Help! Getting rid of water moccasins!

[Green Tea]

Just so folks won't think we didn't try other options before we actually did hatchet the little visitor: We had previously caught ds(not dear -snake) and tried relocating him to a creek. Aparantly creek food is more difficult for a snake to catch, because he kept coming back to the gold fish pond. So, yes, he did get decapitated in what I can only guess was a rather gruesome crime scene. No kids or mom got to be present, much to my little mountain man's disappoinment. Me, pretty glad dh was home at the time. I don't do hatchets.

 

[horseshowmom]

Are the snakes causing a problem? Is live and let live out of the question?

Water moccasins are very poisonous and should be considered dangerous. They definitely do NOT want them setting up house and having babies to add to their numbers.

 

[maelstrom]

Animal control wouldn't come get it?? That is so lame. That's what they're there for. I'd call again and raise hell.

 

[freckles and boo]

Water moccasins are very poisonous and should be considered dangerous. They definitely do NOT want them setting up house and having babies to add to their numbers.

I realize they are poisonous. I grew up learning to avoid them. If they are a problem then they should be removed (especially if there are children or pets around), but I hate the idea of just getting rid of wildlife unless they are truly a nuisance.

 

[GeorgeG]

I've been told that water moccasins can be very aggressive. Please be very careful. Even when you catch and kill them, you should give some thought to where those came from and evaluate if more could come from the same place. When we moved to Florida we made a point of not buying a house on or very near any water. There's more than snakes in the ponds. I'd suggest re-thinking your goldfish pond.

 

[horseshowmom]

I realize they are poisonous. I grew up learning to avoid them. If they are a problem then they should be removed (especially if there are children or pets around), but I hate the idea of just getting rid of wildlife unless they are truly a nuisance.

I understand your point but having known several people who have been bitten (not even aware of the snake until it was too late) and the agony they went through, I guess I look at their presence as being a nuisance. My experience has been (as GeorgeG said) that they can be aggressive, and I wouldn't want them anywhere around if I could help it. JMHO




OP, I'll keep a good thought for you. I've never seen a trap for one, but the idea of it coming out of that trap has me clinching my teeth!

 

[kimmikayb]

We have a smallish ornamental man-made pond in our front yard and it has 2 water moccasins living in it. Anyone know how to get rid of them?

Count my vote for moving!!

Buy a peacock! They love to eat those guys, and look nice too.

But they scream so loud!

I have unwanted snakes in my pond as well. As far as I can determine, they are great northern water snakes. I visited a pond farm for advice. They said the best way is to pester the snake into leaving. I have a 13 year old son, so pestering something is no problem.

At various times he would go out with a fishing pole and put something on the hook and just keep bumping the head when it would surface. Eventually the crazy snake bit at the object and darned if the kid didn't catch a snake with a fishing pole and a piece of corn.

there should be some official title for that...Corn Kernal Snake Pester or Keeper Of The Sacred Corn.

Okay we just got home from the pond store and bought a trap. They did warn us, however, that if we catch and kill them to be extra careful because if one of them is a pregnant female, when we kill her (if we chop her up or chop off the head) the babies will come spewing out. Now, that's Texas!

Ok, have enough people mentioned MOVING???? Spewing Baby Water Mocosins=running far, far away!!!!!!

 

[kimmikayb]

I understand your point but having known several people who have been bitten (not even aware of the snake until it was too late) and the agony they went through, I guess I look at their presence as being a nuisance. My experience has been (as GeorgeG said) that they can be aggressive, and I wouldn't want them anywhere around if I could help it. JMHO




OP, I'll keep a good thought for you. I've never seen a trap for one, but the idea of it coming out of that trap has me clinching my teeth!

I'll agree with you on this one! Water Mocosins can be very, very aggressive and tend to gather in groups. Swarms of poisenous, ugly, angry snakes.

 

[lucyanna girl]

A Hoe (as in cotton chopping, not the other kind) is what my Daddy used.

I just ran.

Penny

Edited to add, In Louisiana we have lots of water moccasins. They are MEAN! They are very aggressive snakes and would rather bite than run away like most snakes. We had a river in front of our house, a large pond on one side, a bayou on the other and woods behind us where I grew up. Moccasins were a fact of life and we had to be watchful because we often found them in our yard or under the carport.

When I first married and had children I lived just up the highway from my parents. One day my DS was playing in a fenced in play yard just off my patio. I was watching him from the patio when I saw a moccasin crawling through the fence and advancing on my four year old. The only weapon near at hand was a water ski propped up against the wall of the house within reach of the fence. I grabbed it and got to my son just before the snake. As scared as I am of snakes I was ready to grab him with my bare hands if necessary to protect my baby. That snake tried his best to bite me but let's just say even he was no match for a scared mama with a water ski.

 

[gemmie214]

Okay we just got home from the pond store and bought a trap. They did warn us, however, that if we catch and kill them to be extra careful because if one of them is a pregnant female, when we kill her (if we chop her up or chop off the head) the babies will come spewing out. Now, that's Texas!

Holy "word that can't be said on the Dis"!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is horrifying

 

[ntsammy5]

When I used to live in Texas, every spring when it started getting warm out there was an organized “snake hunt.” Everyone would gather around and go hunting snakes, mostly rattlers before it was warm enough for them to really get active. Ranchers sponsored the hunt because they didn’t want their cattle getting bitten. A lot of people used .22s. Not me. I had a 12 gauge with #6 shot. We came across a nest of babies once in a crevice and I used about 15 shells and there was still movement. Those little buggers were hard to kill.

OT: A friend used to distill his own tequila and instead of worms, he put little baby rattlers in the 5 gallon jug with the tequila. Had the strangest taste and quite a kick!

 

[pittypat]

I'm not a big fan of killing wildlife either, even snakes. But my neighbor's children love our pond and watching the fish and gathering tadpoles (yes, I've warned their mom to keep them AWAY for awhile). I'd rather kill two (we hope only two) very deadly and aggressive snakes than have something happen to my little neighbors. And we don't want to get rid of the pond either. It is a huge attactor (?) for butterflies, hummingbirds, dragonflies, hawks, etc. I will keep you all posted on the success of the trap thing. BTW, this definitely falls into the category of a "daddy job"! I'll watch from the window.

 

[christineann]

Shotgun.

Those are mean snakes, and they don't back off. My black lab pulled a large water moccasin out of the bushes right next to my house one afternoon. I screamed and he dropped it, but it "came to" and started spitting and hissing at the dog and me. While I was rinsing Jake's mouth out with a hose to check him for bites, my son shot it. There is now a deck where the bushes used to be.

Second one was the subject of a post about my failure to keep my Lenten promises to watch my language and to be more tolerant.

I have some garden snakes that live around my house, and I don't mind them at all. I just stop and let them pass by.

Water moccasins? Shotgun.

 

[diz8297]

'Kay, gonna have nightmares tonight. I'm all for those in favor of shotguns and other methods of "elimination". Good luck!!!!

 

[golfgal]

Ok, reason number 573 NOT to live in the south . Heck we had a gardner snake in our yard the other day and the dang dog wouldn't go after it for me . What good is that dang dog anyway .

 

[Klarabelle]

Another vote for gun-whatever your, dh, or a friend is handiest with. Those things are just plain mean, and I'm not usually an advocate of killing snakes.

Too bad we don't have a shootin' smiley...

 

[Disney Doll]

Move????

 

[Mom21]

Well what ever you do, don't try this!

http://darwinawards.com/reject/new/pending20070920-143044.html

 

[txaggiemomof3]

If you live near Houston you can always try calling Clint the Snake Man. He is a true snake lover! We've met him a few times through events he has done in our neighborhood. I just checked his website and he does capture and remove snakes for a fee. Here's the link...

http://www.texassnakes.net/capture.html


Good luck!!!

 

[SamIAm21]

You Texans and southern folks are made of some strong stuff. Water mocassins are seriously scary! I guess the bleach thing wouldn't work because of all the nice things living in your pond.

The idea of cutting off a snakes head only to have its offspring come spewing out is enough to give me the vapors, and I'm a Yankee.