Identifying a snake..?

[jnick]

Thanks for the reply guys!

I'm a complete idiot for not posting the area :-p. I live in upstate New York (Orange County). I have been arguing with my dad for days that it looked more like a water snake than anything else, but of course he didn't believe me :-p.

It appears that for some reason the picture was removed...Any particular reason as to why? I uploaded to imageshack and posted a clickable link...Did I void the rules by doing this? Please let me know so I can post up the image according to the forums protocol!

Thanks again for the help guys!

Oh and btw, he did not become roadkill. My dad actually stood in his way, in order to re-route him back into the yard.

[adamanteus]

I don't know what happened to your picture. We didn't remove it and you haven't broken any rules. I tried to take a second look at it, but it seems to be taking forever to load. The problem may be with imageshack. If you want, you can put a picture directly into your post....

Posting Pictures

I'm glad the snake didn't turn into road kill!

[adamanteus]

Now I'm thinking Nerodia sipedon, either way it's definitely Nerodia, so non venomous. It would be good if we could get another look at that photo.

[jnick]

James,

Ok...I just wanted to make sure I wasn't breaking any rules. Though I did read them, I know many forums have specific methods of uploading they prefer due to bandwidth, etc. It seems to be working fine now...

I do have a bunch of other shots. I'll upload them in a bit and post them up.

However, my dad has been on snake watch the past two days and unfortunately there has been no sign of him again...

I bet, however, that the other snakes under my A/C unit ARE garter snakes. They were much smaller and were greenish black with a yellow/ten stripe.

Hopefully I'll see them over the weekend!

Do you guys have any tips on handling them? I REALLY want to pick it up to either keep it, or relocate it. However I'm a little shaky on how to go about handling it so I don't freak out and so the snake doesn't go into attack mode .

Also, if I were to get bitten, what would the damage be? Would it break the skin? Would stitches be needed or anything of that nature?

Thanks again guys!

[Sid]

Originally Posted by jnick

James,

Ok...I just wanted to make sure I wasn't breaking any rules. Though I did read them, I know many forums have specific methods of uploading they prefer due to bandwidth, etc. It seems to be working fine now...

I do have a bunch of other shots. I'll upload them in a bit and post them up.

However, my dad has been on snake watch the past two days and unfortunately there has been no sign of him again...

I bet, however, that the other snakes under my A/C unit ARE garter snakes. They were much smaller and were greenish black with a yellow/ten stripe.

Hopefully I'll see them over the weekend!

Do you guys have any tips on handling them? I REALLY want to pick it up to either keep it, or relocate it. However I'm a little shaky on how to go about handling it so I don't freak out and so the snake doesn't go into attack mode .

Also, if I were to get bitten, what would the damage be? Would it break the skin? Would stitches be needed or anything of that nature?

Thanks again guys!

My advise on handling is strickly what personally works for my. I gently pick up a garter from the mid section. Do not grip it tightly, allow your other hand to support its upper body. Allow it to move in your hands. If you do grip it tight, then it may feel threatened and at a minimum will trash about trying to get free and musk on you. I have had a couple bite me, but none ever broke the skin, however they can and some people have had a reaction to the saliva. I have not experienced this myself.

Sid

[jnick]

Thanks for the reply Sid. Would what you said about the bite above also pertain to Water Snakes? Or do they tend to have a more vicious bite?

Thanks!

[adamanteus]

It's a bit of a generalization, but usually the Water Snakes bite is a bit worse as they are larger and have larger teeth. The bite from a Garter doesn't really hurt, it just makes you jump! If they do break the skin it's just like little pin pricks. Water Snakes bite a bit deeper and can cause a little bleeding. The bite from a very large Water Snake can be quite unpleasant. (Trust me!) If you were to get bitten, you would just need to treat the bite as you would any cut or abrasion, clean it well.

[KITKAT]

Originally Posted by adamanteus

It's a bit of a generalization, but usually the Water Snakes bite is a bit worse as they are larger and have larger teeth. The bite from a Garter doesn't really hurt, it just makes you jump! If they do break the skin it's just like little pin pricks. Water Snakes bite a bit deeper and can cause a little bleeding. The bite from a very large Water Snake can be quite unpleasant. (Trust me!) If you were to get bitten, you would just need to treat the bite as you would any cut or abrasion, clean it well.

Heh heh! Usually true, James, although I had a 42 inch Florida Blue that nailed my hand between thumb and forefinger, got the entire depth of her mouth over my hand, and left a bloody imprint of all her rows of teeth, an imprint of her eyes (believe it or not!) and I bled like a stuck pig!

[adamanteus]

I got nailed once in the exact same place by a Burmese Python, that bled, a lot!

[chloe]

here is a picture of my female nerodia fasciata. Someone gave me a pair a couple of years ago and they have never really tamed down. They tend to give me side ways bites, they have never given me a proper bite.