Glad your pooch is better, StGermain. As to whether to kill or leave poisonous snakes in your living area I guess it all depends on the individual situation and your tolerance level. If you have kids or you or your spouse are going to be spending a lot of time in the same areas as snakes inhabit, I’d definately get rid of them in some fashion, either killing them or transplanting them to another area. Remember that one female can soon be one female and dozens of young, quickly becoming too many to look out for. If rodents are a concern, get a corn snake or some other non-venomous species to replace it with.
But Jake, I hope that when you said “always kill any snake with a diamond shaped head” that you’re at least talking in residential areas. I can’t see any reason to ever kill any snake in unpopulated, rural areas. There they do far more good than harm and are a valuable and necessary part of the ecosystem.
Apparently not, otherwise the venomous snakes wouldn’t exist there.
Poisonous snakes freak me out, having almost been bit several times in the wild. Even so, I’ll still grudgingly allow them their place as they do fit a niche and who are we to upset that balance? As long as they’re not a clear and present danger to myself or others I’m an advocate of simply giving them a wide berth.
I live in the middle of several hundred unpopulated acres. Unpopulated by humans, that is. And I surely can’t de-snake the entire area. I think I’ll just have to keep my eyes peeled. If I continue to see the snake in the area I"ll probably dispatch it, reluctantly. My life, and the lives of my animals, are more important to me than the snake’s life and niche in the eco-system. I’m also going to post this from a friend of mine, who was bitten by a rattler while going to check on her horse:
StG, glad the dog is okay. They’re curious animals and it’s not easy to keep them from investigating, so perhaps getting rid of that snake (relocation or ‘dispatch’) is your best bet.
I grew up where there are rattlers, so they’re not an issue for me. Rats, however, gross me right the hell out. There are no rats in Alberta (and it is, if I recall correctly, illegal even to have them as pets) and therefore moving to Baltimore was the wrong move. Bleah, rats.
Fiona Update - The swelling is all gone! She’s totally back to normal. Considering by Sunday it was through her face, down her neck and her chest, I’m very pleased.
In other news, I saw another rattlesnake on the road about 3/4 of a mile from my house. Maybe they’re travelling for water, since it’s been dry.
Ginger - I agree totally with the rats comment. I had rats come into my 150-year old farmhouse last winter. When I asked my neighbor what to do he basically made it sould like that’s what happens in old houses in the middle of the country. The cats didn’t do anything, the dogs didn’t do anything. I finally put out traps and poison. I was scared stiff about the poison with the dogs, but I couldn’t have rats in the house. I couldn’t sleep at night with the noise in the attic.