My neighbor and I just relocated a black snake with a yellow belly that
was making a home out of our garden storage box. It was pretty long,
maybe 30", but not very thick. I'd be surpised if it was even and inch
and a half. It wasn't heavy-bodied and didn't have a stubby tail, so I
kind of ruled out a cottonmouth. I don't think it was big enough to
eat my fish, but I still didn't want it in my pond. The only thing
questionable about it is that its head was a bit triangular shaped, but
I certainly didn't get a look at its pupils. The head shape has been
completely unreliable for me as an indicator of the type of snake,
since the only snake I've ever seen in our yard that didn't have a
triangular head is a green grass snake. And yet, I know that most of
those snakes were not poisonous. This was probably one of those black
water snakes. I don't want him around, but I get so grossed out at the
crunching involved in cutting their heads off. I will say that if he
comes back, DN and I have agreed that all bets are off, and he will
have to be dispatched. His kids will be staying here during the day
once school is out, so he kind of cares whether we have snakes in our
yard. Do you think he will come back, if he is a water snake? We only
took him about 75 yards down the street and tossed him over the fence
into a wooded vacant lot. Do you think he's gone?

"Ann in Houston" wrote in message
oups.com...
Do you think he will come back, if he is a water snake? We only
took him about 75 yards down the street and tossed him over the fence
into a wooded vacant lot. Do you think he's gone?
=================
In my experience they come back. You may want to take them several miles
away. This sounds like a common rat or chicken snake. If it is, they do
eat fish, small birds, amphibians, mice etc.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

Have you found this site yet?
http://www.texassnakes.net/pictures.html

There is something on there called a yellow bellied
water snake.

If he shows up again, and you decide to catch him,
I'd take him miles away and to a place where there is
a natural waterway.

Let us know what happens.
As much as I like critters in the pond I'd probably
faint dead away if a snake ever showed up!

kathy :-)

Well, Kathy, fix yourself a soft place to land. It's bound to happen
eventually.

LOL!
It already did, INSIDE the house!
I didn't faint but I sure made an idiot out of myself!

kathy :-)

That's him, alright. His head looked too little to be able to swallow
my fish. I do know, though, that sometimes they can surprise you. I
am glad to have seen the pic, because, if you notice, his head is a bit
scary, in its resemblance to poisonous ones. I just had to rely on
the fact that he didn't look like a rattler, a copperhead, a mocassin,
or a coral snake. Those are our only poisonous ones. Thanks for
finding that for me.

It will come back if it's close enough. It's a compliment to your pond.
Nice and cool and a water supply. At least you won't get any mice or
rodents nearby like I have. I would rather have snakes than rodents !!!!

Ann in Houston wrote:
That's him, alright. His head looked too little to be able to swallow
my fish. I do know, though, that sometimes they can surprise you. I
am glad to have seen the pic, because, if you notice, his head is a bit
scary, in its resemblance to poisonous ones. I just had to rely on
the fact that he didn't look like a rattler, a copperhead, a mocassin,
or a coral snake. Those are our only poisonous ones. Thanks for
finding that for me.

I know he won't really hurt anything, but I think he was after my frogs
that live in the toolbox where I keep my pond and yard supplies. It
used to house our filters and they just took up residence. I imagine
the little guys are snake chow at this point. That was where I found
him. We had one like him six or so years ago. He was pretty
determined to stay in the pond. But, that's where we found him. This
time, I may have found him before he found the pond. I can't imagine
him getting out of it of his own will, so the fact that he was on the
ground might tell the tale in that regard.