fayeroe was barking at night and it was hysterical. i couldn't find her and the cats were all staring at the storage shed. all at once she flew out, backwards, bent the metal wall and a huge, flat, short snake came flying out. a water moccasin. remember, i live on a creek.

i couldn't find anything to hit it with and i chased it to the fence. and couldn't sleep. this was Friday night.

are there snake repellants?

i absolutely hate those snakes and will kill them even if they aren't being provocative. they are mean and aggressive and a bite could put me/grandchild in the hospital. not to mention what it would do to a cat or dog.

AND, we've always just waltzed into the storage shed and dug into boxes and tools and things and now i'm scared to even go near it. i have to get over that and clean it out and reorganize it and eliminate hidey holes.........anyone want to come help me? i'm so scared of those snakes.

[seeker1950]

I would be scared too! I remember one very vivid story my 7th grade teacher told of gathering eggs in the henhouse and being bitten by a copperhead as she reached into one nest. I've never wanted to raise chickens since hearing that story!

[bebop]

Pat yes they do make a snake repellent. go to your local feed and seed store. they should have it there.

[Bethsway]

Didn't know they had snake repellant...but I am glad they do...You better get some Pat before you go in the shed.
Good luck to you organizing it...!!!

yikes! that would totally unnerve me.

we have black racer snakes here. they're harmless and they are good--they eat fruit rats. since this area was formerly citrus orchards, there are wild citrus trees here.. lemon, orange, tangerine, grapefruit... when the trees are full of fruit it's hard to keep up with them so the fruit drops to the ground. (the grapefruits sound like bombs going off when they drop from 20 feet!! ) .

Consequently there are fruit rats. ugh.

But, good as they are, I don't like seeing a 4 foot snake outside my back door!! They are safe though, cuz I am too scared to go out if I see one. lol

Pat, I hope you find something to help keep them out of the shed so you can feel comfortable going in there like before.

[darkeyes]

Don't know of any effective "snake replellants", my brother in NC, dog got nailed by a copperhead and was in the hospital for a few weeks, we didn't know if Misty was going to make it. My brother lives close to the Neuse river and in a heavily wooded area, so those slithery creeps crawl in an out of his yard and under his home. I searched several websites, and even park rangers and some of the vsarious universities, say the best one can do is not have bird feeders near the home/yard, the excess seed attracts mice and other rodents, which then attract the snakes.
When I lived in PA, huge (4-6ft) Black Rat snakes, would come around, and I had no birdfeeders but had some birdhouses scattered in the wooded area on my property, they'd slither through the wire fence attached on our post fence, sunbathe in the area my son had his playset and where my dog(s) were. You know, though they say they are non-venimous I still didn't want them near my home.
It petrifies me when I see anything other than a garter snake around, too many species to get close enough to determine, "venimous or non-venimous".
My brother's neighbors and the local hardware store said sprinkle sulphur (like used in gardens) along the fence, yeah, snakes still come in his yard, except Misty goes on the leash now.
Oh man, be careful, these critters kill, humans and animals.
Lots of luck with this.

thanks, guys. i didn't have the nerve to tackle the shed today. i am truly afraid of water moccasins. i'll get the sulphur and maybe i can find something to repel them.

i know that fayeroe would kill one and so could jack, but i'm so afraid they'll get bitten first.

people actually own airedales on ranches here, in texas, because the rattlesnakes are so bad and airedales kill them, rather easily. but, i would rush in to help and god knows what would happen then. my scottie defended me from a rattlesnake and he bit her twice on the face. she lived. she was a kick *** scottie.

[wisewoman]

My cure, torch the shed and run like h for higher ground. I too hate these guys. I would assume every box had a few. Don't take it lightly. Ok, is this a wife's tale. I take hair clippings and stuff them where I know snakes are living. They like to nest behind my back stairs, When I would give hair cuts and when I clean brushes the hair goes there. I put hubby's hair there. Does anyone know?

wouldn't the scent of the human scare the snake off?????????? i don't know.......i know that human urine scares deer away........well, i read that in a novel about Texas and it seemed right at the time. these rednecks had set up a deer feeder and this tree hugger, female, peed under it and the deer quit feeding there..... two great books by this texas writer. i laughed so hard that i hurt for days after i read them.

http://growersupply.com/sn4lbsnre.ht...WID=5130153021

time0 sent me this link for the snake repellant......i'm going to approach, notice the word "approach", the shed on Wednesday......

[Wants2Fly]

Very scary story. My heart beat faster just reading this. It would be so hard to make a shed snake free -- there is always going to be things being stored that leaves hiding places.

So sorry this happened to you and the dogs, and I hope you find ways to minimize the dangers.

the water moccasin has no patterns......like a rattlesnake or copperhead and being visually oriented, i notice patterns first. the WM is a dark, dull and ugly gray. and short and blunt.

i have decided that on Wednesday i will put a very strong insect bomb in there first....put a tarp on the door and bomb away.......and stand back, with a hoe or shovel.

[January]

The urine is true for deer. It doesn't work for snakes. Some people use moth balls to keep snakes out, but I've never seen it work.

Hugs,

Jan