If you are within city limits you could call animal control maybe? - Jenny
______________________________________________________________
Debi wrote:
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
The snakes at my house are multiplying at an alarming rate. (I despise =
them, but let one or two stay last summer to take care of other unwanted =
critters). The one or two are now gigantic and scary when you happen =
upon them, there are medium size ones too and now there are a bunch of =
children. The kids apparently climb in the juniper bush that I was =
using to jiggle around to get every thing to move out of my way - my son =
tells me this after I did my evening jiggle so I could water.
This is just in the front next to the house beds. These are garden =
snakes. In the side and back yard I have at least one huge bullsnake =
maybe two. We are also prone to rattlers, but I haven't seen any yet.
Now I am thinking I was awfully tolerant for a person with a phobia - =
this has reached a point where everyone is on edge and a bit hysterical =
at times. It's creepy.
So to get to the point. How do I get rid of these creatures? Please, =
I am pleading - any ideas at all - except I refuse to do anything =
involving picking them up.
Debi
Black Hills, SD
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
They are collecting there for one or two reasons - food supply and
shade. Short of removing both, you'll have a hard time getting rid of
them, unless you hire a boar to kill them off! I'm with Jenny, I'd
phone an exterminator or your extension office or animal control for advice.
Brenda
Debi wrote:
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
If the young have appeared recently maybe they will disperse quickly in
search of their own food. Also, their numbers may be drastically reduced if
they can't find enough food or if they don't survive over the winter. Give
it a little time and I'll bet you will stop seeing so many. If not, there
must be SOMETHING that they are eating to get so large!
Debbie who'd rather have nonpoisonous snakes than disease-carrying rodents
-----Original Message-----
From: Gardens & Gardening [mailto:GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU] On Behalf Of Debi
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2004 10:31 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: help with snakes please
The snakes at my house are multiplying at an alarming rate. (I despise
them, but let one or two stay last summer to take care of other unwanted
critters). The one or two are now gigantic and scary when you happen upon
them, there are medium size ones too and now there are a bunch of children.
The kids apparently climb in the juniper bush that I was using to jiggle
around to get every thing to move out of my way - my son tells me this after
I did my evening jiggle so I could water.
This is just in the front next to the house beds. These are garden snakes.
In the side and back yard I have at least one huge bullsnake maybe two. We
are also prone to rattlers, but I haven't seen any yet.
Now I am thinking I was awfully tolerant for a person with a phobia - this
has reached a point where everyone is on edge and a bit hysterical at times.
It's creepy.
So to get to the point. How do I get rid of these creatures? Please, I am
pleading - any ideas at all - except I refuse to do anything involving
picking them up.
Debi
Black Hills, SD
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
One happy thought; those two large bullsnakes will keep the
rattlers away.
Rather than calling animal control, which will simply kill the
snakes, call the biology department in your local university and
ask for a herpitologist; you'll soon have a backyard crawling
with young herp students on collecting trips.
A jack russel terrier also will de-snake your yard.
Jim Lewis - jklewis@nettally.com - This economy is a wholly owned
subsidiary of the environment. - Gaylord Nelson
> They are collecting there for one or two reasons - food supply
and
> shade. Short of removing both, you'll have a hard time getting
rid of
> them, unless you hire a boar to kill them off! I'm with Jenny,
I'd
> phone an exterminator or your extension office or animal
control for advice.
(I despise them, but let one or two stay last summer to take care
of other unwanted critters). The one or two are now gigantic and
scary when you happen upon them, there are medium size ones too
and now there are a bunch of children. The kids apparently climb
in the juniper bush that I was using to jiggle around to get
every thing to move out of my way - my son tells me this after I
did my evening jiggle so I could water.
> This is just in the front next to the house beds. These are
garden snakes. In the side and back yard I have at least one
huge bullsnake maybe two. We are also prone to rattlers, but I
haven't seen any yet.
> Now I am thinking I was awfully tolerant for a person with a
phobia - this has reached a point where everyone is on edge and a
bit hysterical at times. It's creepy.
> So to get to the point. How do I get rid of these creatures?
Please, I am pleading - any ideas at all - except I refuse to do
anything involving picking them up.
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
Well, you're leaving out the other possibility - that psychically, these
snakes have discovered that Debi is petrified of snakes, and they're
engaging in a bit of reptilian michief!! I can see them, gathering in the
bushes and plotting their next move: "OK, this time, you wait until she
goes out to the back of the vegetables, and then slither across her path
just as she heads back to the house!! Bill, you hide hear the water hose!"
Ready? Go!"
Harry B
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
The dog was bored. Our beagle did that too when we were gone. But Jack
Russells are amazing and wonderful. Even part Jack Russells...
Margaret L
Gardening in Intermountain West and Handicapped gardening
http://www.margaretlauterbach.com
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
I own a Jack Russell and she indeed does chew on everything, including
rocks, but doesn't really eat them. My house is littered with chew
toys which keep her from chewing on other things I DON'T want her to
eat. She loves to be outside and at 15 pounds doesn't do much damage
running through my flower beds. As far as snakes, I have several
garter snakes and though she has seen them several times she has only
killed one. She just doesn't seem very interested in them and prefers
to chases the ground squirrels. I'm not sure she could tackle a bull
snake. The ones I used to see at my old house were often 5 to 6 feet
long.
Jackie
Iowa
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
jack russel terriers....man they are amazing! I knew one that ate rocks, not
stones but knawed away at rocks. Wasn't my dog and I made the mistake of
suggesting it might have something missing in its diet. Cute dog. Very good
digger and tunnelled.
Marg in N.S. Zone 5b
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/mmillard/index.html
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
gee, Harry looks like you have too much time on your hands today!! I can
visualize this, my mind is obviously not that busy either.
Oh, heard on last nights news Gordon Lightfoot played a piece at the
Mariposa Folk Festival Sunday I believe. His first since his aneurisms. He
was there back stage and someone was doing a tribute and they asked would he
go out for a bow. Well, he sure would and wouldn't mind singing a song
either so he did. He is well on the road to touring, maybe in the fall,
promoting 'Harmony'
Marg in N.S. Zone 5b
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/mmillard/index.html
the
> bushes and plotting their next move: "OK, this time, you wait until she
> goes out to the back of the vegetables, and then slither across her path
> just as she heads back to the house!! Bill, you hide hear the water
hose!"
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
Actually, if I'm not mistaken, you can often find rattlers and
bullsnakes mixed with other species of snakes in the same den, so that
may not be true that bullsnakes will keep the rattlers away.
Brenda
Jim Lewis wrote:
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
Must be a Jack Russell trait - the rocks. Mom has a JR X and she'll be
out in the yard and suddenly starts digging furiously and eventually
comes up with a large rock that she happily carries around the yard
(menace to the mowers) and sucks on till it's all clean. She also likes
pruning the raspberry canes - as in chews off canes (fortunately usually
dead or old ones) and shreds them to bits. Can never figure out how she
can stand dealing with the prickles.
Brenda
Jackie Wellborn wrote:
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
Wish you could send them to me. We need to get the vole population
in check here and there are no snakes! Linda in NW Ohio.
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
I think it's something that actually helps them to sharpen their teeth,
which may be part of why they do it. The guinea pigs we have at work
often chew on their bricks (put in their cages to wear down nails). My
teeth get sore just thinking about it.
Speaking of teeth, I finally asked the dentist how they can chip away at
your teeth with those metal implements, yet we are instructed not to
chew ice or brush too hard. He said that the metal the implements are
made of are actually very soft metal and have to be sharpened/replaced
frequently, but that ice is like rock and the hard plastics can be
harder on the teeth and gums than the dental instruments.
Brenda
Margaret E.Millard wrote:
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
I want to know how they keep their teeth!
Marg in N.S. Zone 5b
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/mmillard/index.html
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
> A jack russel terrier also will de-snake your yard.
My niece's terrier just loves "mouse patrol" in the cupboards under the
sink. I can just imagine how fast it would take care of the snakes.
Maybe my niece and her dog, Gracie could come and visit for a bit? GRIN
Marion
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.718 / Virus Database: 474 - Release Date: 7/11/2004
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
Mine loves to chew on rose canes I have pruned and doesn't seem at all
bothered by the thorns. They are strange little dogs but oh so fun to
have around.
Jackie
Iowa
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
Mom called hers Trixie, shortly after which, she thought she should name
it to Tricksey. She's SUPPOSED to be a Peke X Jack Russell, but she's
the size of my cocker, who is a large cocker. She has a few physical
traits of each (and certainly some JR behavioural traits), but not
enough of each to say for sure whether that's really the cross or not.
Brenda
Jackie Wellborn wrote:
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
Yep. She is also a licker. She just has to look at someone and her
tongue starts going. I can't stand the constant licking - especially
when I know some of the things she gets into in the garden (yuck).
She's actually fairly well behaved in Mom's garden too, but her and
Ginger (my dog) LOVE helping harvest radishes or carrots. Funny how
they nip the leaves off the carrots and eat only the root. Ginger ate 9
radishes on us one day - she was burping for much of the afternoon!
Brenda
Jackie Wellborn wrote:
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
My vet assures me that my Rosie is the nicest Jack Russell she's ever
known. Of course, I'm all ears. One nice thing about having a 15-17
pound dog is that she can run through the flower beds and do very
little damage. I was really worried last summer that she would try to
eat my Monkshood and then die of the poison so I encased it in chicken
wire. I decided that if she seemed to want to get at it I would dig it
out and give it away, but she doesn't seem to like leaves or plants,
just sticks, rose canes and rocks. She did almost kill a Lakeside
Looking Glass hosta by continuing to trample it while getting to the
dog next door so I moved it and it's doing fine. Does your mom still
have her Trixie?
Jackie
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
One year I decided to use corn glucose as a weed preventive. At that
time my old beloved beagle was alive and once outside I noticed that
she didn't want to come inside. I couldn't figure out what was so
interesting outside until I found her licking the yard. I never
thought about the corn glucose actually being corn glucose and would
taste sweet. It was hilarious!
Jackie
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
Good thing it wasn't corn distiller's grain or she might have been 3
sheets to the wind too (where on earth did THAT saying come from?!)
Brenda
Jackie Wellborn wrote:
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
It is a Maritime's term. It is defined in a book of naval expressions...and
I just had a brain fart. I bought the book for my brother in law...oh yes,
referred to when (pressgangers) they got the tars drunk in the taverns and
before they knew it they were aboard ships heading out all over the world
doing heaven knows what until such time as the king released them. Three
sheets to the wind is under full sail at sea, if I understand correctly, and
someone else is in control. I love it, the term, well both actually
although it doesn't happen any moe...
Marg in N.S. Zone 5b
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/mmillard/index.html
**********************************
Few lend (but fools)
Their working Tools.
--Thomas Tusser
Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557)
**********************************
