What kind of snake is this? (*PICS*)

[kuntrygirl]

I went out to pick eggs this evening and I stuck my hand in a nesting box and what I grabbed did not feel like an egg, so I IMMEDIATELY jumped back. A few minutes later, this little fella wiggled out.

Does anyone know what kind of snake this is? He was 4'9" long.

 

[DuckLover2399]

rat snake

 

[SilkieMomma]

A great big ugly one!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

Well he eats more than just rats. He had an egg inside of him. I crushed it when I touched the spot. Would he have bite me?

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:

 

[zazouse]

Rat snake ,
but with that pattern we call them chicken snakes around here, sure was a beauty

 

[yinepu]

Texas rat snake .. i have a female who lives in my yard.. nice snakes.. eat rodents but also eggs.. and won't turn down a small chick if one gets in the way.. ours gets along fine with our cats and hens.. even though she has raided a few nests we like to have her around for rodent control.. we figure we can pay her in eggs when the rodents are scarce...

 

[yinepu]

by the way.. that one looks like a female to me

 

[Godsgrl]

Yes, he would have bitten you, I guarantee it. But you wouldn't die from it, and you wouldn't even need to go to the hospital. What a scare that must have been for you though.

 

[lleighmay]

Gray rat snake (aka fox snake, chicken snake). Non-poisonous and harmless to humans. Excellent for rodent control but will eat eggs and chicks occasionally. Different version of the black rat snake which we have here. They have a free pass at our farm, though if they become persistent about stealing eggs they will get relocated to the horse/cattle barn down the road. Thus far I've been lucky and have not had a problem. I certainly wouldn't begrudge a few eggs occasionally to keep down the rodent population. If you ever need to move one you can just pick it up gently by sliding your hand under the back 1/3 of its body and lifting it. They will balance and let you carry them to a different location. If one does bite you it's no big deal; certainly less painful than getting tangled in a blackberry bush. That said I do understand how frightening snakes can be to lots of people (it's taken me years to retrain my Dad- I'm SO proud of him). The main thing to remember is that most of them won't hurt you, though they may make you hurt yourself.