Originally one was kinda biting the other’s head and i thought “oh no, are they cannibals?” and then I saw the tails twisting together and…uh. Well. How bout that.
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Don't most of those snakes operate undercover and don't really show themselves, unless they're 'in need?' Maybe because they were so OUT in the open the birds were screaming "snake" over and over.
That said, a word of caution: while non-venomous, they often carry nasty bacteria and are aggressive when cornered. If you or a pet are bitten, you need to get on antibiotics ASAP- my neighbors lost their dog to a septic bull snake bite because they didn't know.
So that's true of *all* snake bites, which is why you always wash any bites off. And, for non-captive ones, you always wash your hands after handling one anyway, unless you wore gloves.
Gopher snakes, like many colubrids, tend to calm down within a few minutes of being picked up in the wild.
Puncture wounds in general - cat bits included. (Scratches are no big deal; deep bites by pointy not-clean teeth are.)
Also make sure your tetanus shots are current (within 5 years for a puncture wound, 10 years in general.)
Typo, that was "cat bites". One of which landed my wife in the hospital overnight on an IV antibiotic drip because topical and oral at the urgent-care hadn't done the job (they'd said "if it keeps swelling, don't come back here first, go directly to the ER"), unlike mine which didn't need the ER.
Its true of anything with teeth iirc. I wanted to mention bull/gopher snakes specifically because my neighbor got told "don't worry, they're not venomous" by her friends, so she didn't take her dog to the vet for a bite which turned septic.
And that is why Leo is not allowed to 'play' with the Resident Wrought Iron.
(He stands at a distance & backs warningly until I see why, then he wants to 'play' with the snek & by then, I'm already dragging him to the house, because those are our friends & you are not getting bitten, dog.)
So these guys are incidental ophiophages, but it's more accurate to say they'll eat anything they can swallow. They're not as prone to eating their own tails as king snakes are, but it does happen.
These are GREAT to have in your yard: babies to adults make excellent garden pest control.
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Making more gopher snakes, of course!
Gopher snakes, like many colubrids, tend to calm down within a few minutes of being picked up in the wild.
We're in Ireland because there's less fascism here.
Also make sure your tetanus shots are current (within 5 years for a puncture wound, 10 years in general.)
(He stands at a distance & backs warningly until I see why, then he wants to 'play' with the snek & by then, I'm already dragging him to the house, because those are our friends & you are not getting bitten, dog.)
These are GREAT to have in your yard: babies to adults make excellent garden pest control.
Gopher it.
😎
Next step a native wildlife lady?