. The snakes don't want to see you, either. With more human activity, they may go somewhere else. You may never see one again.
I agree with this, usually it's just a once a year or more type of sighting. However, always make your kids wear shoes of some sort when outside, sometimes you never know where one might be hiding, and they'll strike without warning.

Also if you have a large woodpile, might want to clear it out, those are typical "hangout" places for snakes.
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Old 06-12-2009, 10:45 AM
 
226 posts, read 785,682 times
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Sprinkle some moth balls around the perimeter of your yard. Snakes won't come near them. You can buy "Snake Away" at Lowes, but its the same thing. We had snakes alot in Wilmington when I lived there. Once I put the moth balls out, I never had another snake.
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Old 06-12-2009, 10:56 AM
 
1,627 posts, read 6,482,921 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimnSue View Post
.Couldnt see the head to well but from a distance I threw a stick and when it turned the head was an orangy/tan color.

Went to get a shovel but it was gone when I got back. I looked it up and had taken a pic with my cell phone and it definately looks like it was a copperhead.....
OK, first and foremost, you basically did exactly what you should do if you WANT to be bitten by a copperhead! Do not throw sticks at them. Do not go after them with a shovel. Do not pick up a dead snake (a friend of mine, who works w/snakes, said MANY snake bites come from snakes people are sure are dead (but aren't!). Their fangs can still bite on reflex for a while even if their head is no longer attached to their boday, btw!

Leave them alone if you see them. Avoid places they like to hang out if you're concerned. You cannot (and should not) single-handedly control their population. You are, however, much more likely to get bitten if you try to.

Copperheads don't want to bother you BUT they are more aggressive than rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes warn you of their presence, copperheads hold their ground with no warning signal. If you step too close or on them, they will strike. So you do need to be careful walking around leafy areas, areas by streams, picking up rocks, etc. where they are likely to be. They are not likely to be lying out in the open. We had a lot of them by our stream and it freaked me out at first, esp. b/c our neighbor was bitten by one (and in the ICU) when gardening in a leafy area (!) but basically just don't walk in those areas if you're really scared.

I do see too many people going with the "don't worry about it" approach. If you live in the suburbs, where they do not live, it's easy to be this way. But if there are a lot around, common sense caution does make sense and understanding that they do not have a warning system and do hold their ground and strike, is important to know.
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Old 06-12-2009, 10:57 AM
 
Location: Clayton
431 posts, read 1,333,801 times
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I did hear about the moth ball thing.......

My concern is that the yard especially around the house has alot of overgrown shrubs plants etc that need to be trimmed down along with their island in the front yard and in the front of the porch which is where we saw it.....

All of that needs to be cleaned out and thinned.....they must have kept addding more pine straw etc to make it look better but now its a good 6 or so inches of mulch, leaves, pine straw and other debris. I just worry about getting in their to do it and putting a hand in the wrong place.

And yes I also read that most problems are when people are trying to get close and or kill the snakes.......and that they dont necessarily give off alot of venom when trying to scare something away its when they are truly in attack/kill mode is when you can get a large bite with the venom.

Like I said it was right where you would never see it and step right down onto it which is definately an issue.....

I know I'm not going to be doing their gardening.....lol

I'll have to keep an eye on the area and see if it appears again or if it was possibly a one time deal.....kinda hoping once theres more activity there , any others will be scared off.....
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Old 06-12-2009, 11:17 AM
 
Location: Charlotte
2,445 posts, read 7,419,550 times
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+1 frogandtoad

Quote:
Living with venomous snakes is really no different than living with hornets, or other minor risks of daily life. If one finds a hornet nest, one does not disturb it. The same caution should be applied if one sees a snake. Injury may result if hornets or snakes are disturbed or harassed. However, in North America human injuries from playing sports or slipping in the bathtub are far more common than are injuries from snakes. Venomous snakes are simply not a significant human health issue in North America. The appropriate response to encountering a snake is to simply walk away. Do not attempt to capture or kill it, as 70-80% of bites occur in this manner.
NORTH CAROLINA VENOMOUS SNAKES


Here's a great post by al_rothlisberger in the new here -snakes?

Are you 100% certain it was a copperhead?
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Old 06-12-2009, 11:19 AM
 
Location: Clayton
431 posts, read 1,333,801 times
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I agree.......but in my defense & probably a stupid one in retrospect I never thought the snake would have been a copperhead and was no where close where I could have gotten bitten when I tossed the stick I was a good 15 feet away and in a golf cart............at that point the snake was 3/4 on the concrete and the tail was in the bush....and hadnt moved for about 10 minutes so I tossed the stick it to see if it was alive..... I would have not known what type of snake it was if I hadnt ..........all it did when the stick was tossed in its direction was turn its head which allowed us to see the color.

I'll be honest I dont know what I would have done with the shovel....I'm glad it moved cause I really dont have the heart to do that myself and would have been too chicken to get close and my husband is scared @#$%less of them.....But now I know exactly what they look like up close.

Yes it was right out in the open.........not near a stream or even near the woods.........we have woods in the back but this guy was out in the open next to a garden on the walkway near the front door. I did also read that they dont show any signs as you posted like the rattlesnake which will give off a sound.

Thats the concern.....if we are in the woods we are always 100% cautious and know that we are basically in their territory and critters are expected.

I'm just concerned about my parents just stepping out their front door to get the mail and or letting their dog out and it being right there literally under their feet with no warning is what I'm concerned about...
and the fact that it has been there for some time since its old skin was there in the garden.

Thats why I was asking about whether they stay, come back or sometimes a one time sighting......

I would say 95% sure.....I'm no expert by any means....but once it turned its head hubby and I said the same thing......took a pic on my cell phone so cant post the pic but I went right home and looked it up online and the markings on the body were the same and the color of its head.....


Quote:
Originally Posted by frogandtoad View Post
OK, first and foremost, you basically did exactly what you should do if you WANT to be bitten by a copperhead! Do not throw sticks at them. Do not go after them with a shovel. Do not pick up a dead snake (a friend of mine, who works w/snakes, said MANY snake bites come from snakes people are sure are dead (but aren't!). Their fangs can still bite on reflex for a while even if their head is no longer attached to their boday, btw!

Leave them alone if you see them. Avoid places they like to hang out if you're concerned. You cannot (and should not) single-handedly control their population. You are, however, much more likely to get bitten if you try to.

Copperheads don't want to bother you BUT they are more aggressive than rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes warn you of their presence, copperheads hold their ground with no warning signal. If you step too close or on them, they will strike. So you do need to be careful walking around leafy areas, areas by streams, picking up rocks, etc. where they are likely to be. They are not likely to be lying out in the open. We had a lot of them by our stream and it freaked me out at first, esp. b/c our neighbor was bitten by one (and in the ICU) when gardening in a leafy area (!) but basically just don't walk in those areas if you're really scared.

I do see too many people going with the "don't worry about it" approach. If you live in the suburbs, where they do not live, it's easy to be this way. But if there are a lot around, common sense caution does make sense and understanding that they do not have a warning system and do hold their ground and strike, is important to know.
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Old 06-12-2009, 11:28 AM
 
Location: Charlotte
2,445 posts, read 7,419,550 times
Reputation: 1405
A good link - Snakes of NC
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Old 06-12-2009, 11:29 AM
 
1,627 posts, read 6,482,921 times
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They are territorial, and as the snake skin shows, that one has apparently been around a while. It may not have been a copperhead--a lot of snakes do look alike. You could always take the snake skin (or a picture of it) to someone who knows snakes and they could tell you if it's a copperhead skin.

Although it probably won't be hanging out right by the step if people are in/out there a lot, I will tell you that rattlesnakes do that a lot. When we lived in AZ, it was just part of life that you always looked down at the doorstep before stepping out the door. They loved curling up against the door. Even 3 year olds there knew to check their doorstep! So I imagine your parents could take this precaution for a few weeks at least, just til they are pretty sure the things aren't lounging around there on a regular basis.

Like I said we had lots of copperheads on our property, but we never saw them in the open--they'll probably hang out more in their woods.
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