Any snake experts out there?

[tx zookeeper]

Look what I found the other evening when I was going out to close up my chicken coop... My question for the experts is, did we kill the female? The smaller one is the one my neighbor shot for me...

All I could think about while I was waiting for my neighbor to show up was all the little baby copperheads that were gonna be in my yard in a couple of months.

The last picture is one from a few days before... and that one is still alive somewhere around here...

I can put up with the occasional rat snake and usually do... The only time I kill them is when I catch them eating my baby birds.

 

[msrma7670]

You would have to pick it up and probe its anus to determine sex. My question is does it really matter male or female? There could be eggs that are already laid you wont' see babys for little bit if that happened. If you feel brave and know where they have been nesting at you could always go get em, but be careful. If you did kill the female the male may or may not leave. sorry can not be more help.

 

[pattypenny]

a copper head does live birth not eggs. they are poison when born. be careful.

 

[CrowinKing]

Females are bigger than males! I'd say you got the female if its the bigger of the 2! Bummer I don't live closer to ya I'd a removed them for ya with out killing them!

 

[tx zookeeper]

Actually the smaller one is the one we were able to kill... And the only reason I thought it might be the female is because the larger one was making the advances... nuzzling at whatever you call it... (word is escaping me now) and seemed to be initiating things...

They are beautiful aren't they? I watched them for quite a while waiting for my neighbor to come over with his gun.... I was hoping for a shotgun, but his wife had taken off with it and all he had was a handgun....

Do the females initiate things? It was definitely the bigger one that started things... Watched them do it 3 times..

Fascinating.. but scary..

 

[tx zookeeper]

Oh and when they finally finished the last time... The smaller one coiled up in a VERY tight coil...

Female behaviour? or male behaviour?

 

[KellyGwen]

Usually the male is smaller... so most likely you killed the male, not the female... But if you have the body and disect it you should be able to tell... Even though the copperhead gives birth to live young, if it is like a boa constrictor (who also gives birth to live young) you should be able to see "eggs" inside her body cavity... You can also try applying slight pressure around the vent to "pop" it if it's a male... his little penises (yes, they have 2) will pop out if done correctly.

My best guess though is that you killed the male... so you might have more in a month or so!! BUT usually the males are the horn-dogs (haha)... so dissection is your best bet!

 

[chilling in muscadine]

It's hard to tell from the picture's but the male's a larger snake's. The female's have a live birth in august and they don't stay around with the babie's. A bite from a copperhead is mild compared to other venemous snake's. The only time a snake will bite is when it feel's threatned. It's just defending itself. A copperhead can strike 1/3 of it's body lenth. This make's the snake easier to catch. I would of tried to relocate the snake. Baby copperhead's can bite but there fang's are so small it will only swell you up. No need for a hospital trip. I'm a professional snake handler & catcher and wish I could of caught the snake for you. If we kill all our snake's we will have a rat problem & they carry disease. Just remember snake's are more afraid of us than we are of them. All snake's beat there tail like thay are rattler's so anybody don't let this confuse you. If I can help you anymore let me know. PEACE

 

[panner123]

Quote:
Sorry but if you are bitten by a copperhead, YOU BEST GET YOUR BACKSIDE TO THE HOSPITAL. Will agree we shouldn't kill all snakes, only those we see. Let the rest take care of the rats. As for most snakes they are afraid of people, but if you get close to a coperhead, it will hunt you.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

I have to disagree. Snake's don't hunt people. There hunting is limited to thing's they can swallow. Snake's will only become aggressive if they feel treatned, they are defending themselve's. Snake's if they do bite often give a dry bite because they don't want to waste the venom they need to kill there prey. As far as rushing to the hospital I was talking about a baby copperhead. They have venom but acording to the bite most likely you want need medical attension. I've been handling and catching venemous snake's since 1978. There are so many old wife's tale's about snake's it's unreal. Now if you aggravate a large copperhead, make it mad you could receive a nasty bite but it's not life threating. It will mess your day up though. My old man has been bit by 9 copperhead's & only 1 was bad enough to seek medical treatment. Don't get me wrong they deserve respect. I just think trapping and releasing elsewhere is a better way to go.