# Water Moccasins give me the heebiegeebies!



## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Being from the North, I've never seen one of these. Helping get a local garden railroad ready for the "Tour" coming up, I've seen 2 in 24 hours.

Googling about, I see suggestions about getting rid of large rocks and crevices that they like to hide in, spraying the perimeter of the property with "Snake Away," covering the place in moth balls and so on. It looks to me like we've built a snake haven 'round here.

Short of paving the place over with dichlorobenzene or napthalene, what do you suggest?

The lady of the house is terrified of snakes.

hehe 'Stead of trying to spell dichlorobenzene, I copy/pasted the word. Seems I got the link too.


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

Well, I complained this past winter due to the long winter and -40 below windchill, but after reading about water moccasins, Minnesota winters aren't so bad...


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

hehe


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I have used the compound snake away. It is a powder with a pleasing fragrance to us but no the snake. I had a family of Rattle snakes living under my train shop. I spread Snake away around the shop on three sides. By morning they were all gone. I had walked passed the shop and she hissed at me. I saw her and some youngster's. 
The moved somewhere else. They do not like the smell / taste of Snake Away. 

JJ


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Main ingredient in snakeaway seems to be naphthalene. Wow. The cautions and warnings on the bag!

I'll sprinkle some around inside the layout where the dog wire keeps the silly dogs out. I let them smell the box of naphthalene. They did not like it.


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## eheading (Jan 5, 2008)

We used to have cottonmouths/water moccasins in our yard as we have a 1 acre pond adjacent to our backyard. From what I could read on the container, "snake away" does not work for cottonmouths. The best thing that happened to us was when the Black snake moved into our garden. He is harmless and he keeps the cottonmouths away!!

Ed


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I think the lady of the house would keep the black snake away!


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Perhaps a pet mongoose? Outlandish, but it has been done before.

Best of luck,
Darid Meashey

P. S. I think ferrets prefer rodents, or I would have suggested them.


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## backyardRR (Aug 14, 2012)

With subject matter like this I am glad I live in the "wilds"
of the NYC suburbs. The worst critter (4 legs) we have are opossums and they tend to end up as road kill along our roads. I accidentally cornered
one in my backyard many years ago. Ugly and man what a screaming
noise. The opossum that is, not me :-}


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

backyardRR said:


> With subject matter like this I am glad I live in the "wilds"
> of the NYC suburbs. The worst critter (4 legs) we have are opossums and they tend to end up as road kill along our roads. I accidentally cornered
> one in my backyard many years ago. Ugly and man what a screaming
> noise. The opossum that is, not me :-}




You would get along with Rocky. He lives in possum snout TN. Yea that is the real name of the town.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Haven't heard any suggestions from Possom Lodge.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moratadi


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

"Tom! It's a snake!"

The lady of the house went and got the "Snake Gun," a 38 loaded with "Snake Shot," and...

gave it to me.

"Ok, what am I supposed to do with this," I wondered.

So I blasted the snake. Was a grass snake, but one less to worry us.

"You're the Marine Wife. You've even had training with this thing."

"But I would have missed."

The dogs are still sniffing around for it.

"What? My ears are still ringing!"

No, I didn't photograph it.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Could be worse...


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

vsmith said:


> Could be worse...


 
Yup, like me previous post.... Minnesota winters ain't so bad. Don't find Anacondas in my yard.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Today, I walked onto his patio, and there was a snakes tail sticking out from under the river drain. I touched it with my toe. No response. So we pulled it out using sticks and a rake. Dead.

Neighbor photographed it with "Google Goggles," but all google would say was "brown and black snake." I could have told it that. Resident herpetologist said it was a "copper rattle moccasin, deadliest snake in Oklahoma." I wonder where he got is degree. Didn't have a viper's head.


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## Michael W (Oct 10, 2012)

Since I moved to Australa I have a healthy respects for snakes and spiders, so i fully understand where you are coming from. 
One of the things i have seen used over here is this http://www.sureguard.com.au/products/Snake-Repellent?gclid=CNWY7Ib7174CFQYJvAod-iAAvw not sure if you can get an equvilant over in the Us, I never bothered putting something in, if I happen to see a snake i let it be till it leaves on its wn accord or if it is a venomous one i call the local wires people to catch the snake.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

This layout here is track powered. I think I'm going to put in a transfer switch so when we're not running the layout, we can switch it over to a FENCE CHARGER!


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