Poisonous and Nonpoisonous Snakes in Ohio and How to Tell the Difference

There are many species of snakes in Ohio. Roughly about 24 or so. Out of all these snakes, only three are considered poisonous. That would be the Northern Copperhead, the Eastern Massasauga, and the Timber Rattler.
Copperheads have bitten more people in the U.S. than any other snake. Luckily the amount of venom injected in a single bite is not enough to be fatal in a healthy adult. However it is extremely painful. You can easily find them in rocky, wooded hillsides. When encountered, they usually retreat, but if aroused, they can vibrate their tales and strike wildly.
The Eastern Massasauga is also called the Swamp rattler and Black snapper. It has been recorded in more than 20 Ohio counties. However, sightings are rare and this snake is designated STATE ENDANGERED. They are usually very sluggish and don't offer to bite unless thoroughly aroused. Their venom is highly toxic. However, it has small fangs and does not inject enough to be fatal.
Finally, the Timber Rattler is the most dangerous snake in Ohio because of its large size. They can reach lengths of 6 feet. Luckily, most Timber Rattlers are mild in disposition and simply try to crawl away when encountered. If aroused enough they will defend themselves. These snakes are also designated as STATE ENDANGERED.

Nonpoisonous snakes are far more numerous in Ohio. But many are often mistaken for their more toxic relatives. Of all these snakes, the Black Rat Snake is the one most commonly slaughtered. My snake, Sirrius Black, is a Black Rat Snake. I am taking out into the public this summer to show any one who will listen that he is harmless and very beneficial. His main diet is rodents. With him around, there will not be mice or rats chewing on your electric wires or putting holes in your walls. I hope you come out to meet him and my other snakes and see that they are truly amazing and beautiful creatures.

Jenny- A Second Look

This is Jenny's first time really being handled since I got her. She has been a little cranky, hissing and hiding her head. She has had to get used to a lot. Neecha

for example. Neecha is a noisy Rottweiler. I have been opening her enclosure every day and touching her lightly and talking softly to her. Mostly she buries her head in her coils and does her best
to look invisible.

Jon makes it look easy to handle her, but it wasn't at all. She is a lot of snake. You can see by the pictures that she is long(7'8") and bigger around than my hand. Once we got her out, she became very curious about her new surroundings and looked at everything.

As it turns out, she has a great disposition, though we handle her with great care. Certainly, I will not be getting her out alone. We finally obtained a rat big enough to make her a decent meal, and when she captured it, it was shocking, though impressive. She was lightning fast. In one second, she had the rat wrapped three times over. I learned a whole new respect for her just watching her catch and eat her dinner. I don't feed live, it may be nature's way,but in my home I am able to stop any needless suffering. I knock them out with CO2. Caring for her has been a learning experience . As long as she is handled responsibly she should make a fine ambassador for her kind this summer.

We will be at Thompson Park this summer!

Ya, it's cold right now, but spring is almost here, and summer isn't far behind. June 20 will be the first time I have my snakes out at Thompson Park for everyone to meet. I have 4. Buddy, a corn snake. Hermoine, a ball python. Sirrius Black, a black rat snake. And finally, Jenny, a red tail boa constrictor.

Please come out and meet them. I know that once you do, you will feel differently about snakes. Hermoine is such a nice snake. Meeting her alone should change your mind. She is short and stubby, but very sweet tempered and curious. She wants to see everything. Maybe once you meet these guys, you might think twice about running over a snake trying to cross the road. I have seen that happen a few times and I believe it is heartless. They do serve a vital and important role in nature. Without them, the world would be overrun with rats and mice for example. So, remember, June 20, 2009, at 4pm-Thompson Park- to meet me and my 4 snake friends so you can make them your friends, too.

Meet Jenny, An Owner Surrender

Sometimes you have no choice but to find a new home for your pet. There are many reasons for this. Maybe you are moving, or circumstances have somehow changed for you and you can no longer keep your friend. That was the case with Jenny, formally known as Mitten. I like Harry Potter names so I changed Mitten's name to Jenny Weasley. Her owner and his wife just had a new baby. Since Jenny is 7'8" long and weighs about 55 lbs, they were not comfortable having her there any more. Considering her head is close to the size of my hand, I can see why it would make them uncomfortable. She is large and because of her size alone, she is intimidating. However, as we have handled her, I have discovered she is quite tame. While we have been wary of her, she has been terrified of us, her new surroundings, being jostled around in two different cars, temperature changes, new voices and sounds-all have been thrust on her all at once. And she has not offered to bite even once. In fact, she tries to hide her head down below the loops of her long body. It truly softened my heart toward her. I am going to do everything I can to help her settle down and relax. I don't know yet what my future plans are for her. Her size makes it difficult to re home her. I may be able to use her this summer when I take my snakes out into the public to show people snakes are not so bad. Not that anyone would be allowed to hold her (or that they could. She is huge.) But seeing her and maybe touching her might help people to understand snakes better and soften their hearts, too. I will keep you updated on her progress. She is a learning experience for me and what I learn, I will pass on to you.

Northern Copperhead Snake and the Eastern Milk Snake-One eats the other.

This map shows the range of the Northen Copperhead Snake in Ohio. Note that Columbiana County is included in that range. It is one of the most venomous snakes in the state and should not be taken lightly. If you suspect that you or your pet have been bitten by one, seek medical attention immediatly.

This is what a copperhead looks like. Beautiful in color and markings, it is also strikingly dangerous. It's diet includes small rodents, birds, insects, and lizards.

This is the Eastern Milk Snake. It is harmless to people. It is, unfortunately, also mistaken for the copperhead at times. I put the pictures together so you could see the differences of the snakes. Note that this snake has rings of color while the copperhead has more like splotches of color. The Milk Snake's diet includes small rodents, birds, lizards and other snakes, including venomous ones.

This is a map of the range of the Eastern Milk Snake, which is the entire state of Ohio. Please keep this in mind should you run into a snake that you are not sure about. One is venomous and one isn't. The Milk Snake, you should remember, not only eats rats and mice, saving your home from expensive structural and electrical damage, but also eats other snakes. If you have a Milk Snake around, you probably don't have any venomous snakes in the area.

When I go out into the public this summer, I want to help educate people on this aspect of snakes. Snakes are good for the environment. While many people are afraid of them, keep in mind that they are just as afraid of you. If you come across a snake, simply back slowly away from them. They are not going to chase you. They want away from you, too. They have a right to be here. Don't kill them just because one crosses your path. Try to remember, if you have a snake in your area, you probably do not have mice or rats. I have known wild rats to climb up in bed with you at night and bite you in your own home. Snakes protect you from that.

And always remember, if you find a snake and want it removed in the Columbiana County Ohio area, please call me and I will come and take it away, relocating it out in the wild where it won't bother any one. Snakes are important to the environment and to us. Let's protect them.

I can be reached at 330-385-4380 or my email is warlock016@yahoo.com

Water and Habitats

I work hard to keep my snakes well taken care of and happy. One of my biggest worries is that they have enough fresh water and room to stretch out. Stretching out is important so they can relax.

I change their water every other day. As you can see, snakes drink water like any other animal.

Above you can see Sirrius all stretched out, with his long skinny tail reaching back his habitat and the things he likes to climb on. If your snake habitat is too small they can become stressed and be more apted to bite and stretch out like they should to relax. Keep that in mind as you try to decide about your snakes living quarters.

Dinner Time for Sirrius

These are rat pinkies, born yesterday. I raise my own snake food because they are $6 each at the local pet store. I have four snakes and it is cheaper for me to grow my own. It isn't hard when they are like this. But look out if they get their hair and open their eyes. They become what are called rat pups and are cute as hell. It just makes it harder to view them as snake food.

Today is the day I feed Sirrius Black, my Black Pine Snake. He will eat all three of those pinkies in five minutes. I do not feed him in his house. I remove him and use a cardboard box, which keeps him from being tank aggressive. If your snake strikes at you or actually bites you, stop feeding him in his cage because he thinks your hand is food. They are not hard to train. I also use a latex glove when I handle the food items so that if I do get tagged, the snake lets go. They do not like the taste of latex.

Sirrius knows that it is dinner. He wastes no time in going after his prey. Pinkies he can just swallow live because they are too weak to struggle. If this were a mouse, he would have wrapped it up and killed it first. Snakes move with lightening quick speed. (I feed all but pinkies frozen-thawed (f/t) so no injuries occur to the snake)

Once he gets the pinky positioned properly, he uses the muscles in his throat to swallow it whole. Yes they do make squeaky noises as they are going down. This is not for softies to watch. That is another reason to use f/t.

Rat pinkies are best because they provide excellent nutrition. It helps young snakes like Sirrius to grow bigger and stronger. Doesn't he look like a mighty Cobra!! LOL...

Do not handle snakes for minimum of 48 hours after they have fed. They can regurgitate and that can kill them. (Say you fed at 3 pm Friday- you can't handle them until Sunday at 3pm.)