Marty2009
Member
Authored by: Becky Lundgren, DVM
Most snakes will try to avoid you or your pets; snakes typically bite only as a last resort. But while you may wisely decide to simply walk away when you encounter a snake, dogs and cats will often harass the sliding invader -- and may get bitten as a result. Snakes help protect your garden and yard plants, because they eat rodents and insects. Most of the snakes you will find are not a problem, and they don’t harm property.
While hiking, stay on open paths. Off-trail hiking can stir up snakes. Keep your dog on leash and away from high grass and rocky outcrops in which snakes like to rest. Don’t let the dog explore holes or dig under rocks or logs. Remember that rattlers are nocturnal, so daytime hikes are safer. If you hear a rattling noise, keep your dog at your side until you figure out where the snake is, and then move away with your dog. Your best bet is to stay vigilant and keep control of your dog when walking in snake habitats.
If you see a snake that sees you, remember that a snake can strike only a distance of half its body length. Give the snake time to just go away. Snakes are not looking to interact with people or pets, either defensively or aggressively.
Don’t let your pet examine “road kill” snakes. Dead pit vipers can have some muscle contractions after death, and thus have been known to "bite" even after they’re dead. Those bites can still envenomate. Don't handle a dead or injured snake – not even a decapitated head.
If your pet is bitten by a snake that you think might be venomous, get medical attention immediately. It’s better to go in and be checked out rather than wait and be sorry.
Repellants and Removal
Most wildlife experts believe there is no such thing as an effective snake repellant, although people have tried mothballs, vapor barriers, ultrasonics, sulfur, poison, etc. What can help is setting up physical barriers (e.g., fences that are set a foot or two into the ground), cutting off the snake's food supply and shelter, mowing closely around the house, storing firewood away from the house, removing junk piles, removing weeds and brush, plugging up holes in the ground, etc. And if you need to have dangerous snakes removed from your property, contact a wildlife control operator to trap and remove the snakes. This is not a job for an inexperienced person.
Snake Identification: Venomous or Nonvenomous?
Most nonvenomous snakes have a large smooth cap over the top of the head past the eyes, divided scales on the underside of the tail, no pits and no long fangs. Rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths are all venomous pit vipers, and have a pit between and slightly below the eye and nostril. Pit vipers also have long movable fangs, a "cat's eye" pupil, undivided scales under the tail, and a large triangular-shaped head with a small shiny cap over the nose.
Melissa Kaplan, author of the Reptile Series, suggests learning about the snakes in your area. “Familiarize yourself with what the local snakes look like by reading through a field guide of reptiles and amphibians for your area. Compare the drawings and photos of the local venomous snakes with the non-venomous species so that you can remember what they look like, in general. A single species of snake may have a wide range of colors and patterns.”
Herpetology field guides can be purchased at book stores and science/nature stores, both off- and online. One online field guide is www.enature.com. When you register (it's free) on the site, you can store your zip code, and access all the species (plants, invertebrates, mammals, lizards, etc.) found in your region or state, if the species is found throughout the state. Each species has a photo, written description, and locale.
Kaplan believes everyone should have a herp field guide if they live where there are venomous snakes and poisonous amphibians because:
Drought and periods of prolonged dry heat drive prey into residential neighborhoods and irrigated parks from wild/undeveloped/non-irrigated areas; their predators will follow, including venomous and nonvenomous snakes.
Long-established residential neighborhoods can become inundated with prey and predators when an old house is torn down; ditto for vacant lots undergoing clearing and development.
Long-established residential neighborhoods and, increasingly, business parks situated in areas where the city/county planners keep or create green belts of parks and nature trails become highways for animals, providing shelter, cover and food for all sorts of species who can then move into the more central areas of town. Squirrels, opossums, raccoons, and rodents of many types will come in, followed by those who dine upon them.
“People with pets or kids need to know what they are looking at and what their pets or kids may be about to poke at or pick up,” says Kaplan.
Preventive Options
Using "snake-bite vaccine" may be useful if you're in a part of the country that has lots of venomous snakes, in addition to training your dog.
A snake bite vaccine has been created by Red Rock Biologics. The vaccine creates protective antibodies, and those antibodies can neutralize venom immediately. Red Rock states that, on average, antibody levels in recently vaccinated dogs are comparable to treatment with three vials of antivenin. So, if the vaccinated animal is bitten by a Western Diamondback, it will need less antivenin than if it had not been vaccinated. The bitten pet will still need to be examined by a veterinarian to determine just how much treatment will be necessary. The vaccination may not help if the animal was bitten by a different venomous snake, since the vaccine is pretty venom-specific. Red Rock Biologics is developing vaccines for other snake venoms. The vaccine is not labeled for use in cats.
Most snakes will try to avoid you or your pets; snakes typically bite only as a last resort. But while you may wisely decide to simply walk away when you encounter a snake, dogs and cats will often harass the sliding invader -- and may get bitten as a result. Snakes help protect your garden and yard plants, because they eat rodents and insects. Most of the snakes you will find are not a problem, and they don’t harm property.
While hiking, stay on open paths. Off-trail hiking can stir up snakes. Keep your dog on leash and away from high grass and rocky outcrops in which snakes like to rest. Don’t let the dog explore holes or dig under rocks or logs. Remember that rattlers are nocturnal, so daytime hikes are safer. If you hear a rattling noise, keep your dog at your side until you figure out where the snake is, and then move away with your dog. Your best bet is to stay vigilant and keep control of your dog when walking in snake habitats.
If you see a snake that sees you, remember that a snake can strike only a distance of half its body length. Give the snake time to just go away. Snakes are not looking to interact with people or pets, either defensively or aggressively.
Don’t let your pet examine “road kill” snakes. Dead pit vipers can have some muscle contractions after death, and thus have been known to "bite" even after they’re dead. Those bites can still envenomate. Don't handle a dead or injured snake – not even a decapitated head.
If your pet is bitten by a snake that you think might be venomous, get medical attention immediately. It’s better to go in and be checked out rather than wait and be sorry.
Repellants and Removal
Most wildlife experts believe there is no such thing as an effective snake repellant, although people have tried mothballs, vapor barriers, ultrasonics, sulfur, poison, etc. What can help is setting up physical barriers (e.g., fences that are set a foot or two into the ground), cutting off the snake's food supply and shelter, mowing closely around the house, storing firewood away from the house, removing junk piles, removing weeds and brush, plugging up holes in the ground, etc. And if you need to have dangerous snakes removed from your property, contact a wildlife control operator to trap and remove the snakes. This is not a job for an inexperienced person.
Snake Identification: Venomous or Nonvenomous?
Most nonvenomous snakes have a large smooth cap over the top of the head past the eyes, divided scales on the underside of the tail, no pits and no long fangs. Rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths are all venomous pit vipers, and have a pit between and slightly below the eye and nostril. Pit vipers also have long movable fangs, a "cat's eye" pupil, undivided scales under the tail, and a large triangular-shaped head with a small shiny cap over the nose.
Melissa Kaplan, author of the Reptile Series, suggests learning about the snakes in your area. “Familiarize yourself with what the local snakes look like by reading through a field guide of reptiles and amphibians for your area. Compare the drawings and photos of the local venomous snakes with the non-venomous species so that you can remember what they look like, in general. A single species of snake may have a wide range of colors and patterns.”
Herpetology field guides can be purchased at book stores and science/nature stores, both off- and online. One online field guide is www.enature.com. When you register (it's free) on the site, you can store your zip code, and access all the species (plants, invertebrates, mammals, lizards, etc.) found in your region or state, if the species is found throughout the state. Each species has a photo, written description, and locale.
Kaplan believes everyone should have a herp field guide if they live where there are venomous snakes and poisonous amphibians because:
Drought and periods of prolonged dry heat drive prey into residential neighborhoods and irrigated parks from wild/undeveloped/non-irrigated areas; their predators will follow, including venomous and nonvenomous snakes.
Long-established residential neighborhoods can become inundated with prey and predators when an old house is torn down; ditto for vacant lots undergoing clearing and development.
Long-established residential neighborhoods and, increasingly, business parks situated in areas where the city/county planners keep or create green belts of parks and nature trails become highways for animals, providing shelter, cover and food for all sorts of species who can then move into the more central areas of town. Squirrels, opossums, raccoons, and rodents of many types will come in, followed by those who dine upon them.
“People with pets or kids need to know what they are looking at and what their pets or kids may be about to poke at or pick up,” says Kaplan.
Preventive Options
Using "snake-bite vaccine" may be useful if you're in a part of the country that has lots of venomous snakes, in addition to training your dog.
A snake bite vaccine has been created by Red Rock Biologics. The vaccine creates protective antibodies, and those antibodies can neutralize venom immediately. Red Rock states that, on average, antibody levels in recently vaccinated dogs are comparable to treatment with three vials of antivenin. So, if the vaccinated animal is bitten by a Western Diamondback, it will need less antivenin than if it had not been vaccinated. The bitten pet will still need to be examined by a veterinarian to determine just how much treatment will be necessary. The vaccination may not help if the animal was bitten by a different venomous snake, since the vaccine is pretty venom-specific. Red Rock Biologics is developing vaccines for other snake venoms. The vaccine is not labeled for use in cats.
