Critters

index.php

"A snake and a lizard walk into a bar..." :p
 
The snake... and the lizard.
That is our wild patio pet, the Kingsnake, and another patio pet, the Bluebelly lizard (western fence lizard). The snake cruises thru regularly, and is very used to us. The lizard is homeboy local.
Just prior to that shot, the snake had entered into a water heater closet on our patio. It had followed the house foundation up to that point tasting the air, intently.
Well, it crawled into the closet, under what we thought was an attached threshold inside the closet. Turns out that the threshhold wasn't attached, and had been pushed back, and left the bottom of the door unsealed; mice moved in. (threshold now firmly attached)
The snake went into the closet, and suddenly a mama mouse came scrambling out from under the door, with babies attached to her tits.
My wife, Sarge, the Spousal Unit, grabbed one of my leather work gloves, and dead-eyed the mouse, and stunned the mama and babies. Well, I was able to scoop up the babies, and went back over the the closet to see if the snake was still there or not, as my wife was really worried for it being in the closet (shes loves snakes and lizards).
When I opened the closet door, the snake had grabbed one of the babies before mama got out. It was coiled around it, and just starting to eat it. So I waited for a moment, and dropped another baby mouse down in front of it. It ate that one, and, the feast continued until the baby mice were all gone. He was a happy snake.

So, that photo is from just after the snake crawled back out under the door, and was crossing the patio towards the fields behind us. He feels pretty easy around us.
The lizard,... he came running from far across the patio, entire curious about the snake. The lizards here don't worry much about us, as we don't bother them. We've actually named a few.

DSCN2016_zpsmxazzlya.jpg
DSCN2023_zpsixtgftrz.jpg
 

Attachments

  • DSCN2022_zpshrncxwmt.jpg
    DSCN2022_zpshrncxwmt.jpg
    297.7 KB · Views: 2
Last edited:
The snake... and the lizard.
That is our wild patio pet, the Kingsnake, and another patio pet, the Bluebelly lizard (western fence lizard). The snake cruises thru regularly, and is very used to us. The lizard is homeboy local.
Just prior to that shot, the snake had entered into a water heater closet on our patio. It had followed the house foundation up to that point tasting the air, intently.
Well, it crawled into the closet, under what we thought was an attached threshold inside the closet. Turns out that the threshhold wasn't attached, and had been pushed back, and left the bottom of the door unsealed; mice moved in. (threshold now firmly attached)
The snake went into the closet, and suddenly a mama mouse came scrambling out from under the door, with babies attached to her tits.
My wife, Sarge, the Spousal Unit, grabbed one of my leather work gloves, and dead-eyed the mouse, and stunned the mama and babies. Well, I was able to scoop up the babies, and went back over the the closet to see if the snake was still there or not, as my wife was really worried for it being in the closet (shes loves snakes and lizards).
When I opened the closet door, the snake had grabbed one of the babies before mama got out. It was coiled around it, and just starting to eat it. So I waited for a moment, and dropped another baby mouse down in front of it. It ate that one, and, the feast continued until the baby mice were all gone. He was a happy snake.

So, that photo is from just after the snake crawled back out under the door, and was crossing the patio towards the fields behind us. He feels pretty easy around us.
The lizard,... he came running from far across the patio, entire curious about the snake. The lizards here don't worry much about us, as we don't bother them. We've actually named a few.

View attachment 966396

That's awesome! :) I am so glad to hear you and your wife are chill around snakes and lizards. So many people are unnecessarily fearful of them, and scores of them are needlessly killed every year because of those fears. Snakes in particular play an important role in the food chain, and actually help to keep rodents and vectors of disease down. They are actually our friends. Good to hear the two of you treat them as such. Kudos to you. :)
 
That's awesome! :) I am so glad to hear you and your wife are chill around snakes and lizards. So many people are unnecessarily fearful of them, and scores of them are needlessly killed every year because of those fears. Snakes in particular play an important role in the food chain, and actually help to keep rodents and vectors of disease down. They are actually our friends. Good to hear the two of you treat them as such. Kudos to you. :)

We've been in this place for 5.5 years now. In that time, we've caught and released 7 rattlesnakes on the property (an acre) unharmed, and any number of other snakes, including some that are venomous, but lesser known; the Ringneck Snake and the Desert Nightsnake. These are both venomous, but not a threat to humans, as they are small rear fang species. We've also got the Kingsnakes, and, we've seen one Gopher Snake that had to be near 7' long. I saw it stretched out in a location that I can measure. It stretched fully 6.5', and the forward part of its body was out of sight, making it probably 7' long in guessing what that hidden length was (the viewed/measured length was 6.5').
The captured rattlers are taken down the canyon road that we live in, and they're released in the river bottom that is also a nature reserve. An acre isn't really big enough to share with bitey things.
Of the rattlers, one was found coiled up on our front door mat. Another, the biggest, was found coiled up between my feet, while working the rear of the property when we first bought it.
 
Last edited:
We've been in this place for 5.5 years now. In that time, we've caught and released 7 rattlesnakes on the property (an acre) unharmed, and any number of other snakes, including some that are venomous, but lesser known; the Ringneck Snake and the Desert Nightsnake. These are both venomous, but not a threat to humans, as they are small rear fang species. We've also got the Kingsnakes, and, we've seen one Gopher Snake that had to be near 7' long. I saw it stretched out in a location that I can measure. It stretched fully 6.5', and the forward part of its body was out of sight, making it probably 7' long in guessing what that hidden length was (the viewed/measured length was 6.5').
The captured rattlers are taken down the canyon road that we live in, and they're released in the river bottom that is also a nature reserve. An acre isn't really big enough to share with bitey things.
Of the rattlers, one was found coiled up on our front door mat. Another, the biggest, was found coiled up between my feet, while working the rear of the property when we first bought it.

:thumbsup: That one between your feet might be a little closer than I'd want to be to one (lol), but again kudos. :)
 
@Eywadude

These are such beautiful snakes. The top side color is an amazing iridescent dark gray with an olive hue, very much like a pearlescent hematite. The belly is that intense orange-red color.
I've caught a few of these over our stay here. I've always thought they were a special critter.
I've caught NightCrawler fishing worms that were bigger and more threatening than this little guy.
 
I saw this "leaf-footed" Western Conifer Seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis) outside the other day. Although, even with its "western" moniker, it's found in almost every state and province in North America from coast to coast.

CIMG1601 copy 2.JPG
3393.png
 
Back
Top Bottom