I tried to rescue this Rat Snake

I found this four foot snake wrapped in the netting to keep chickens away from plants we did not want them to consume. This year alone, my husband I have rescued 7 snakes in the last 2 months. We have been fortunate none of them have been venomous.

This male, rat snake did really well at first. I was cutting it out, while sitting on a milk crate in front of it. Worst dang time of the day as well it was super hot. Animal feeding time, LOL.

So hubby goes off to feed the animals in and I am carefully cutting it out and concentrating on not cutting the snake. I did turn its tail over to see if it was male or female -- skinny tail, small opening for size -- male is my guess.

At one point, I guess I either caused the snake pain or scared it because it not only struck at me but, it hissed like no one business. Here is the funny part...........

I (snake wrangler extraordinaire) actually was startled enough to fall over backwards on the milk crate I had been sitting on because I was not expecting it to get pizzy.

Now mind you, I had touched it with no problems just not next to the head. When I almost had it cut free, I stopped to get a towel -- so that I could clip the netting without getting bit.

I have been bitten by a hand-raised California kingsnake, I had as a pet. Their teeth are needle sharp and sting like crazy. So this wild snake would have some serious JU JU in its mouth and I was not interested in a samonella soaked wound. When I came back out, the terrified snake had seriously wrapped itself to tight inside the netting that it would have taken surgical tools to get it free.
My husband then decided to put this snake out of its misery because the netting was wrapped so tightly around it that it would not be able to digest food or would get hung up some where on the ground. He beheaded it -- humanely. We were both upset by this event since these beautiful animals keep the rodent population down around our home.

I think it's time for me to find a herpatologist so, I can be trained to better handle these wild animals. I would hate to have to kill another one. Worse to think is a venomous snake being caught in netting so close to where our boys play in the yard.

SHUDDER SHUDDER....

Thoughts from inside the coop....

For the record, that is Zephyr touching the snake's tail with my husband holding it down with a tool. Mind you the snake's head was too far away to reach Zephyr's hand.