Copperheads

[happyappygirl]

OK pardon the dual posting, i also posted this in the reptile forum...and feel free to go there to answer it, but i NEED suggestions!

My husband and son are amatuer herpetologists, and enjoy all manner of reptiles. The EXCEPTION are copperheads living in and near our barn/house. If they are out on the property, well away from the inhabited parts of our place...no problem, live and let live we say. We have now found TWO in two weeks, both were VERY aggressive, striking even when we weren't aware of their presence at first (and both are in formaldehyde now, LOL).

Problem is HOW to make them move out to more remote areas now?? I'm positive where there's two there's more!
I am horribly allergic to most manner of insect bites, and fear if a copperhead bites me, I won't live to tell the tale. And YES we are 100% positive they are copperheads. Slitted eyes, FANGS, triangle heads, the works. Hubby has moved a dozen or so large black rat snakes and racers into the area of the barn. Amazingly enough he has SEEN one of these eating another good sized snake so he was hoping they would drive the copperheads off - which OBVIOUSLY didn't work!!

And IF one of us or a horse/dog gets bitten what do we do?? ~Thanks!

 

[Kizzy]

These are very good questions. The new house we just bought has woods that unlike the house we are in now, we just may go in. I've been concerned about Cooperheads myself. It seems, and maybe James White can deny or verify, that St. Mary's has tons of cooperheads.

 

[huntr1]

I have yet to see any at my place. Have found 2 snakes so far this year. 1 was a 2' or so long blacksnake that was in a box outside, didn't know it was in there, and reached into the previously unopened box to remove the contents and got a handful of snake. The other was a small brown snake (I think it was a very young blacksnake) that I found down in one of the holes for my footings when I was preparing to concrete in one of the posts for my barn. Caught that one and showed it to the boys, then let it go.

 

[Kizzy]

When my oldest son was 5, he picked up a snake and handed it to me. He said mommy is this a snake.

I knocked it out of his hand and whacked it with a ho into tiny pieces.

I saw a cooperhead when I was 11-12 years old. I was walking down a trail, saw it and ran non stop 3 miles back to the house screaming my head off. I described the snake, flat, triangle head, hissing, long tongue, seemed really pissed, kinda beige in color and my aunt and uncle said they were pretty sure we don't have cooperheads around these parts.

A few years later, I saw a picture and said yep that is what I saw.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

Originally posted by IM4Change
I knocked it out of his hand and whacked it with a ho into tiny pieces.

Did you use nomoney or Crabby?

 

[tlatchaw]

Originally posted by happyappygirl

And IF one of us or a horse/dog gets bitten what do we do?? ~Thanks!

Call a vet?

The dog I would be worried about, but pretty much anything over 100 pounds or so should survive from what I've heard. Needless to say that should make you pretty concerned about your kids.

It seems that I've heard that one way of making anti-venom is to inject a horse with snake venom and then collect the needed antibodies for use in people. So I would suppose that Mr. Ed could get zapped and then pound the snake into mush and probably be alright. Still call the vet to be sure.

 

[nomoney]

Originally posted by Chasey_Lane
Did you use nomoney or Crabby?

oh my; you're funny.

 

[Ponytail]

Copperheads are normally active at night. Anywhere that there is an abundance of water and woods, it is prime territory for copperheads.

Copperheads are non-aggressive poisonous snakes that won't bother you, if you don't bother them.

If dogs come around them, normally they stay still until they pass. Most dogs will walk/run/sniff right passed a snake without even knowing it's there, and a dog doesn't weigh enough to hurt a snake if its stepped on. And the chances of that are slim to none.

Just know that the snakes are there, and be careful, particularly at night. This area has a huge population of copperheads, but each copperhead "claims" such a HUGE area, that it is rare to see them, let alone more than one in the same area.

The two copperheads that you saw were probably very young, and recently out of a nest somewhere. THAT could have been a mile away though.

Don't get too worked up about it. If they were THAT much of a danger, you'd hear more about the dangers of snake bites, than tick bites.

Also, if you do happen to get bit, the chances of dieing from it are extremely slim, but it will be VERY painful in the days to come.

Check out this first hand Copperhead bite report.

I have them around my house, and have only seen one. It was in the road, at night. And it was a little one. I think they are gorgeous snakes, you just have to respect them.

 

[Ponytail]

Another good factual web page...

 

[willie]

The Copperhead can be very aggressive.

 

[Pushrod]

They are agressive only if they feel threatened. Normally they want to get as far from you as you want to be from them. I found a large adult copperhead in my ivy bed about 5 weeks ago. It was a beautifully colored snake about 3 feet long. It tried to escape deeper into the ivy bed as I was working in it, and I decided that I didn't really want it living in there that close to the house. I pulled it out by the tail and put in on the lawn so I would be better able to (and more safely) approach and control it. I caught the snake behind the head and as it tried to twist and bite I put a twig in its mouth and it promptly bit down on it. It must of thought it had me because it let loose a spray of venom through its fangs that covered the front of my shirt. I took the snake to the woods about a 100 yards from my home and let it go, and it readily put as much distance between me and itself as fast as its legless body could move.
That was the 2nd copperhead I have removed from my property in about 5 years. I know that they have a painful non-lifethreatening bite and I have emense respect for them.
I think the only way to keep them away from your property is to remove the source of food that draws them there, moles, mice, toads, etc... goodluck.

 

[mAlice]

Originally posted by Pushrod
They are agressive only if they feel threatened. Normally they want to get as far from you as you want to be from them. I found a large adult copperhead in my ivy bed about 5 weeks ago. It was a beautifully colored snake about 3 feet long. It tried to escape deeper into the ivy bed as I was working in it, and I decided that I didn't really want it living in there that close to the house. I pulled it out by the tail and put in on the lawn so I would be better able to (and more safely) approach and control it. I caught the snake behind the head and as it tried to twist and bite I put a twig in its mouth and it promptly bit down on it. It must of thought it had me because it let loose a spray of venom through its fangs that covered the front of my shirt. I took the snake to the woods about a 100 yards from my home and let it go, and it readily put as much distance between me and itself as fast as its legless body could move.
That was the 2nd copperhead I have removed from my property in about 5 years. I know that they have a painful non-lifethreatening bite and I have emense respect for them.
I think the only way to keep them away from your property is to remove the source of food that draws them there, moles, mice, toads, etc... goodluck.

Have you read your quote lately?

 

[Pushrod]

I knew someone would say something about that, just not that quickly! As a rebuttal, let me say that for one I have been keeping herps for years, mainly snakes, and no I don't keep venomous species due to that fact that accidents can and will happen. So I am comfortable handling them, and I felt it was better to remove it from my yard then let it remain where an accidental and painful encounter may ensue at a later date.

And yes, Einstien was correct, we all have done something utterly stupid at least once in our life.

Cheers!

 

[Spoiled]

Originally posted by Pushrod
They are agressive only if they feel threatened. Normally they want to get as far from you as you want to be from them. I found a large adult copperhead in my ivy bed about 5 weeks ago. It was a beautifully colored snake about 3 feet long. It tried to escape deeper into the ivy bed as I was working in it, and I decided that I didn't really want it living in there that close to the house. I pulled it out by the tail and put in on the lawn so I would be better able to (and more safely) approach and control it. I caught the snake behind the head and as it tried to twist and bite I put a twig in its mouth and it promptly bit down on it. It must of thought it had me because it let loose a spray of venom through its fangs that covered the front of my shirt. I took the snake to the woods about a 100 yards from my home and let it go, and it readily put as much distance between me and itself as fast as its legless body could move.
That was the 2nd copperhead I have removed from my property in about 5 years. I know that they have a painful non-lifethreatening bite and I have emense respect for them.
I think the only way to keep them away from your property is to remove the source of food that draws them there, moles, mice, toads, etc... goodluck.

wow... just wow... you either are insane or have huge ....

 

[Kizzy]

Pushrod,

You are nuts.

My opinion still stands, if I see a Copperhead, I will scream, run, come back with a very long sharp object and beat it.

 

[Ponytail]

Originally posted by IM4Change
Pushrod,

You are nuts.

My opinion still stands, if I see a Copperhead, I will scream, run, come back with a very long sharp object and beat it.

You cheered for Loraina Bobbitt, didn't you.

 

[Kizzy]

Originally posted by Ponytail
You cheered for Loraina Bobbitt, didn't you.

No, there was no good excuse for destroying a trouser snake.

 

[Ponytail]

Originally posted by IM4Change
No, there was no good excuse for destroying a trouser snake.

 

[RodRugg]

There's a man in Nanjemoy and he's very good at making animals go away. One time this possum was getting in our garbage and causing havoc and my grandma called him and he came right over and beat that possum to death with a golf club. He deals with snakes, mice, squirrels and even bees and lobsters. The neighbors used him to get a mess of haircorns out of their stovepipe. I think he works pretty cheap and he will even work for trades. My grandma traded him a set of old golf clubs for getting rid of that possum. I'm pretty sure his name is Dale Pepper and he's in the phone book.

 

[aps45819]

Originally posted by IM4Change
Pushrod,
You are nuts.
My opinion still stands, if I see a Copperhead, I will scream, run, come back with a very long sharp object and beat it.

Don't expect other people to allow YOUR fears to control THEIR lives.