CritterChatter™ Blog
Snake Season
When it comes to snakes Annetta Sessom is far from horrified. "I'm not worried about snakes, if they don't bother me, I don't bother them."
But it seems Sessom is in the minority.
Elvira Parks has never met a snake that she likes, "I don't like snakes, I have no use for them! I consider the snake an enemy of mine!"
And Tammie Miller says when she sees a snake, she runs! "They're poisonous! If they bite you, they hurt you. I don't like them, I don't even like to watch them on TV."
Like them or not, it's snake season! And, the guys at Critter Control are answering the calls.
In the heat of summer there's nothing a snake likes more than tall grass, some rocks, and a water source near by.
That's why Chris Patterson says it's best to clear these kinds of areas from around your home. "Keep the grass low, you don't want any type of grass three to four inches or higher. If you are out there working, say gardening, moving stuff around, there's no telling what you might uncover dealing with an area like this."
The key to understanding snakes is to also understand what kinds of snakes are native to Alabama.
Patterson says not all snakes are venomous. So, if you know what you have on your property, chances are you're going to be okay.
But Birmingham Zoo Reptile Keeper Andy Sizemore says that it's harder to tell snakes apart than you might think.
Sizemore used a a non-venomous corn snake to demonstrate just how hard it can be to tell a round head from a diamond head.
"The reason venomous snakes have that triangular shaped head, it's got to house the venom glands, which they're located right behind the eye. If you look close, he sort of has a diamond shaped head, so it's complicated when you try to identify a snake solely by that."
Sizemore says it's best to try and identify the snake from a distance, but colors and markings can at times be subjective.
He recommends backing away when confronted with a snake, and calling in a professional for help.
But Sizemore adds that venomous or not, snakes around the house can be beneficial.
That's because snakes help eliminate vermin such as mice and rats which carry disease.
Credits: By Phillip Ohnemus, CBS42.com
