Announcing Marta and I have a new baby mouth to feed photo

[Omaha Steve]

The dogs had already been out this morning. Marta was going upstairs to start breakfast. The Bluejays were making a hell of a racket. That is how they tell us it is time to put some unsalted peanuts in the shell out for them. Just before I opened the patio door, I literally saw this pretty little face looking in at me as you can see in the photos. I started yelling up for Marta to hurry and get her camera.

The Rat Snake is harmless to humans. They have no teeth and kill by constriction. But small dogs (we have two 15 lb Rat Terriers) and cats can end up being killed by the larger five to six foot adults in self defense. This little one is only about three feet.

We have to be careful when we let the dogs out. We share our yard with the Rat Snakes because they eat the mice in our shed. Other than skeeters, ticks, ants, etc. we leave the wildlife here alone. Fontenelle Forest is on the other side of our back fence. We get all kinds of hungry critters at the food bowls. See the menagerie photo at the bottom.

Fontenelle Forest: http://www.fontenelleforest.org/

We use organic cedarcide for the bugs because it doesn't hurt our dogs, birds, etc: http://www.cedarcide.com/

OS

Our previous post from three weeks ago about the Fox Snake: http://sync.democraticunderground.com/10025094746

[malaise]

1. I'll pass on baby snake but your last photo

could be a postcard. Lovely

[MineralMan]

2. Steve, a rat snake of any size can't kill a 15 lb.

dog. Not a chance. Doggie can certainly kill the snake, though, and probably will if it gets the chance.

A 5 or 5 foot rat snake only weighs a couple of pounds, so no real risk to a dog of any size. A rat, gopher, or mouse, though, is in real danger from these fascinating critters.

[Omaha Steve]

3. MineralMan: Myth Buster!

I had to go do a little reading. It seems you are correct. Wonder where I learned this myth?

OS

[MineralMan]

6. Lots of misinformation about snakes.

As a kid, I was a nut about snakes. I was forever bringing them home and reading everything I could find about them. Drove my mom nuts, too, but she was good about it.

I still love them, but don't see them as often any more. My eyes are farther from the ground, I guess, and I don't go around looking for them any more.

[Aerows]

4. Inquisitive little dude, isn't it?

It's cute!

[pennylane100]

5. I have had a snake phobia since I was a child.

Which is quite strange because I never saw a live one in England but I did have nightmares about them.. However as I get older, the fear is less intense and to my surprise I thought the the picture that was the fourth one down, was almost cute.
but I would prefer that it live somewhere other than my garden.