Should I get rid of the black snake who lives in my back yard?

Question

Okay, here goes.... He is about as big around as a banana, and his home is in a large, old, hollow tree in the back yard (my kids call it the Alice In Wonderland Tree). Anyway, before we knew it was there, my little boy was poking a stick into the hole at the bottom of this tree, and next we see a portion of the snake wrapped around an inner root in there. I told my little boy to stay away from the tree, but he is only six and totally into anything reptilian. In a way, I'd like to just leave the snake alone, because we live close to the base of a mountain that many rattlers inhabit (and black snakes supposedly kill rattlers). However, I really don't want my two young children to get bitten by this snake. What should I do?

Answer 1

Call Animal Control A.S.A.P

Answer 2

Assuming this is a non-venomous species (black rat snake?) then I would leave him be. Wouldn't you rather a non-venomous snake than venomous lol.

It is a great opportunity for your children to learn to respect their environment & native animal species. The tree will also maintain its "magical" quality for longer :)

Answer 3

Well, my rule of thumb is, if it lives in my backyard, and it isn't a pet, and it doesn't pay rent,and it could pose a threat, then it's out of there.  

Answer 4

Getting rid of the snake may not be the best thing to do. If it is a black rat snake, which it probably is, like you said, it may eat other more dangerous snakes. And even if it doesn't eat other snakes, it may keep other pests from entering your back yard. Black rat snakes are not poisonous and are usually not aggressive so as long as your little boy doesn't really p**s it off or corner it the snake shouldn't bite. Do more research, ID the snake, and then make your decision based on what you think is the safest thing to do for your kid.

Answer 5

Are you in a more urban environment or a more rural?

If you are in a more rural environment, I would teach the kids about snakes, about respecting them.  It sounds like a black rat snake, assuming you live in the USA.  They are one of the largest snakes of North America, and quite gentile.  I have one as a pet, and handle it occasionally and have never been bitten.  If you do startle it, and get bitten, first aid would be to apply Iodine or just soap and water to the bite area, and to keep it clean.  It might be painful, but not lasting, and it would good opportunity to teach the kids to be respectful of snakes in my opinion.

If you are a more urban environment, I would probably try to remove it and put it somewhere more rural.  This is more for the fear that someone else would hurt the snake out of the same fears.  If it is buried into the base of the tree, you might have to dig it out and put it into a cloth bag, like a pillowcase.  I don't know any tricks to luring snakes out, except possibly flooding the burrow, but I would advise you to spend more effort in positively identifying the snake before reaching your hand into the burrow.

Where do you live, incidentally?

* I would also like to point out that if you hear weak rattling, that doesn't necessarily mean it is a rattlesnake.  Black rat snakes are known to imitate rattlesnakes by rattling their tail in the grass or against a hard object when they feel threatened.  This is another sign that the black rat snake may turn "bitey" if messed with.

Answer 6

i'd leave it.

tell the kids to leave it alone.

it eats rodents that you don't want around.

i wasn't aware that it would do anything to rattlers, but i won't hurt.

in fact, if it eats the rodents that rattlers like, that's a very good thing.

if your kids don't listen, and get a bite, not to worry.

they're not poisonous, so it'll hurt but not be serious.

maybe next time, they'll pay more attention.  

Answer 7

Everyone will have a different opinion on this, but I'll add mine as well.  

First of all, getting the snake identified is of major importance if you are considering letting it stay in your garden, since you have young children. If it's venomous, it's really not wise to allow it to stay there, in my opinion. If you discover that it's venomous, and if you then decide to get rid of it, you have two options...one legal and one not. You can either kill it, or pay someone to remove it and let it go a long way from where you live. I don't suggest killing it unless you have a gun, preferably a shot gun, as killing snakes with other 'weapons', eg. sticks etc., will most likely get you bitten. If you don't have a gun, but have decided to kill it, there is probably someone in your area who has one, since it sounds as though you live in the country.

If you find out the snake is non-venomous, then let it stay, by all means.

I grew up in the country, and we were lovers of nature and animals, but we always drew the line at allowing venomous snakes to live in our garden. You do have to draw the line somewhere, and no matter how politically incorrect it may seem to town folk, no snake's life is worth the life of your own child.

Where I grew up, we were many miles from the nearest town, and goodness knows how far from any snake catcher, so we used to shoot venomous snakes that came into our garden. We fully appreciated the beauty of snakes, and loved to watch them when we'd see them in the paddocks away from the house, as we did most days in summer, but it's not worth risking lives to have them in the garden. I should add that we got some of the most venomous snakes in the world where I grew up, so there was a genuine danger. We didn't just shoot them for the sake of it, and it wasn't too often that they'd come into the garden, which was fortunate, as we didn't like to have to kill them.

Anyway, to sum up what I think, I believe if it's non-venomous, let it stay, and if it's venomous, kill it or get it removed.

Hope that helps.