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What is it about snakes that makes them so scary?
As someone who hasn't met a snake I didn't like, I'd have to say popular culture & religion...
And, as a request, please don't kill it!
And, as a request, please don't kill it!
Or neuter it. :)
And, why do you have a King Snake in your yard? Is that a common thing in your neck of the woods?
What is it about snakes that makes them so scary?
Three things I think:
It makes perfect sense to be afraid of snakes, at least until you have verified that the kind you're looking at is not harmful.
He has been after one for awhile. It's our first snake.
"Dangerous" is probably a better word.
Even though I've outted myself as "pro-snake," I'll point out that even bites from nonvenomous snakes can lead to serious infection & ugly bite wounds.
He has been after one for awhile. It's our first snake.
"Dad, I don't know what happened to her. She came over to do homework with me, I went to the kitchen to make us something to eat and when I came back, she was gone. I looked at the Boa and noticed that he was about 90 pounds heavier."
I just can't bring myself to allow my daughter to have any "dangerous" pets. I've seen too many videos of what happens to children when pets go bad.
Reptiles were not meant to be tamed. They can be fed, which in turn gives the appearance of tame but, when its time to feed, watch out!
Out of curiousity, what is a "safe" pet?
> I'll trade ya some rattlesnakes for your King Snake.
Ah, a man with knowledge!
And, as a request, please don't kill it!
My husband asked me not to scare the king snake off because they eat rattle snakes. I'm not sure how I could scare off a snake that size even if I wanted to.
We had an encounter today on the patio and I ran back into the house so fast I accidentally closed the patio door on my fingernail and broke it off.
I accidentally closed the patio door on my fingernail and broke it off.
See, I told you snakes were dangerous. :)
And, why do you have a King Snake in your yard? Is that a common thing in your neck of the woods?
I live in a normal, tract house subdivision with sidewalks, but it is near a lot of open space and our lot backs up onto a creek. Every once in awhile we'll see a rattle snake or some other kind of snake on the hiking trails near our house, but usually not in anyone's yard. We have had a few sightings and a couple of near miss encounters with rattle snakes in the trails over the years. My husband and son even stepped over a baby rattler once. It was all curled up and looked like a cow pie. They didn't even realize it was a snake until it tried to strike at me. I was last in line on a narrow hiking trail, but I saw it uncurling, heard the rattle, and backed off in time.
Last year we had a drain put in under the house and the space where the pump is always has a little pool of water in it, and frogs and toads liked to live in there. They all seem to have disappeared around the same time the snake moved in.
[edited by: Jane_Doe at 4:28 am (utc) on June 27, 2007]
To make matters worse I have a 3 year old daughter, but she does know if she sees a snake to run away, but what happens when she can't see it? Oh how I hate these poisonous snakes, even though I know they are not intentionally out to get us and do serve a purpose. I just try to keep all rodents and frogs away from the yard, but you can't get them all.
I've stumbled over baby Rattlers and mating Copperheads at my front door. A fat King Snake is your family's best friend. Give him a raise.
But then we also have to cope with midges ;)
We have sevral native poisnous spiders but thank god their fangs cant pierce the skin.
Best of luck with your new "pet" snake.
I learned how to walk (run?) on water that day.
My father and I fished it out of the pool with the leaf catcher and released it - never saw it again.
Try finding a coral snake (looks a lot like your king snake, but venomous) in your swimming pool after you're already in the water.
Reminds me of the old question.
Q.) What's worse than finding a worm in your salad?
A.) Finding half a worm.
Out of curiousity, what is a "safe" pet?
It's difficult to imagine a guppy causing any trouble. That would have to be high on the list.
Have you ever touched one? They feel like a cross between silk and velvet, a fantastically soothing and relaxing sensation - I can understand why exotic dancers like them!
Here in the UK although we only have two proper snakes, they are common and I used to have grass snakes living in my garden. Wonderful!
Snakes rock!
Matt
One day while I was taking the snake for a "walk" around the dorm, I suddenly heard a blood curdling shriek down the hall coming from the area of my dorm room. Oops- forgot it was cleaning day! :)
What is it about snakes that makes them so scary?
As expected, most of the class members were afraid to touch the snakes. I was dying to play with them, so my mom finally asked if it was okay if I touched them. Again, the prof. agreed. After the rest of the students saw a young kid playing with the snakes, pretty much all of them finally decided that the snakes were okay and I think everyone eventually ended up touching them.
Apparently the prof. decided to not use the data from that day since I caused the statistics to be completely off the norm. :)
Harmless King Snake angst <> Six foot Cobra vs. Dog wars in front yard.
Having cobras in your yard would be very scary.
But the king snake, even if non-venomous, still creeps me out. His last sighting was in a fort one of my kids built curled up under a bean bag chair. Imagine going to sit in bean bag chair and having a very large, angry from being sat on, snake slither out from under you.
Out of curiousity, what is a "safe" pet?It's difficult to imagine a guppy causing any trouble.
andye, I did consider that exact species of fish, but based on a decade of breeding experience, ruled it out as "dangerous."
A guppy? Dangerous?!
Ok, allow me to qualify - and to note that my classification is based on P1R's statement:
I've seen too many videos of what happens to children when pets go bad.
A single guppy in a tank is a safe pet. More than one, when there is a male present, and they are dangerous. Now I don't mean dangerous in a physical sense - being bitten by a guppy is amusing - but in a psychological manner to the well-being of a child (and some adults, it seems).
Male guppies are very aggressive, sexually. Very. If a female won't respond to his advances, he will eventually become a physically abusive serial rapist...
Daddy, why is Little Mermaid hiding in the corner with her tail missing?Because she is the victim of a brutal sexual assault, my dear child...
Ok, you and your child have - hopefully - survived breeding with psyche intact, now it's time for live births. As I'm sure any parent will tell you - I'm childless - birth is a beautiful thing and now you have 30 more fish, so...
Let the cannibalism begin!
Mommy, where are all the babies?Hors d'oeuvres, my dear, hors d'oeuvres...
Snakes I don't mind, though I would be cautious with one of any type, not knowing much about them.
However, a completely harmless spider in an unexpected location? THAT will elicit a not thoroughly thought-out response.
Well, I'm the Crawlin' King Snake
And I rule my den
I'm the Crawlin' King Snake
And I rule my den
Yeah, don't mess 'round with my mate
Gonna use her for myself
Caught me crawlin', baby, window
Grass is very high
Keep on crawlin' till the day I die
Crawlin' King Snake
And I rule my den
You better give me what I want
Gonna crawl no more
Caught me crawlin', baby
Crawlin' 'round your door
Seein' everything I want
I'm gonna crawl on your floor
Let's crawl
And I rule my den
C'mon, give me what I want
Ain't gonna crawl no more
Alright, crawl a while
C'mon crawl
C'mon crawl
Get on out there on your hands and knees, baby
Crawl all over me
Just like the spider on the wall
Ooo, we gonn' crawl, one more
Well, I'm the Crawlin' King Snake
And I rule my den
Call me the Crawlin' King Snake
And I rule my den
Yeah, don't mess 'round with my mate
Gonna use her for myself
Let the cannibalism begin!
OK, now I'm scared. These guppies sound fierce. With the biting, and the rending...
What happens if you feed them after midnight?
A.
