Are Black Snakes poisonous?

[cochinbantam-lover]

Were those baby snakes alive and hatching?

 

[TwistedSerpent]

Of course they were

 

[camilleathome]

As one of my good reptile buddies says when doing reptile shows.

There is NO such thing as a poisonous snake. In order for it to be poisonous it has to be eaten. The proper term is Venomous(Has to bite in order to inject venom)

 

[chickbird]

IF IN DOUBT, KILL IT, THE NON-POISONOUS ONE WILL EAT YOUR BABY CHICKS AND YOUR EGGS, AND IF CORNERED MOST WILL BITE YOU AND THE BITE WILL MANY TIMES SLOUGH OUT.

 

[FenikT]

Geez, kill it? Better yet, snake-proof the coop and run better to repel and mitigate snake incursions. Kill enough of them and then you invite secondary pests like rats, mice, etc.

A simple way to tell the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes is by their eyes. Venomous snakes tend to have cat's eyes while NV snakes typically have rounded pupils.


I've never seen nor heard of a non-venomous bite sloughing. The only reason this would happen is due to infection and poor wound care.

 

[camilleathome]

Geez, kill it? Better yet, snake-proof the coop and run better to repel and mitigate snake incursions. Kill enough of them and then you invite secondary pests like rats, mice, etc.

A simple way to tell the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes is by their eyes. Venomous snakes tend to have cat's eyes while NV snakes typically have rounded pupils.


I've never seen nor heard of a non-venomous bite sloughing. The only reason this would happen is due to infection and poor wound care.

keep in mind depending on area that is NOT foolproof, that and baby rattlesnakes look like baby california kingsnakes.Pretty sure coral snakes do not have slitted eyes. and some non venemous snakes have slitted eyes also. Some boa species do


But yes snakes are great for pest control. And my husband and I have been bitten countless times(Husband more than me as he free handles our crazy rescues and takes the bites and they usually calm down super fast) and we have never ever had infections. And he wont even let me dissinfect his wounds most of the time. He just glares as me when I get near him with polysporin and tells me its for girls lol.

Pet peeve of mine when people say to kill snakes. Snakes will not bite unless provoked. They dont go out of their way to bring you harm and if you proof your coop you shouldnt have issues with them getting inside it.

 

[chickbird]

AS A NURSE , I HAVE SEEN THE SLOUGHING AND I PERSONALLY DON;T SEE ANY BENEFIT OFSNAKES AROUND PEOPLE OR CHICKENS.

 

[gjensen]

There is an awful lot of bad information in this thread.

 

[FenikT]

Of course no pocket guide is fool-proof. There are always exceptions to the rule. The original poster is in Massachusetts. The only two venomous snakes up there are the Timber Rattlesnake and Copperhead, both members of the pit viper family. Both in fact have vertical slit pupils (whether juvenile or adult). Coral Snakes are not pit vipers, lack said slit pupils, and live in extreme southern portions of the US.

Long story short, the original poster is not dealing w/ a venomous snake. The end...

 

[Mike Winters]

an easy way to get rid of them is to not make habitat. dont leave fallen logs, cut the grass, and all plant life that is below eye level so they have no where to hide and get dont leave brush piles standing around leaves no habitat or their prey so they have no need to visit you