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My friend Sara and I found a wild gater snake lying in a neighbor's driveway. We took him home to drive him out to a wilder place to release him. I managed to garb him quickly without chasing him and he curled up in my sleeve and chilled while we walked home. We housed him temporarily in a fresh cleaned tank and then Sara drove him out to a woodsy area about ten minutes from our house and freed him. he was very pretty, like below image, but a little less red, perhaps he was in a winter coloring? He was a bit darker and duller colors, but pretty friendly and calm until we tried to get him into a tub to transport him in the car, he got a bit more fiesty.

http://www.frogwood.org/images/Snake_10mar05.jpg

That's awesome. A neighbor once told me about this bridge close by that is crawling with copperheads. He kept going on about copperhead this, and copperhead that. Finally I went out there with another Herp buddy and discovered the bridge was indeed crawling with snakes, but they turned out to be Garters.

Has anyone else out there noticed that every snake people see always seems to be a Copperhead?

Or rattlesnakes and cotton mouths.....you forget that too heh

Well up in PA we're a couple states away from cottonmouths, and most people will notice if there's no rattle, so then everything becomes a copperhead by default.

But I you're right about cottonmouths in the south . . .

Once when I was in FL I pulled into a church parking lot to turn around and almost ran over a water snake crossing the road. I quick pulled over to catch it before it went into the creek, and before I could hide, some church authority is there telling me "that's a mocasin!"

Heh technically it is..There are 21 breeds of moccasins Only oneVenomous and thats the cottonmouth even then thats a debate but so many people assume snake=Venomous"

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Jesse is right. Every snake my friends see is a "copper head"
Also Jason you know that watermoccasins=cottonmouths...

Sorry Jason I am not buying that story. You're telling us for a year and a half you didn't notice your "baby corn snake" was envenomating its prey and not constricting it?

I mean exaggeration is one thing, but at least try to keep your tall tales in the realm of believability.

Hey that sounds like this one time Up in Alaska I found this neat looking lizard...turns out he is an extremely rare Alaskan snow eater...I have to keep him in the Freezer....

Sam hunni there are 21breeds of water snakes only one is venomous Down south "Everything" is a moccasin....

Jason I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here.....seriously but let me point out a few "warning signs"

A)Claiming to have an American crocodile" then stating "I know what I have" you did not change it until after others supported

B)Purchasing a D.B and an Alligator KNOWN to be purchased by inexperianced keepers.....because they are cheap....

C)FREEHANDLING rattlesnakes I dont care HOW much you do it..it is stupid and if you get bit BAM a strike for the reptile community... I grew up "f.H" snakes its a trible rites of passage..... But you know what I use a Hook if they are too small they go in a container until Im done cleaning, NO responsible keeper freehandles..No experianced Keeper handles either

D) This quote...Let me explain a few things,"Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 9:09 pm Post subject:

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i hook and hold....only because i have never had a rattler that ever stayed on a hook long enuff to move him...i have been bit b4 from an easterner and that was no fun xp let me tell you...i do have lots of xp at holding them tho, we used to pick them up all day long in the summer where we lived....we would relocate or do whatever with them...and i only have to take him out but once a month because any other time i push the hiding hole he has to the glass and he cant get out to get me

i may not know what a croc looks like but i do know how to hold rattlers.....i can even milk them but it would stress mine out wayyyyyyyyy to much and 2 i have no one to buy it and 3 i dont have the qauntity of rattlers to do it. oh well maybe l8er"

-you dont have them stay on the hook long enough because you havent had theexperiance to place them on a hook

-the hidey hole pushed to the glass?? WRONG answer an EXPERIANCED and responsible Keeper completely removes the snake....

-Holding rattlers?so do I Im quite knowledged I trained under Bill Haast who My Dad worked under...Hello HOOK...

-Milking?To Buy??? UNLESS your certified you cant sell it so why Milk them?? to what devenomize? in 30 minutes venom glands refill depending on the breed... wrong answer...So thats a crock they will not buy unless your USDA licensed....

E)Being stupid yourself is one thing but inviting kids over??being irresponsible and risking your own health is one Issue But when it involves the welfare of another then you draw the line.....I may be an EMT But Im also a Police officer..Do NOT have me contact the Authorities in PA....

F)I dont care if you didnt know what kind of snake it is..simply put is this... MOST people who dont know ASK Not freehandle a unknown species... IGNORANT

G)You Brag about your knowledge...People who are experianced like me dont brag we assist others with questions..we dont puff out our chests your giving those of us who are certified and true to the Herp community a BAD name

H)Snakes are VENOMOUS not POISONOUS..Venom is injected Poison ingested...a responsible Keeper would know that

I)Iguanas are reptiles therefore herps.... there for your statement of
"other than my exp with herps i currently own 2 iggys "
is rather odd....if you own snakes technically you have Herps.....yes??

J)I have noticed you respond to adopt everything.. this being said No responsible Keeper keeps THAT many or desires too unless they have the room....you sound like a collector...

K)Anyone thart has gotten tagged will not brag they May warn somene but if you have been tagged once you sure as hell do not want to freehandle it isnt an experiance one wants to relive

L)An experianced keeper would know the difference between a croc and an alligator, Not only that They would research before getting it, and would have studied the diet... if they have "raised them to eat" they could tell the difference....if you dont know most ASK

M)An experianced keeper would Know that a rattlesnake has immunity to its own venom..Like a Kingsnake..why be able to Harm yourself if you bite yourself????

N)Someone who supposedly has "A forest Ranger/Park Ranger ect would also Know that Amer.Crocs are illegal, endangered, and rare

O)If you know about snakes when the cottonmouth grew you would have realized yes? or after it envenomized the first time rather then constrict??

Treat every gun like its loaded every dog like it will bite and every snake like its venomous and there will never be an Accident...Compliments of My father and Bill

Guys Let this be a warning I am not a B*tch in any case... but these are WARNING signs.. when you see responses like those a redlight should go off in your head!!! Please Beware... Do not go to someones house who "freehandles" or acts irresponsibly....

Please take heed after reading this.. I try to give the benefit of the doubt redneck But until you prove otherwise all your posts will be carefully monitored as will you.....

You trained under Bill Haast, thats the coolest thing ever.I would have loved to grow up working with Bill Haast.So do you work with Bill now.How old are you (if you don't mined me asking) I would like to meet you some day but that will be hard because we live so far away.Oh and guys when I went to Delaware with my friend every one thinks if it's a snake it's a cottonmouth.They told me storys of people being chased by cottonmouths.I never told them that cottonmouths are not found in Delaware..lol...

lizard gizzard.

Im really nothing special.... Normally I dont boast or "chestbeat" either But It was to make a point that people experianced dont brag...My Dad used to round up snakes for him and I helped... It started when I was 7.. Our belief system differs from most Anytime we have done anything I was carefully supervised, and My Dad thought Apprenticing with Bill would be good for me... Bill is a remarkable Man, hes down to earth and Down right Brilliant...eccentric sometimes but has a great head on his shoulders. I dont work with him now, Im a Military wife and move quite fequently....

Next time tell them cottonmouths dont chase either.. Most snakes want to get away and only attack when there is no way out....Im old enough to know better to young to care... Im under 30 but over 21...Dont ask a woman her age heh.....

I took formal training for the study of veterinarian medicine at Clemson University and began studies in Herpetology, I wanted a BS in Biology But switched to C.J as a Major... Down here we dont have a croc doc or venom doc so most of my treatments I get stuck doing on my own *shrugs*Regardless Im just me, nothing spectacular Im on here to help inexperianced and experianced....and I enjoy talking about reptiles heh.

You think thats bad Ive heard of people claiming to find coral snakes they send pictures and its a kingsnake.. Down in the south "Everything is a cottonmouth" Its ridiculous..a guy brought me a specimen of a yellowbelly water snake said he knew I kept Venomous...stated it was by his pond and he KNEW it was a cottonmouth...I took him in to my reptile rooms, showed him around and showed him my cottonmouths...for good measure. He said he didnt realize what they looked like, as demonstration I hooked Hades (after calming down Cleo) and pinned his head showing him the inside of the mouth and fangs and why they were so aptly called a cottonmouth..One down only half of S.C to go...but Ill be moving again to GA for 6mths then we are moving to another state for a few years....

Sounds like the life And studying under bill haast. WOW that is neat.
Some time mark (lizard gizzard) and me are going to take a road trip all over the USA looking for snakes(when we are old enough to drive ) So maybe then we can meet you. Last year my Aunt. emailed me a photo of a baby black snake and said they found a small rattle snake. hehehe lol
So i sent her a photo of a baby timber(the only kind near her house) and told her the one she found was a black rat snake. That is one out of meny. We should start a thread for REAL funny stories like these. But only REAL ones.

Well, I can understand your Aunts misconception....

When snakes are young babies, they "Mimic" the rattlesnake" by rattling its tail in warning...Usually People who pick up baby snakes notice this assume it may be venomous and ask...

Actually, if Jesse winds up with a fairly large 3-5foot caiman/gator or a rescued bob/lynx I'd drive up there to pick it up and meet a few of you guys along the way..theres also several bases nearby so Im SURE at one point Ill be in PA or close to it

He will probably get a gator before a lynx. And if you ever come up here try to time it with the Lancaster herp meeting so we can all meet you. IT is the third Friday of every month. The only thing was they had it on the end of a stick and it was just moving around not being aggressive or tail rattling at all.

ah, then nevermind the comment of misconception lolol.....

Well if he does Ill try and time it...no promises alright????