How to catch a snake

There are people who see snakes as interesting and amazing creatures and others who are frightened and terrified of them. However, every once in a while there are situations when people have to catch a snake, either to remove it from their yard or for some other reason. However, it is always better to stay away from them if you don’t know what to do. In the next few paragraphs we are going to tell you how you can catch a snake. Remember, you are doing this on your own risk. If you are too afraid to do this, contact a professional service.
If you have a snake stick and a pillowcase everything will be much easier. First look carefully where the snake is. It can be a problem sometimes because they easily blend to the surface. If you don’t see the snake but you are sure it was there, check for possible hiding places – under rocks, logs, or any other dark places. Make sure to use the snake stick and never do this with bare hands. In this way you will protect yourself from being bitten.
Never approach the snake from the front side. Do that from behind and use your snake stick. Press the snake on the neck with the snake stick. In this way you can be sure that the snake won’t turn and bite you. Use your index finger and thumb to catch the snake behind the head. Always make sure you hold it firmly and that the snake can’t turn and bite. Don’t be afraid if the snake manages to wrap around your arm. Place the snake in the pillow case and move it from your yard to a safe place and release it. Don’t kill the snake because they are important part of the nature. Without them our world will be flooded with rodents of all kinds.

What do Snakes eat

The following few paragraphs are going to try to give a more specific answer to the question – what do snakes eat? It one of the questions asked quite often. One of the most general answers is that snakes eat every animal they can defeat or swallow. Well, although it is true it is not quite correct. Another answer we may get to this question actually depends of the type of snakes.

Snakes eat animals which make them predators. And the eating habits of all types of snakes vary drastically. Some of them eat insects, fish, birds, eggs, while there are certain types of snakes which can eat deer, pigs, and even crocodiles. Unbelievable, isn’t it?

Certain types of snakes have specific eating habits. While most of them will eat everything they can kill or swallow, there is one specific type of snake, a crayfish snake, which eats only crayfish or the African egg-eating snakes.

What do snakes eat in captivity?

Of course there is also a difference between the eating habits of snakes kept in captivity and snakes that live in the nature. Of course every snake keeper tries to imitate the natural eating habits of the specific type of snake it keeps, but this is not always achievable. In captivity people are often confused whether to give live or frozen food to their pets. Well, since there were cases where the pets have been injured or even killed by aggressive rodents. So if you are concerned for the safety of your pet it is always advised to feed them with frozen food.

Of course you can purchase vegetarian food for your pet snake if you don’t want to feed them with mice or smaller rats. However, this is completely wrong and against nature and your pet snake won’t enjoy these meals.

Endangered snakes

Endangered snakes are those snakes that are in direct danger of becoming extinct. The rapid development of industry today has a dramatic influence on the existence of some animals, including snakes. For example, just in the USA, around 50% of all the snake species are one the list of endangered species. This is not good at all, mainly because they have a vital importance in the environment. A great number of snakes feed with rats and other rodents and they also control the population of insect population. For example, an adult snake can eat up to 100 rats during the year. They are also a great food for other animals, hawks for example. Wuthout them we would have great problems with rats and mice.
The most endangered snakes
• San Francisco Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) – urbanization and pollution
• The Mexican ridge-nosed rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi) – destruction of habitat
• The Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi) - destruction of habitat
• Black-tailed python (Python molurus)- killed for their skin
• The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) – rare, can’t be seen often
• Argentine Boa
• Boa Dumerili – destruction of forests
The main cause of the extinction of these snakes in rapid urbanization, pollution, destruction of forests, illegal collecting, use of pesticides, etc. If we don’t do something to protect these snake species their population will decline continuously. There are lots of things to be done in order to protect their natural habitat and make it secure for them.
There is a great number of organizations which exist with a sole reason to protect endangered species. If you want to help protect these endangered snakes feel free to support these organizations and get involved in their work. Anything you do is a huge step in the protection of these endangered species.

Blue Racer Snake

The Blue Racer Snake (Coluber constrictor foxii) is an endangered species of snake and is quite long snake (1.5m). It has gotten its name because of the grey-blue or green-blue colour with smooth scales. It also has a specific white mark on the chin and throat. The natural habitat of these snakes is the savanna, grasslands, open woodland, and similar. This snake likes spending it’s time on the ground, although it is a great climber and it can be seen in trees when they are in danger. The Blue racer snake is often confused with a rattlesnake because of the sound it makes with its tail when threatened.
The Blue racer snake is very similar to the Black Racer snake and it is not unusual to see these two types of snakes interbreed. As a result the small snakes may look like one of their parents or have the characteristics of both.
We have already mentioned that these snakes are endangered, and this happens mostly because of destruction of their habitat degradation, human threat, and due to vehicles where a great number of snakes lose their lives when trying to cross the roads.
Blue racer feed mainly with rats and mice, smaller birds, lizards, frogs, chipmunks and other smaller snakes. When they are young they also eat insects. Although these snakes have the word constrictor in their name they never constrict their prey. They only hold their prey until they defeat it. In most cases they simply swallow their smaller prey while it is still alive.
Although these snakes look great and the benefits of them are excellent, because of rats and mice in the first place, we certainly won’t want to see them in our house. If that happens always contact your local snake removal company. It is always better to let the pros do the job.

Pygmy Rattlesnake

The Pigmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius) is a small snake, usually up to 55 cm long. Although this type of snake is very small you shouldn’t let the size fool you. There is one specific characteristic of the Pigmy rattlesnake – these are 9 large scales their head and they use their very small rattle to create a buzzing noise. This noise is not very loud. There are three subspecies of the Pigmy rattlesnake:
• the Dusky pygmy rattlesnake
• the Carolina pygmy rattlesnake
• the Western pygmy rattlesnake
This snake is hard to see because of its size. It usually hides among burrows, leaf litter and similar hiding spots. However, the habitat of theses snakes are creeks and streams, sand hills, lakes and swamps, pinewoods and hardwoods etc. The Pigmy rattlesnake generally feeds with frogs, birds, lizards, insects and smaller mammals.
The Pigmy snake colour varies from red to orange, but it can have other colours too. In their appearance we have to notice a black stripe which goes from the eyes and continues to the mouth.
This snake is venomous and its venom is not life threatening although it attacks the red blood cells and tissue, but it causes a great pain. Until now there aren’t any records that the bit of this snake has been fatal to people. When this snake bites its prey it lets it go and later it follows the smell to track it and eat it.

Pygmy rattlesnakes belong to the list of protected species in some areas like North Carolina or Tennessee. However, in other areas they are not protected. It can be kept in captivity, but it is not recommended if you are a beginner. The Pigmy rattlesnake gives birth to around 6 young snakes at a time which are 1.5 to 1.7 mm long.

All about Snakes

There is a great number of snake species in the world – over 3000. They can be huge (Green anaconda) or small (The Pigmy rattlesnake). They can be venomous or non-venomous. Out of this number about 375 of them are venomous. The snakes can also be found in many different habitats. Some snakes live in trees, other snakes live under the ground, and some snakes prefer living in water. In the next few lines we are going to read some very interesting facts about snakes.
• The body of the snakes is very flexible and without limbs. Depending on their habitat the shape of the snakes can be different. Snakes that live under the ground are generally compact, snakes living in water are flatter than others, while those that spend most of their times in trees are long and slim.

• The colour of the snakes also varies from type to type. Brightly colored snakes are generally poisonous and the reason they have bright colours is because they have to frighten their natural predators. It has been noted that certain types of non-venomous snakes have bright colours for the same reason.Snakes with dull colours need it in order camouflage and catch their prey more easily.

• The difference in size between the longest snake in the world, the green anaconda (38 feet) and the smallest snake, the Brahminy blind snake (2 inches) is unbelievable.

• Snakes can’t generate body heat and keep their temperature constant which puts them in the group of are cold-blooded animals. They depend on the heat of the surrounding area and the sun.

• Snakes need to shed their skin at certain stages of their life. This process is popular as molting. When time comes, snakes rub their head against rocks or trees and their skin peels down from the head and at the end the old skin is completely removed and inside out.

• Snakes do not have eyelids and they can’t hear airborne sounds. They pick up the vibrations from the ground using their jawbones. They use their tongue to smell.

• Snakes have an extremely slow metabolism. They can live without food for a very long time after they have eaten a big meal. Snakes can swallow prey 3 times larger than their mouth.




As you can see snakes are quite interesting. Too bad some of them are endangered today for many different reasons.