Handling Snakes

Last night I went to a Master Naturalist meeting. We always have social time before the meeting. Two people, at separate times, mentioned they have downy woodpeckers nesting in a birdhouse. Normally these woodpeckers only nest in holes they themselves have drilled in trees. Was it a situation like, “Look honey – here’s a nice home with a pre-drilled door!” One naturalist had downy woodpeckers drinking from her oriole feeder. That is unusual too. Later in the meeting we had an opportunity to learn how to handle animals when working with an audience. We talked about frogs first. Since frog’s skin is so permeable, even the normal handling can be harmful to them. Anyone with Dorito dust or salt on their hands could really do some damage. Snakes were next. Some snakes, like garter snakes, are active. If you hold them tight so they can’t move, they freak out and thrash around. The best way to hold a garter snake is to “be a treadmill” for it. Allow the garter snake to move forward through your hand and put your other hand in front so it can keep moving forward. Keep switching your hands and keep up the speed the snake is propelling itself. Most of us took turns holding the garter snake. Not me. When I was a kid up at the lake, one of my cousins put a garter snake down the back of my shirt. I stood up right away and the snake fell out of my shirt to the ground but I still don’t want to hold any snakes. There was also a hog-nosed snake. These snakes are calmer and don’t need to be on a treadmill. They will, however, seek warmer spots and may slither under your clothes into private areas. As I watched the others hold the snakes, I noticed how quiet they became – the people and the snakes got quiet. Holding snakes seemed to relax these people. We could hold lizards. It’s always best to support the front of the body and keep the head away from people. The tail end of a snake or lizard will not bite you. We had a chance to hold a pigeon and a ferret too. I didn’t hold any animals. I’m comfortable holding chickens and dogs and I don’t mind catching frogs or grasshoppers but that is about as far as I want to go. Crikey, I guess I’m no crocodile hunter.