Net? Was there a net in the picture? All I saw was snake tonsils!! That's the pic that opened on my screen with I checked on from my email. Yeowww!! I blood turned cold in a split second. I was nervous about putting my hands on the keyboard!
I did look over the site and read you description of your trip into southern Illinois.
Thanks for telling me about Snake Road. Aptly named! I will stay away from the north end of it!
But the tadpoles were neat.
Seriously, thanks for sharing iinfo.
Joe
Rat Snake Predation On Purple Martin Colonies
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Guest
I haven't read the entire thread, so this may have been mentioned already. Hate to be the "herp nerd" but corn snakes are not rat snakes. We get the rat snake here, but not the corn snake. Our version of the rat snake has the coloration of the black x gray cross and the texas.
Regardless, rat snakes are trouble when dealing with bird nests. I pulled 3 out of a wood duck box last year and they had consumed every last egg.
That said, I still bring them home and turn loose in the grain bins for rodent control. Just have to protect the martins.
Regardless, rat snakes are trouble when dealing with bird nests. I pulled 3 out of a wood duck box last year and they had consumed every last egg.
That said, I still bring them home and turn loose in the grain bins for rodent control. Just have to protect the martins.
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Steve Kroenke
- Posts: 4342
- Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 6:49 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Logansport
Hey Rob,
The corn snake is a rat snake unless that designation has been recently changed. I do realize that scientific organizations will sometimes make changes in species designations and perhaps that has occurred. Here is a link stating that the corn snake is a rat snake:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_Snake
The corn snake is also called the red rat snake. It is a beautiful snake and often sold in pet stores.
Steve
The corn snake is a rat snake unless that designation has been recently changed. I do realize that scientific organizations will sometimes make changes in species designations and perhaps that has occurred. Here is a link stating that the corn snake is a rat snake:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_Snake
The corn snake is also called the red rat snake. It is a beautiful snake and often sold in pet stores.
Steve
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Scott D.- La
- Posts: 823
- Joined: Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:35 am
- Location: Louisiana
Steve,
Great information and pics. I had a Texas Rat Snake a month or so ago raid a nest in a oak tree. My wife found him on the ground beside the nest he had knocked out of the tree. I grabbed him behind the head. I was surprised at the strength of him as he constricted around my arm. It's easy to see how a bird doesn't have much chance against one and so important to have snake protection. It seems a few each year on the forums, learn this lesson the hard way.
Great information and pics. I had a Texas Rat Snake a month or so ago raid a nest in a oak tree. My wife found him on the ground beside the nest he had knocked out of the tree. I grabbed him behind the head. I was surprised at the strength of him as he constricted around my arm. It's easy to see how a bird doesn't have much chance against one and so important to have snake protection. It seems a few each year on the forums, learn this lesson the hard way.
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Guest
Not that it matters when they are up your martin pole 
but the Corn snake is elaphe guttata and the Rat snake is elaphe obsoleta.
According to my info, there are 5 different subspecies of elaphe obsoleta, each having a different coloration and occuring in different parts of the southeast. There are also 3 crosses between those 5 subspecies.
Looks like there is a corn snake x great plains rat snake cross in the western LA area, so they must interbreed over there.
but the Corn snake is elaphe guttata and the Rat snake is elaphe obsoleta.According to my info, there are 5 different subspecies of elaphe obsoleta, each having a different coloration and occuring in different parts of the southeast. There are also 3 crosses between those 5 subspecies.
Looks like there is a corn snake x great plains rat snake cross in the western LA area, so they must interbreed over there.
First of all there is no such thing as a herp nerd. Be Proud!!!!
I just can't help myself, sorry.
Any Elaphe is technically a ratsnake, whether they come from the US, Russia, Asia, etc. So a corn snake is, in fact, a rat snake - a red rat snake. You are correct that there are (were) multiple sub-species of the black rat snake. What was Elaphe in the United States is now Pantherophis. Rat snakes will be one of the major groups of US snakes to undergo a major reclassification based primarily on DNA. This will significantly reduce the number of recognized subspecies. As crazy as it sounds a bright yellow rat snake from Florida can now be the same exact animal as a solid black ratsnake from Ohio. But a solid black ratsnake from the east side of the Smoky Mountains is a completely different subspecies than a solid black ratsnake from the west side. They can look identical! Therefore without field DNA analysis there is no way to tell.
I am sure that this is way too much info for this forum.
Bottom line. All ratsnakes are excellent climbers and they all eat birds.
I just can't help myself, sorry.
Any Elaphe is technically a ratsnake, whether they come from the US, Russia, Asia, etc. So a corn snake is, in fact, a rat snake - a red rat snake. You are correct that there are (were) multiple sub-species of the black rat snake. What was Elaphe in the United States is now Pantherophis. Rat snakes will be one of the major groups of US snakes to undergo a major reclassification based primarily on DNA. This will significantly reduce the number of recognized subspecies. As crazy as it sounds a bright yellow rat snake from Florida can now be the same exact animal as a solid black ratsnake from Ohio. But a solid black ratsnake from the east side of the Smoky Mountains is a completely different subspecies than a solid black ratsnake from the west side. They can look identical! Therefore without field DNA analysis there is no way to tell.
I am sure that this is way too much info for this forum.
Bottom line. All ratsnakes are excellent climbers and they all eat birds.
Last edited by Grady on Wed Jun 03, 2009 6:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Joe Zorn
Grady, Yep! That pretty much sums it up !
But, for me personally, I can do it a lot easier than that!
A tiny garden green snake is in fact the identical animal as an King Cobra in New Delhi or a Boa Constrictor on the Ivory Coast of Africa, a cotton mouth moccosin here in Lousiana or a side-windin' rattler out in the Arizona desert!
Yeoww!! I can still see that wide open mouth of a few days ago!!! How big was that snake? 25 feet??
Joe
But, for me personally, I can do it a lot easier than that!
A tiny garden green snake is in fact the identical animal as an King Cobra in New Delhi or a Boa Constrictor on the Ivory Coast of Africa, a cotton mouth moccosin here in Lousiana or a side-windin' rattler out in the Arizona desert!
Yeoww!! I can still see that wide open mouth of a few days ago!!! How big was that snake? 25 feet??
Joe
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Guest
Hey Yall,
Doing research on predator guards. Gonna try to switch to electric. I use netting, bucket & PVC guards. Some might say it's overkill but after my last snake attack
I swore I would do everything I could to protect my birds. Ran onto this thread by Steve so I thought I would bump it up for new landlords who don't realize the importance of predator guards. 
Doing research on predator guards. Gonna try to switch to electric. I use netting, bucket & PVC guards. Some might say it's overkill but after my last snake attack
I swore I would do everything I could to protect my birds. Ran onto this thread by Steve so I thought I would bump it up for new landlords who don't realize the importance of predator guards. -
Guest
Hey Yall,
Doing research on predator guards. Gonna try to switch to electric. I use netting, bucket & PVC guards. Some might say it's overkill but after my last snake attack I swore I would do everything I could to protect my birds. Ran onto this thread by Steve so I thought I would bump it up for new landlords who don't realize the importance of predator guards.
Doing research on predator guards. Gonna try to switch to electric. I use netting, bucket & PVC guards. Some might say it's overkill but after my last snake attack
I swore I would do everything I could to protect my birds. Ran onto this thread by Steve so I thought I would bump it up for new landlords who don't realize the importance of predator guards. -
Guest
I have found the most effective snake deterrent and also other predators such as coons and cats, to be an electric fence charger.
See the next posting on the forum about fence chargers as I posted how I install and use them.
See the next posting on the forum about fence chargers as I posted how I install and use them.
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Martin man RI
- Posts: 441
- Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2003 7:04 pm
- Location: MA/RI area
Snakes are not just a southern problem. All my Bluebird box's 55 have
netting on them a few years back i experimented with a few post and tied
netting to them I trapped a few snakes every year since and my bluebird numbers are growing again. Netting is cheap and well worth they investment had snakes climb PVC and just about any pipe. Spent big money
on PVC and its worthless. The Black Racer is the problem in these parts
the Black Rat is Endangered in some parts of New England and very rarely
seen east of Hartford CT Have only seen a few in 20 years. But they are out there.
Ray
netting on them a few years back i experimented with a few post and tied
netting to them I trapped a few snakes every year since and my bluebird numbers are growing again. Netting is cheap and well worth they investment had snakes climb PVC and just about any pipe. Spent big money
on PVC and its worthless. The Black Racer is the problem in these parts
the Black Rat is Endangered in some parts of New England and very rarely
seen east of Hartford CT Have only seen a few in 20 years. But they are out there.
Ray
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The Olsons
- Posts: 3200
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:57 pm
- Location: North Padre Island, TX
We had two rat snakes in the netting in the 2009 season.....they were huge!!!!! I was happy that we had the netting up because this would have been very bad on the colony. The not so good part was trying to get them out of the netting....I guess the way I had it set up the snakes got so entangled that there was no way to get them out.....So I right then put electric fencing on my Christmas wish list and I think I am going to get it.
Protecting your PM colony from any kind of predator is so very important. Many of us think that our yard has no hidden dangers by predators, but I am always surprised what we hear and see in the middle of the night.
Merry Christmas to all of you and to a wonderful and happy 2010 martin season
Astrid
Protecting your PM colony from any kind of predator is so very important. Many of us think that our yard has no hidden dangers by predators, but I am always surprised what we hear and see in the middle of the night.
Merry Christmas to all of you and to a wonderful and happy 2010 martin season
Astrid
Love it or leave it~~~Astrid :-)