Thursday

Tantilla Nigriceps


Or, what I found in my studio yesterday...common name...
Plains Black Headed Snake


If you read a few posts back you will understand how I feel about snakes.

I picked up a box l
id from the floor of my studio and I was stunned by seeing this snake. I think it was stunned as well. We both froze, then I screamed, then it slithered behind one of my wardrobes. So the next thing I did was grab my camera, changed the lens out to my zoom lens...so I wouldn't have to get too close. I waited a while for him to peek out....out came his tiny head, then ever so slightly his body. I aimed the camera and he immediately slithered back. As I stood there very still with the camera ready he came all of the way out and I snapped pictures. He then decided to go back into his hiding spot. Now that I had pictures the next step was to get him out of my studio.

During all of that I had called my hubby, he
didn't answer so I text messaged him and told him what was happening and I thought I was going to die....he was in Tucson working, no way he was going to make it home to help me...I was on my own.

I'll talk about this in another post, but my remedy for most anything creepy/crawly is tape. I took a piece of packing tape attached it to the opening of a box with the sticky part up. I placed it as precisely as I could believing he would take the same path as previously. He did, but he was so small he was able to get past the tape and into the hall. Uh oh. I had another box sitting against a wall about 3 feet away and he went under it. Thinking quickly I moved everything that was around that box, I grabbed an empty fedex box and tore off the flaps then a piece of cardboard. I moved the box he was under very quickly, put the fedex box on the floor in front of him holding the other end so that the open end was pushed down in the carpet and guided him into the box with the other piece of cardboard.

WOW I had him and I was still alive!!! He's about 4 inches long and about as round as a pencil.
At about that same time hubby calls and I tell him what I've accomplished. He says, "well, put it in something so I can see it when I get home." I tell him that I have it in a box and it will be outside. The box didn't have a lid...so I told him that I would put it in a plastic container with a lid. He says, "put holes in the lid so it can breathe." BREATHE!!!....I can hardly breathe after all of that. Then I took pictures of it in the container.

Hubby came home, looked at it for a while (I know he had thoughts of
keeping it...but he knew better) and then he took it to the back of our property and freed it...with a warning not to come back to the house!

My wish is to never see a snake again in my life....there have been too many encounters this year...but if I do happen upon another and have my camera I'll be sure to let you all know!


and, to the person/s who helped me identify this snake....thank you!

17 reviews:

Monica said...

I was holding my breath while reading about its capture! What a nightmare that would be for me. Awesome job by you!

outofthedark said...

yuck. yuck. yuck.
i have goosebumps reading about this experience.
so glad you didn't have a heart attack cause i'm sure i would have.
bluck.

Anna said...

Remember when I said I was jealous of all the cool critters you had around your house...I don't feel that way anymore! Ewww!! Don't like snakes...bit by one when I was a teenager!

Waterrose said...

Anna...I understand. I have never been so bothered by snakes in my life. I was also traumatized by one when I was 6...in my grandmothers garden.

Wear Your Wild said...

Glad to see that you ID'd it. :)
I like snakes. Used to have a Boa years ago.

alexkeller said...

oh my! i REALLY dislike snakes - I got the chills just reading about it!

selahestelle said...

I also like snakes. I've never seen this variety though. We don't get these in Texas. What a fun post and kudos for your humane catch and release techniques!

My Mother's Garden said...

Scary Mary!
I would have had a heart attack! Glad you were able to relocate it.

Mom, Net Mom said...

I hope for your sake he's not back for a visit next year as an old rancher once told my husband, "Little snakes just grow up to be big snakes." :)

Cindy said...

i can't believe you were calm enough to take those photos. i'm really scared of snakes and would have headed for the hills, which is worse because i wouldn't know where it went ;).

missknits said...

oh my! i think the last thing i would be thinking would be to grab my camera!! lol i would be way toooo freaked out!! i think i'd be putting my things in that box and moving out instead!

Pamela Zimmerman said...

i guess you couldn't hear him scream....i am sure he was just as surprised! good for you, for catching and releasing. We need all the predators we can get...otherwise we will be overrun with bugs and such. thanks for sharing your adventure!

Unknown said...

Just popped over to say hi and Argh! I get goosebumps each time I see those pics!

Anonymous said...

I still can't believe you grabbed a camera lol!

Mary
hoganfe handmade
handbag originals

twolefthands said...

Holy crap Rose, I would be afraid to open another box! Yikes! My grandson would love this!

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! I'll have to let my BSP see this post - BSP has a huge fascination/aversion to snakes.

I read about it on your link and it makes me happy that it eats centipedes (my own little shop of horrors) but I still wouldn't want one in my house.

"venom is not dangerous to humans"

*pffft!*

;)


P.S. Your dogs are beautiful!

365 Dresses said...

LOL...Only 4 inches long? Are you kidding? Are you sure that is not a worm? Seriously, I understand your fear/repulsion and think you are very brave.

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