Wild snake handling question

Discussion in 'General Snakes' started by zemane, May 24, 2006.

  1. zemane

    zemane New Member

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    Hey! I dont if this is in the right forum,If it is,please tell me.
    Anyways, because I live in Ottawa,Canada, I dont see much wild snakes.When I rarely do, I dont know how to grab 'em.Iknow hot to grab captive snakes,but im not to sure about wild snakes.(Oh,yea they're usually water and 4 ft.garter snakes).
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. zakkyz

    zakkyz New Member

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    How about not picking them up and enjoy them from a distance?
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. Just_Some_Guy

    Just_Some_Guy Well-Known Member

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    I would agree with zakkyz. YOu don't know what you might be grabbing.
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. travis

    travis New Member

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    got to your closest reptile society and ask for help
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. Ash19

    Ash19 Well-Known Member

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    Well Ontario only has one venomous snake, a rattlesnake, and it's no where near Ottawa as far as I know. But it might be a good idea to leave them anyway if you don't know what you're doing...
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. slackin

    slackin Member

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    My brother works at petco and people go in all the time trying to find homes for unwanted pets. Today, a lady who owns a few snakes came in she said she had this snake she caught but didn't know what it was and wanted to know if someone there wanted it. She couldn't describe it very well so my brother told her to bring it to the store and he'll come out and look at it. So she brings it in the store in a plastic tupperware type container, and takes the lid off to show my brother. It was a Cottonmouth! She had no idea she had picked up a poisonous snake. She was at least smart enough to pin it's head and grab it there but still, things happen.
     
  12. zemane

    zemane New Member

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    Thanks for the advice.
     
  13. reako45

    reako45 Member

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    If I CAN identify it, and I know it's NOT venomous I'm grabbing it. I'm up in the hills on the paths, and @ the base of the mountains around where I live almost every weekend. So far this season (spring is field herping season) I've run into 3 Cal Kings (1 yearling, and 2 BIG breeding adults), 3 Striped Racers (1 yearling, and 2 adults) and 2 Southern Pacific Rattlers. The rattlers I just watched from a distance. Truly beautiful and awesome snakes.

    reako45
     
  14. zakkyz

    zakkyz New Member

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    The point I was trying to get across was that disturbing wild animals in their natral habitat for the soul purpose of you enjoyment isnt that cool. Why scare the hell out of these animals then skip along on your merry way. Cant you look without touching.
     
  15. pigger93

    pigger93 Member

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    zemane the only venoumouse snake in ontario is the massisauga rattlesnake which in only located near georgian bay.none in ottawa
     
  16. Ash19

    Ash19 Well-Known Member

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    Re: RE: Wild snake handling question

    Yup! I already covered that :wink:

     
  17. Snakes_Incorporated

    Snakes_Incorporated New Member

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    If you are unsure rather treat it as potentially venomous and leave it be.
     
  18. reako45

    reako45 Member

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    zakkyz, if we all followed the "look and don't touch" train of thought, we wouldn't have half the species identification info (scale counts, indepth physical features), care info, or, for that matter, any of the pets that we all love and enjoy as amateur herpetologists.
    Don't get me wrong I completely disagree w/ unscrupulous field herpers that do stuff like use gasoline to flush snakes out of burrows, break apart rock crevices, and in general destroy the environment to find and catch herps. I am completely legal (I have a CA fishing lic. = a requirement to even touch herps in the field in California), if I do collect a WC herp from the field I do not believe in removing adult animals from the breeding area. I believe that when I leave an area the environment should look as if I'd never been there, and I do not collect protected species (species the CA DFG lists as species of special concern).

    reako45
     
  19. zakkyz

    zakkyz New Member

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    I didnt know you could do so much with a fishing license. So, where do you publish your research.
     
  20. reako45

    reako45 Member

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    I haven't written/published anything ...yet. I belong to a local herpetology club, and alot of the time when I do go field herping I'm out w/ guys that are wayyy more experienced than I am. I mean guys that have been out there collecting, doing research, etc. since the 70's way before there even was the internet and all these other wonderful tools that help us share info. Most of the writing I do is in my herp journal. I keep a journal detailing what I see, what day, weather, time of day etc. along w/ info on the herps that I keep as pets. This "season", so far, I've (out field herping by myself) seen 2 Southern Pacific Rattlers, and caught 2 Cal Kings, and 3 Striped Racers. I let them all go, but am still kicking myself for not keeping the little juvie racer and a little juvie king. I misidentified the Racers as Garters (this was before I bought a field guide) and let them go. The little king I let go cuz my wife had put me on "snake restriction" @ that time cuz my WC SD Gopher snake had escaped and wedged himself in our computer printer. Out herping w/ the guys from SWHS (herp club) I've seen 3 Sidewinders, lots of Desert iggies, 2 Chuckwallas, 1 Speckled Ratter, 2 Leafnose snakes, lots of scorpions and THE MOST BEAUTIFUL 3' Great Basin Gopher Snake I've ever seen. Happy herping.

    reako45
     

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