Is anyone here familiar with snakes?  We found one in our chicken house this morning.  We've been searching the web for a couple hours but haven't found anything that looks like it, and I really need to know because there are supposed to be quite a lot of poisonous snakes here in Texas.

It was about 4 foot long, light reddish brown with large dark brown diamonds in a line down the center of its back.  One thing I do know is that it was definitely not a rattler.  We got a close look...he didn't have a rattle and was not at all aggressive.  Of course, he may have just been sluggish because of a full belly.  One of our baby chicks is missing... :(

Any ideas??

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

If it looks like the snake shown here http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herpetology/fl-guide/crotalusadamanteus.htm it's a rattlesnake that lost it's rattle in an accident or fight, or it's still quite young & hasn't properly grown it's rattle.

ps be careful :D

Windows 7 64Bit
Poser Pro 2010 SR1

Nope, that's not the one.  The majority of his body was light reddish brown, and the diamonds were in a single line down the center of its back with the diamond points end to end.

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

I might say copperhead but they dont usually get that big.. rat snake maybe. 

try this site..
http://www.zo.utexas.edu/research/txherps/snakes/

Handle every stressful situation like a dog.

If you can't eat it or play with it,

just pee on it and walk away. :-)

....................................................

I wouldnt have to manage my anger

if people would manage their stupidity......

 

corn snake, gopher snake, etc.

Attached Link: this?

[www.texassnakes.com](http://www.texassnakes.com) has a few, linked to one of them above that sounds a little more like it?

3 1/2 to 5 foot, has diamonds :)

  The main thing to look for, is bulges, about where the jaws hinge... if that's kinda wide... the arrowhead shape...it'll likely be poisonous.... Copperheads?... I used to catch them for the Serpentarium in Florida.... some would get as long as six feet. Lou.

"..... and that was when things got interestiing."

onnetz, thanks but that's one of the sites I found with my search...went through every single one of them and didn't see it.  Of course, some of them didn't have pictures.  I guess I'll have to Google the ones that didn't and see if it's any of those.

Miss Nancy, I checked and not either one of those.

This is really bugging me!  I can't believe I haven't been able to find it.  Unless...can snake cross-breed?

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

remember that individuals of a species can show wide variations from a typical photo or drawing. snake species of the same genus can cross-breed, but it's more likely you've got a true-bred individual. next things to check are the mexican snakes, or anything that might have come from a pet shop (imported species).

  Do a google in the images tab for Copperhead Snakes... they do come in various colours from an almost pink red shade, to "Brown, brown" It mostly depends on where they come from. What they run into in Alabama sounds close. ... Not suggesting that you go hunt it up, but it would help a lot if you had an image. Lou.

"..... and that was when things got interestiing."

anxcon, nope, it's not that one.

archdruid, unfortunately, that's the one thing we didn't get a good look at.  :(

Miss Nancy, good point about the variations, although I haven't seen a single picture that looks even remotely like it.  And I hadn't thought about crossing the border (LOL!) or an imported escapee.  sigh

I'll keep searching, but I'm sure it'll be back.  Maybe I can get a picture.  But one way or another, we're going to have to get rid of it.  I really don't want to kill it (maybe we can try to trap and release it somewhere else), but between the damn coyotes, foxes, possums, hawks and now snakes, our chickens are almost all gone.  They've completely wiped out our guineas, and we only have one duck left.  The only ones that haven't been killed are the geese and turkeys.

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

Here's a really quick texture I made.  Colours aren't exactly right, and I'm sure the head isn't either...this is just to give a general idea of the pattern.  Although the diamonds weren't that fat (the texture stretched).  But the middle third of the body was quite fat (don't know if that's because he'd just had a good meal)...it wasn't a sleek, thin snake.

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

  ok... but was the head "arrowhead shaped", or slim like your image?   GEESE?... all right!.... they do make a good alarm system... if they're making a ruckus, likely one of your problems is in the area. :blushing: but you'd already know that. Still looking around, though. Lou.

"..... and that was when things got interestiing."

archdruid, the head was the one thing we didn't get a good look at.  :(

Yeah, the geese can make a lot of noise when they're agitated, and we've got one male that is really aggressive.  Him and the male turkey (Cocoa) have really been going at it.  Poor Cocoa...one third of his body has been plucked bald.  That goose latches on and doesn't let go until the feathers come out.  :(

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

I found this article and it makes me lean torwards the rat snake even more.
http://coloherp.org/cb-news/Vol-30/cbn-0306/TexasRat.php

Handle every stressful situation like a dog.

If you can't eat it or play with it,

just pee on it and walk away. :-)

....................................................

I wouldnt have to manage my anger

if people would manage their stupidity......

 

Is this it? it's a ratsnake, and seems fairly close to your image and description. Lou.

"..... and that was when things got interestiing."

the poser image appears to be a red diamondback. there may be some folklore about some of 'em being "silent" (no rattles), in addition to tail injuries caused by an unknown agent.

Quote - Is anyone here familiar with snakes?  We found one in our chicken house this morning. 

And you're still leaving there?!

I'd have been packed and thousands of miles from there by now!

Slithery things just creep me out. Nothing like a snake, or worm or a hairy spider to send me shrieking from the room, LOL

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi

Looks to me like its an eastern diamondback from your render. But the ones I've seen had a more 'woodsy' look. The largest I've seen was 5' 8" long with a 9" diameter. Texas is a strange place, kind of a mixture between eastern and western United States. Rattlesnake don't always 'rattle' before they bite. I know from first hand experience, stepped right over one and never saw it until it moved. I do skin em' if I find a fresh dead one and its not tore up too bad. They make great longbow decorations.

 Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things!  ; )

If bitten, you can survive it. Place a rubber band between the bite and your heart. NO NOT cut off the blood flow, you just want to slow it down. Don't drive like a maniac, just get to the emergency room. Kill the snake and bring it with you to the hospital. Positive identification is important to select the correct anti-venom. Better luck with your chickens (we wanna get a few this Spring too!)

 Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things!  ; )

Aren't the younger rattle snakes more venomous? Or is that just a myth?

"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert Einstein

Free the freebies!

I've heard that the venom in young rattlesnakes is not more poisonous, just more concentrated. I haven't been willing to test this theory. I do find a lot of young bull snakes in the yard, these I leave alone. And occasionally, I find young rattlesnakes. If I can, I'll relocate them. They mostly eat rodents, and that's alright by me. One year I had a rock chuck come up to the fence and totally creap-out my blue healer. She didn't know what to make of it, so she headed for the house. I, on the other hand, tried to scare it off. I yelled at it, kicked the fence, and went so far as to fire a round into the ground next to it. Did it run away like I thought it would? Heck no, it just stood on its hind legs and hissed at me. The next round went through the lungs & heart.

 Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things!  ; )

Quote - I've heard that the venom in young rattlesnakes is not more poisonous, just more concentrated. I haven't been willing to test this theory. I do find a lot of young bull snakes in the yard, these I leave alone. And occasionally, I find young rattlesnakes. If I can, I'll relocate them. They mostly eat rodents, and that's alright by me. One year I had a rock chuck come up to the fence and totally creap-out my blue healer. She didn't know what to make of it, so she headed for the house. I, on the other hand, tried to scare it off. I yelled at it, kicked the fence, and went so far as to fire a round into the ground next to it. Did it run away like I thought it would? Heck no, it just stood on its hind legs and hissed at me. The next round went through the lungs & heart.

Snakes don't have ears  so the sound of a gunshot won't scare it :)

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi

Acadia, I was writing about a rock chunk, not a snake.

 Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things!  ; )

Quote - Acadia, I was writing about a rock chunk, not a snake.

And so you were :)

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi

Ah... I see. : ) Cricky!! Here's a rock chuck. This lil' bugger is mean.

 Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things!  ; )

Ahhhh!  A ground squirrel!  I've never heard it called a "rockchuck", but apparently that's it's main name.

They're cuties!!!  Why did you shoot her?      She was probably protecting her babies.

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi

Well, the one I shot was a male, so no babies. Its not a ground squirrel, those are what we call "gophers", which are in fact ground squirrels. Rock chucks are ill-tempered lil critters. I've run into them before while out bow hunting. I leave them alone, they've left me alone. This particular rock chuck wanted into the yard, threatened my dog (whos a very gentle dog), and I gave it three chances to leave. But when it hissed at me, I wasn't going to take the chance that it had rabies, I took it out. As you've read from my earlier post, I'll go to lengths greater than most to preserve life. All my neigbors, universally, shoot coyotes on sight. I've never killed one. But there are limits. If a coyote showed up in your yard to make a meal of your beloved cat, I'd take it out without a moments hesitation. Several years ago, here in Montana, a small child was killed by a mountain lion, in a popular family campground! And a friend of mine in the middle of the night had a mountain lion leap from the ground to the top of her trailer and paced back and forth. I wouldn't have believed it but I saw the tracks with my own eyes. Sometimes nature bears its ugly fangs, and when it does I do what is sometimes unpleasant to protect my family and pets.

 Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things!  ; )

Quote - Several years ago, here in Montana, a small child was killed by a mountain lion, in a popular family campground! And a friend of mine in the middle of the night had a mountain lion leap from the ground to the top of her trailer and paced back and forth. I wouldn't have believed it but I saw the tracks with my own eyes. Sometimes nature bears its ugly fangs, and when it does I do what is sometimes unpleasant to protect my family and pets.

And people wonder why my idea of camping is a 5 star hotel !!!  Between bugs, bears, rain, out houses  and other wild critters, you can't pay me enough to go camping.

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi

The Eastern Diamondback looks to be the closest match, although the colours and markings are still not quite right. 

The pics I Google'd on the Eastern Diamondback all look grey-brown-black whereas the one we saw was reddish-brown.  And the diamonds were a very different shape.  This is so odd...  But whatever it is, I'm pretty sure now that it's some kind of rattler that was missing it's rattle.  It's gonna have to go.  I don't want a poisonous snake hanging around.  I don't like killing anything, but I'm not taking a chance with trying to trap it.

Thanks so much everyone!  If you can think of anything else it might be, please let me know!  I'll try to take a picture if we see it again.

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

Yeah. : ) As you get older, sleeping on the ground kinda loses its luster.

 Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things!  ; )

Sounds like a corn snake or a king snake - both  fairly harmless - except they have been know to steal eggs!
corn snake -
king snake-

Texas rat snake

Gopher snake

Never heard of a corn snake, look at the size of that thing! That snake ain't been missing no meals! And from the coloring, looks like the closest match so far.

 Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things!  ; )

I would add this warning, ANY snake, harmless or no, can bite. Just because it isn't poisonous does not mean you won't get bitten. Handle any captured snake as though it were and you'll reduce your chance of getting hurt.

 Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things!  ; )

Quote - I would add this warning, ANY snake, harmless or no, can bite. Just because it isn't poisonous does not mean you won't get bitten. Handle any captured snake as though it were and you'll reduce your chance of getting hurt.

 
tru

maybe a redracer?
i know southern nevada has them.

www.oodlesdoodles.com

try looking here:
http://www.texassnakes.net/pictures.html

www.oodlesdoodles.com

texas night snake

http://www.zo.utexas.edu/research/txherps/snakes/

http://www.surgery.uthscsa.edu/stpc/snakes.asp

www.oodlesdoodles.com

this is a very good site for ya to check out.
http://www.kingsnake.com/stha/snakecall.html

tells you who to call to rid yourself of the snake in your area.
also has pics of the ones that live in your area too!

Qoute:
First of all, DON'T PANIC (easy for us to say)!  There are 72 species (types) of snake native to Texas.  Only 11 are venomous.  Of course, to someone unfamiliar with these reptiles, ALL snakes are considered dangerous!  That's a safe assumption to make, unless you are positive of the snake's identification (and they don't carry wallets!).  Not to worry; our members are familiar with the various types of snakes found in the local area and can make an accurate ID.

www.oodlesdoodles.com