Copperhead in the barn.........How do we handle this??!!?

[John3:16]

Tonight doing chores my teen age son and younger daughter found a copperhead in the barn......next to my son's foot!!!!!:eek1:
She called out snake, he jumped back and identified it as a possible copperhead....

They came and got my DH who went down to the barn, confirmed it as a copperhead and sadly had to kill it.

We are all soooo upset...We didn't know what else to do..it could have bitten the kids, it could have bitten the baby goats....the dogs......:shrugs:

Neither my husband or I know how to handle hot snakes!!...we couldn't move it...I couldn't leave it there with 4 little kids running about in the barn!!!!!!!

Akkk..I don't like having had to do this at all....anyone have any better ideas for next time?

 

[Bartholomew]

Aww. Well. I dont blame you. You were probably freaking out at that moment and didnt know waht to do. I would have. Umm. I dont know how to handle thoes kind of snakes either. Maby a snake hook? Maby call animal control? Idk. Im going to let someone ealse give you some more advice.

 

[John3:16]

Well at least I feel better now that someone else didn't know either...oh...our county doesn't have animal control...sigh.

 

[durrn]

Relocation by snake hook sounds like the way to go then.

 

[Cattsy]

Honestly? I would have disposed of it as well...

As much as I love snakes, and I understand we encroach on THEIR territory... a poisonous snake like that on a farm is a hazard to you, your family and your animals.

You did the right thing.

 

[John3:16]

I would have loved to relocate with a hook..but we don't have one, or know how to use one...I've seen them come up the hook on people who know how to do it..its tricky..or can be....we are cornsnake noobs...let alone other snakes...

:uhoh:to be quite honest while I find pictures of single babies adorable..the huge clutch family pix still freak me out a bit..shhhhh...don't tell....

We have come a long way from killing garden snakes on sight..thank you discovery channel....
anyway..I think it would have been bad bad for us to have moved it via snake hook...even if we had one....

Maybe that is the answer..get trained on handling wild hots....???
OK...so where do we go for classes?
Our county has zero resources.....state...what department would be in charge of wild hots??

I'll stop now.....I just had surgery...sry if I'm a bit addled....:uhoh:

 

[Cattsy]

I dunno I grew up a farm girl in rattler country... Rattlers got no quarter if they were found on the property. They were treated the same as any other predator that encroached on our lands and endangered any critter living on it. Same as Coyotes, foxes, feral dogs, raccoons and other nuisance critters.

Same with poisonous spiders, out in the bush, where they weren't close to me and mine, fine and dandy, in my home or where kids play, done like dinner.

Messing with hots is a deadly game... not something someone untrained should do, and AFAIK no one offers classes on it heh... I know that experienced people will mentor others but it's not something you learn in a "class" it's something learned over years...

 

[azhketh]

I would have loved to relocate with a hook..but we don't have one, or know how to use one...I've seen them come up the hook on people who know how to do it..its tricky..or can be....we are cornsnake noobs...let alone other snakes...

:uhoh:to be quite honest while I find pictures of single babies adorable..the huge clutch family pix still freak me out a bit..shhhhh...don't tell....

We have come a long way from killing garden snakes on sight..thank you discovery channel....
anyway..I think it would have been bad bad for us to have moved it via snake hook...even if we had one....

Maybe that is the answer..get trained on handling wild hots....???
OK...so where do we go for classes?
Our county has zero resources.....state...what department would be in charge of wild hots??

I'll stop now.....I just had surgery...sry if I'm a bit addled....:uhoh:

Maybe there's someone on this board who will see this and also happens to live in your area. :shrugs: Or maybe ask around at the next reptile show in your area; unlikely due to legal problems, but ya never know, maybe a hot vendor will help you out.

Oh, now I think about it, don't they have snake hooks that are actually snake 'clamps?' Maybe that would work, though you'd need to practice to get the proper amount of control without accidentally harming the snake.

 

[tricksterpup]

I wouldnt panic, just be aware of it and teach your children to be aware of them. I doubt any one will come to harm to it. As long as you are aware one is on your property. Because its not the only one your property.

Just teach your kids not to touch any strange snakes and slowly walk away from it. Its about education. Why kill the poor animal cause you have a barn that probably attracts rodents and the snake is hunting them down.

Remember the animal is hunting down these pests for you. So learn to treat the animal with respect. They are not going to hunt you down.
Sadly are you sure this was a copper head? Many snakes look like them. Sadly, this disgust me. Why post something like this when you already killed the animal. I can not respect a person posting this. It would equal in my book for killing a dog for standing next to your child. It didn't strike and no one got hurt.

 

[CodeRed]

I think the purpose of the post was to find out what to do in the future, should this happen again... no need to jump down their throat. In their position I would've done the same thing. Like the others said, they were in no position to move the animal themselves without adding further risk to themselves and pets. At the time, there wasn't really a safe way to do anything. If they had any small animals, they would've been at risk. It's easier to stand to the side and say you would've done something when you aren't in the situation yourself. Even if it was a different snake that looked like a copperhead, how would they have known then? Risk letting it run around near children and pets? And yes, while snakes DO keep the mice down, is that a safe reason for letting a venomous snake near family? Normally you would relocate the animal, and since they couldn't do that, they did the next safest thing for their family. I can respect that.

 

[Cattsy]

there are much safer critters to have around than a rattler to take care of rodents, like a barn cat, one that's not going to be napping under that board your kid just picked up for a fort, or under a pile of straw your kid just jumped into, or in that corner that they squeezed into playing hide and seek, or in that log pile that you sent your boy out to get wood for the fire in the dusk!

So sorry you feel that way tricksterpup, but life on a farm isn't a bed of roses. Poisonous snakes of ANY sort need to be disposed of if they are in an area that endangers humans!! Have you ever seen what happens to a child that's been bitten by a rattler? The whole "live and let live" theory is all fine and dandy, but not when children are at stake.

I think the OP did the RIGHT thing by disposing of the snake. The only other thing that could have been a possibility is if there is an animal control or other service that would come remove the snake for her.

 

[wstphal]

Push broom & trashcan is my suggestion. Unless the thing is HOOJE you should be able to push broom it into a full size trashcan, then slam a lid on it. That's what my dad did with relocating hots when we lived in FL. Most of them aren't long enough to strike further than the length of a push broom. If it is then you have to do what is safest for family & domestic animals, and I'm not criticizing the OP at all, not on any of it, just making a suggestion. Maybe the folks who have more knowledge than me can make better suggestions than mine.

 

[rich333]

just reach down and pin it down behind the head..pick it up...look at it, admire it...let it go. a stick...heavy boot,(with light pressure), course the pushbroom,trash can idea is awesome. and i'm a bit of a daredevil at heart, i have no experience with HOTS..but that wouldnt stop me from trying to touch such a beautiful creature(this is WHY i dont have HOTS...owning A gaboon Viper would be like heaven to me. i've heard they (copperhead) are rather nasty natured. you probably did the right thing in your situation. i'd probably be in the hospital telling all the nurses about the copperhead, while recovering from a snakebite.

 

[Momto3boys]

We don't have hots around here at all....I do believe the only thing we have is garters and I do believe if I seen oa rattler in my barn or somewhere where it could hurt my children or pets I would have done the same thing.

I LOVE bears, we have black bears all over here, sometimes they come up on our decks and peek in our windows....this is fine by me BUT when they get too brave and start breaking into people's homes and killing dogs (2 yrs ago 1 bear killed 3 dogs) then something needs to be done.

Nobody likes killing these things, it would be nice if everything stayed in the woods or off our properties but fact is, they don't.

Do you know how many mice owners set mouse traps every year?? Or rat traps??

I think you did the right thing. I wouldn't chance trying to handle it at all...but that's just me.

 

[ratsncorns]

Copperheads are not rattlers... FYI. (this was referring to Cattsys post)

Every animal has a right to exist, us humans have such creative ways to justify killing other creatures. I would have just relocated it or covered it with a trashcan until someone else was able to relocate it for me.

Where there is one, there are 10 you dont see.

 

[CrazyCorn]

just reach down and pin it down behind the head..pick it up...look at it, admire it...let it go. a stick...heavy boot,(with light pressure), course the pushbroom,trash can idea is awesome. and i'm a bit of a daredevil at heart, i have no experience with HOTS..but that wouldnt stop me from trying to touch such a beautiful creature(this is WHY i dont have HOTS...owning A gaboon Viper would be like heaven to me. i've heard they (copperhead) are rather nasty natured. you probably did the right thing in your situation. i'd probably be in the hospital telling all the nurses about the copperhead, while recovering from a snakebite.

That is absolutely the wrong thing to do never attempt to pick up a hot if you have no training. Most won't just sit there and let you attempt to pick them up like you see done on TV and like you mentioned doing so could lead to an embarrassing or even fatal hospital visit.

I would just use a broom and trash can as first resort you can often wrangle them into a safe container. If that did not work out and there is the possibility of them escaping into a section of the house or barn then IMO dispatching of the snake is an alternative. Just remember where there is 1 there are many more you have yet to see so the best bet is to stay vigilant and teach the children about venomous snakes. Maybe try to find someone locally with some training and have them teach you a few tricks other than just beheading.

 

[jesserca]

I probably would have tried to capture the snake with a broom and trashcan as others have said. That being said I do not blame you for doing what you did. I do not have kids, but I can imagine that if I did and I found a venomous snake I would feel differently about the snake. If you had done that to a rat snake I would be pissed, but it was venomous and you have kids, I understand.

 

[John3:16]

Thanks

Thanks everyone for the replies.
I like the trashcan/broom idea..but as it was in the hay bales that wouldn't have worked well this time.

I was looking on craigs list today and there was an ad from a herp major offering to come remove snakes including hots.
So there is our solution.
Yay!!!


As far as killing it or not...There is no way to "teach a young child" not to touch a snake...they are children and by definition not trustworthy in all things.
Not to mention that they have to do chores in the barn and the such...they could easily sit on one hidden under a pile of loose hay.
I will not have known venomous snakes running about my barn.

The older children have proven in this instance that they are well trained..I am proud of them.

the snake was hidden down between two bales of hay. My 13 yr old son moved a bale to feed out, leaving the snake now exposed.
He then stepped forward to hang up the bale knife at which point my 10 yr old daughter saw the snake...and the triangle head.
She yelled snake, and my son backed away.
Even though we love snakes here...all black rat snakes are promptly relocated to the hay loft...we have a "no touch" rule. They are not allowed to touch a snake even if they "know" it isn't venomous......they must get us first.
My son saw it didn't have a rattle..(Cumberland Mts of TN) and knew timber rattler was out, leaving cotton mouth or copperhead...(we have a pond and lots of water about).
It "yawned" showing a red mouth, not white...and displaying its fangs quite well.
At this point my son correctly ID it as a copper head and they lit a shuck for the house.
They got their father who went to the barn and confirmed the hot ID and dispatched it.
He brought it up to the house so all could see..we didn't let anyone touch it explaining that it was still dangerous.
The children were able to see the long fangs and how they were connected to the venom pouches...the coloration, how it looked.....
My husband disposed of it in a large screw top plastic container for the trash man's safety.

We are going to implement new rules..only tall "wellies" to be worn for chores.
Each child will have a special lanyard with a flashlight on it for chore time.
Buddy system.
Look before you reach or step.
Move all hay bales with a hay hook or pitchfork and look about before proceeding.
The youngest one will always have an older child with her.

If anyone has any more suggestions for additions to the rules, please let me know.


I know there are more hots out there, for heaven's sake we have a pond....and all that comes with that...
But I will not knowingly have a venomous snake in the barn with my children.

Thanks again...
Willie

 

[Cattsy]

Copperheads are not rattlers... FYI. (this was referring to Cattsys post)

I know I was referring to rattlers cause that's what *I* have experience with up here in the north.

They are the same family though yes?

 

[rich333]

crazy corn,

Yeah I know it would be the wrong thing to do. but i feel like i would still be compelled to get a closer look at it.

I read somewhere that if you wish to own a HOT snake, you should purchase a texas rat snake first. and for the first year, write down on a post it note every time the snake strikes at you or actually connects , that you could have died today and post it on the enclosure. at the end of the year count how many post it notes you have. it's a sobering thought.....isn't it?