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I saw a copperhead last night on a trail in Lochmere. My kids and 2 dogs walked right past it, I totally did not see it. My wife luckily spotted it before we almost stepped on it. I'm 99% percent sure it is a copperhead based on the shape of the head and coloring. It slithered off into the woods and did not seem to be overly aggressive.
Looks like one to me.
I just avoid them and they avoid me.
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Thanks for the reminder. There aren't many lifelike snake toys on Amazon for me, but I'm getting one anyway to start training the dogs to avoid them. I have one that is fearless and would probably get within striking distance out of curiosity.
Spring is the worst time for them as they come out of hibernation (and are hungry). Learn NEVER to step over a log in the woods without seeing what's there. Avoid leaf piles, and try to keep your pets out of the woods. Stamp your feet so they know you're coming, and they will try to get away.
Even those of us who've lived our whole lives here aren't happy to hear they're "especially prevalent" this year
Also, supposedly the babies are MORE dangerous than adults, as they haven't learned to "conserve their venom" yet. We found a single baby snake that sure looked like a copperhead under a pile of dead trees, and it's unlikely that there was just one...
Spring is the worst time for them as they come out of hibernation (and are hungry). Learn NEVER to step over a log in the woods without seeing what's there. Avoid leaf piles, and try to keep your pets out of the woods. Stamp your feet so they know you're coming, and they will try to get away.
Even those of us who've lived our whole lives here aren't happy to hear they're "especially prevalent" this year
and wear real shoes when out in wooded and natural areas! I see the woman pictured in the article was in flip flops.
rt_terp, that was indeed a copperhead. Nice picture. Don't get too close.
Yes, Northern Water Snakes are often mistaken for Copperheads, but Northern Water Snakes are not venomous. They're one of the good guys — please let them do their thing.
Dogs process the venom much quicker than people. Take the dog to the vet, but they'll usually just give it a little Benadryl, painkillers, and antibiotics. My dogs have usually been fine the next day or even the same afternoon when they've been bitten. I have a pointer mix with a high prey drive who has been bitten 3 times. The last time she got it on the face and it swelled up really big with edema, but she only seemed to be in pain from the bite for a few hours. She just looked funny and pretty sorry she messed with that snake after that. This dog is the only one I've ever had that likes to play with snakes. She's a nut. She's been bitten 3 times and our other dog (who lived to be 16.5) got bitten once when he went to look to see what she was doing when she was barking at a snake. Our other dog (lived to be 17.5) never had a snake encounter, although he was very proud that time he caught an already dead squirrel.
Baby copperheads have fluorescent yellow tails. There are many small snakes that like to live under logs that aren't copperheads. Brown snakes are one.
I wear flip flops all summer. Don't go out barefoot at night to take out the trash if you live in a wooded area, though. Friend of mine did that and ended up in the hospital for a week.
Copperheads are actually quite distinct looking. In a panic, most people look and see blocks of pattern and assume.
Watched a snake swim across a cove in Falls Lake the other day. Got close as he was about to climb out onto the shore, and saw it was a garter snake. Never seen those swimming like that. Have seen a LOT of snakes in the water at Falls this spring.
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