Mr. Not so welcomed friend Kill or not?

[TheTropix]

when I was about 4 one of my brothers sat on me and "de-sensitized" me to them. rofl

 

[ellend]

Why not just relocate him? If you are afraid to handle him, a neighborhood kid would be likely to do it for you, or call a local herpetologist or naturalist, or run an ad in a local listing like Craigslist. Somebody with a mouse problem would love to have him around!

 

[rbaker0345]

I live in an old farm house on 11 acres with a pond Smithfield kentucky. I've been here for 25 years and have had occasion to run into a few snakes now and then, twice in the house. I have always made a point to know the enemy. But I am fearful of all of them even when I know it is harmless Gardner snake. One came out of a floral arraignment hanging on the bathroom wall, one raped itself around an electric clock in the kitchen. I got the snake hook and tongs to try to control my fear by feeling like I can take control. I was so embarrassed when the snake around the clock got loose in my kitchen because i could not get it. I kept screaming at my granddaughter to get it,get it,get it. I almost went to a hotel for the night. instead i went on line and a kind person told my what to do. I set out glue boards and plastic bags and caught it that night. I was not proud of my self he died on that board for no reason but my fear. If I had control over my fear I could have picked him up with a pair of tongs and badged him. So I went on online and ordered some tongs and a hook.Wish me luck I will do better next time.

I used to kill spiders until I realized that the spiders were not the enemy, the fear of them was. I started forcing myself to pick up these giant brown wood spiders that we had in upstate NY. They have a bite, but not if you are gentle and posess a calm, assertive state of mind. It is very empowering to know that you can be the master of fear, instead of the opposite and when you can do that, you get to look at the things that you once found terrifying and see them as, I don't know, say......MAJESTIC. Kinda like Lions which aren't a native species (unless you're referring to the Florida Panther whose population is down to what, 150? because of rednecks with guns encroaching on natural habitat).

That rat snake in the picture was freakin' beautiful and I can call it majestic if I want to. Looking at the picture of it with its head sticking out of the nestbox, it struck me as majestic, as above it all; as possessing majesty. Sue me.

 

[TheTropix]

Why not just relocate him? If you are afraid to handle him, a neighborhood kid would be likely to do it for you, or call a local herpetologist or naturalist, or run an ad in a local listing like Craigslist. Somebody with a mouse problem would love to have him around!

 

[mel51]

I have tried to desensitize my self to them but it just has not worked yet. I know how unreasonable it is but I just cannot help myself. I watched every snake show on TV and now i can sit through the whole show. My fear of a snake in the hen house has keep me from having them until now. I once had a strawberry batch and got rid of it because of my fear of finding a snake it it. People would tease me about finding one in it until i just could not bring myself to go into it. I truly hate being afraid of them, I do not want to be their friend but my fear controls me. I don't like my ex husband but I do not want him hurt either lol. I truly hope I can use the tongs when I need them, a glass of wine would help, but I do not keep any wine in the chicken coop.

 

[OtownHens]

I think you can let the snake live if you get the right size hardware cloth. Get hardware cloth with openings too small for a snake to pass through. I could not tell what your coop base it made from, but you may need to make some changes to keep snakes from digging under the hardware cloth.

 

[TheTropix]

I have tried to desensitize my self to them but it just has not worked yet. I know how unreasonable it is but I just cannot help myself. I watched every snake show on TV and now i can sit through the whole show. My fear of a snake in the hen house has keep me from having them until now. I once had a strawberry batch and got rid of it because of my fear of finding a snake it it. People would tease me about finding one in it until i just could not bring myself to go into it. I truly hate being afraid of them, I do not want to be their friend but my fear controls me. I don't like my ex husband but I do not want him hurt either lol. I truly hope I can use the tongs when I need them, a glass of wine would help, but I do not keep any wine in the chicken coop.

LOL Mel,
See Mel? You can sit through a snake show.. you're just taking your time. Grow your strawberries in hanging baskets or window planters and have your berries and peace of mind! The comment about your ex-husband almost made me fall out of my chair laughing.. just putting the entire jist of this post together, then tossing him in for good measure... hit me right in the funny bone! The wine, the wine... what to do.... Have a glass on the way to the coop. If there's no snake, so much the better. If there is, you might just give him "what for". rofl

 

[rbaker0345]

I have an aunt who is exactly like that. She is afraid of anything that isn't human. She has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on therapists and therapies and she just cannot be in the same room with any kind of animal or insect. When we go to the beach, I have to shoo the seagulls away from a 20ft diameter around our blanket. Her daughter couldn't have a pet when she was growing up. It really is a disability. Don't give up, keep at it. If you keep trying and getting close, but not touching, eventually it will get better. I read a study in the Journal of Science where a group of graduate students studied a group of people with severe spider phobia. They found that by taking baby steps people can get over phobias. I can't remember what the progression was but within a few short hours these people could be in the same room with a tarantula in a tank and by the end of the next day, they could actually hold the tarantula, it sounded amazing.

 

[Chickenfan4life]

Mr. 4 foot rat snake ate 4 eggs today my hubby said kill it I say let him live what would you guys do ?

Rat snakes can be extremely useful to have around the coop. I say let it live!

If you take the time to properly predator proof (snake proof) the coop, you won't have him getting in and eating up those delicious eggs your girls leave sitting around for him, and when he doesn't have those to eat, he will be more inclined to eat what his name says: rats. Rats, the pesky vermin, can carry diseases, lice, and mites to your flock, and need to be kept under control. A rat snake is just the animal for the job, doing it just as well as any cat or dog could. All it'll take to keep Mr. Snake out of the coop and away from your eggs it to put up 1/2 inch poultry wire around the coop (someone tell me if I'm wrong) and you'll be good to go!

Again, I say: let Mr. Snake live!

 

[rbaker0345]

That picture, right there, to me, majestic.