Tuesday, August 04, 2009


Today's picture is compliments of Gab. This one was under the tractor she was standing next to, and kept rattling, but she couldn't figure out what the noise was until it dawned on her that it was a snake - good thing it had its mouth full or by the time she got it figured out, it would have bitten her! She was at her boyfriend's house. When I came home today, I made (well, I didn't tie him up and force him or anything; I just asked in a manner that implied there was no option, lol) Zack bring me down on the 4-wheeler to go get the horses because someone (not me) left the gate open and they went hiking. When we came back in, there was a rattlesnake stretched across the driveway. We killed it in fine Ozark fashion... by stoning it. I don't kill them if they're up on the mountain, but in the field and around the house they get killed. The dogs almost stepped on it and the horses were coming up the driveway behind us. Too risky to leave it alone.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent nature photo. Did she kill this one, eating his rabbit, too? Did you/she take this picture with a phone? Last time I visited home, my little nephews were down behind my father's shop watching a big timber rattler eating a wood rat.

We killed rattlers around the house when I was small. I don't believe I would kill them today; But, I don't have horses or children or an outside dog.

At least you don't have to worry about cottonmouths like I'm sure you had in Louisiana.

Roxann said...

Ha, we have cottonmouths here too. They keep to the creek, but they're here. I don't like to kill anything, honestly. If there just weren't so many bite opportunities around, I'd likely have just let him go on his way. But with the kids, dogs, and horses it's just too risky having them so close to the house or well-traveled paths.

Zack got some of the venom on his hand when he picked it up after it was dead. He said the venom burned like battery acid on his skin. I can only imagine how badly it would hurt to be bitten.

Thanks for reading and commenting!

EarthNSky said...

Great snake picture! Rattlers are bad here this year, too. Tis the season. DH hit a big one on the way home from work yesterday, and some nearby logging has them all stirred up around here. Neighbor's dog got a nasty bite and might lose his leg. Be careful.

Roxann said...

Bev, our dog was bitten by a rattler this year too, right on the middle toe of her front paw. that entire toe rotted out, or rather, melted out, including the toenail, down to the bones. She stayed off it pretty much for a week or so, and when it started bleeding, it was on the healing then. It wasn't bleeding a lot, just enough to cause a bloody paw print here and there. but the blood coming back in to the tissues was a good sign. soon enough, her entire toe grew back, including the little sandpaper pad on the bottom. no toenail, but a completely useful and ordinary looking toe is there now, where there was none before. i didn't do anything to assist, just made sure she was keeping it clean.

flowerweaver said...

Yikes! Glad to know the dog's toe regenerated. Those would make me nervous around the house, too.