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Ok, my 6 year old daughter is very much an animal lover. She goes around in the marshes behind our property and sometimes catches garter snakes. She just plays with them, doesn't hurt them and lets them go. I don't think this is something I should worry about, but I'm just curious if there might be something I might not know about.
I think she just watches animal planet too much

2007-05-17 07:33:17 · 36 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets Reptiles

36 answers

Mine is now 14 and still does it.

I have kiddie pools from walmart in the summer for the dogs and she would release them and play with them in the pools

2007-05-17 07:35:46 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3 1

The big danger is when she finds a venomous snake that she does not realize is venomous. Can she identify a copperhead? Does she know that a rattlesnake does not necesarily have a rattle? They can lose them in accidents or have them break off. Can she tell the difference between a milk snake and a coral snake? Can she tell the difference between a non-venomous water snake and a water mocassin? Does she know that certain snakes may not be venomous but they can be pretty mean? A large bullsnake or coachwhip can be pretty vicious and even aggressive.

Garter snakes are not going to badly hurt her. There is no worry about that. What I would worry about is her becoming too familiar with wild snakes. Pick up the wrong one and she can end up being hurt. Bites by venomous snakes are very nasty, especially for a child. They can become deadly. Make sure she knows that catching a garter snake is ok as long as she does not hurt it. However, if it is not a garter snake or if it is larger than what she normally sees or if it looks different in any way or if it is acting strangely, them maybe she should get you to help her figure out what kind it is. Go and see if you can find a field guide for local snakes. I have a great one for Texas. I would not be suprised if most of the states have something like it.

2007-05-17 07:41:36 · answer #2 · answered by A.Mercer 7 · 3 2

Buy her a field guide, she'll love it. The only problem I can see here is that she may not know what snakes -not- to pick up, this is why I suggest a field guide, especially for a child so young.

Find a good one specifically for your state, she'll gain an early interest in reading, because naturally, she'll want to know about all those pretty snakes (Make sure you get one with full-color photos), she will learn her local venomous species, thereby lessening her chances of being bitten by one, just make sure you sit her down and show her the venomous snakes in it, and explain to her that if she ever sees one, she needs to slowly back away and find an adult. Most field guides have a section specifically devoted to venomous snakes, so that will make it easy. Also, she will learn her local geography, and at least have an idea of how to read a map, and will learn where she is in relation to the rest of the state (range maps). She will gain an interest (or rather add to an existing interest) in her local ecology and wildlife, and be an all around better person for enjoying animals that many people despise.

Another nice thing to get her would be a snake hook, any place that sells them can show her how to use them. Anyone who handles snakes will be bitten eventually, proper tools and proper use of your tools decrease the likelyhood of this happening.

You don't mention where you live, but if you're in the southeastern U.S., I'd worry more about alligators than snakes, but going into that will just make this longer than it already is, and I'm prone to babbling anyway. (obviously)

2007-05-17 11:06:56 · answer #3 · answered by gimmenamenow 7 · 0 0

COMMON KING SNAKE VARIETY IS BLACK W/ YELLOW STRIPES! Coral snakes have red or orange too, and the stripes run AROUND the snake ... KING SNAKES have MANY VARIATIONS of colors,-- some that Look very much like coral -- BUT THEY CAN BE JUST BLACK, with YELLOW stripes. KING SNAKES ARE GREAT! They eat rodents & other snakes, including rattlesnakes. Please DON'T harm it! But be careful ... do a search on the internet for snake pictures, and another for the specific snake you suspect it might be. Compare the types. Call Animal Control if not sure whether it's poisonous or safe. They'll release it where it'll be safe enough, or find it a home. Don't let it loose in the house or car ... my neighbor did ... It got under a seat, & cut in several pieces -- by the springs that it had slithered into -- when someone sat down! Your lucky that u got out of their when u could it looked like the snake was about to strike!

2016-05-21 21:51:14 · answer #4 · answered by haley 4 · 0 0

Garter snakes aren't dangerous. My only concern would be that she grabs hold of one that turns out NOT be a garter snake. I don't know what part of the country you are in, but down here, in Texas, there are a number of different breeds that are highly poisonous. She's still kinda little to be able to tell the difference in them all.

2007-05-17 08:06:58 · answer #5 · answered by kj 7 · 2 0

Garter snakes are not posionous, so as long as she washes her hands after handling them, when she comes back inside, just in case of salmonella or something, I don't see a problem. They may nip at her, but it would be nothing serious. You may want to make sure, though, that there is nothing else out there that could hurt her. I don't know where you live, but you will probably want to make sure there are no other kinds of snakes out there lurking that are poisonous.

2007-05-17 08:31:52 · answer #6 · answered by Mollyruby 2 · 0 0

All garter snakes are harmless. As with handling any animals she should take care to wash her hands after handling these reptiles with warm soap and water or an antibacterial cleanser. I would be more concerned that one day she may find a different species of snake that may not be so harmless. This of course depends on the region that you live in as to what other types of snakes could be around.

2007-05-17 07:38:50 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3 1

I think that's great she loves the out doors so much but you do need to worry about her picking up other snakes then just harmless one check out what kinda snakes live in your area and make sure she's not playing with them.... You would never want her to get bite by a poisonous one!

2007-05-17 07:40:11 · answer #8 · answered by Confused and wating 2 · 2 0

Not unless she happens to be allergic to bee & wasp stings. Garter snakes are technically rear-fanged and produce a super mild venom which is used to subdue food such as frogs by paralyzing them just like mud-daubers do with spiders. An allergic reaction to a bite or even a bee sting for a person who is allergic to these things can result in swelling of the mucous membranes and the constriction/closing of the airways and require emergency medical treatment.

Now, with that warning in mind, know that garter snakes rarely bite and prefer to seek their escape by musking (poo-ing) which creates one of the most foul smelling mixes of body fluids you will have ever smelled (makes a skunk smell like a bed of roses.) The overall risk factor would be in the neighborhood of 1 in 100,000 or so.

Let her have fun with the snakes, supervise her and educate her and she could grow up to be a great scientist or just a great benefactor to reptiles and amphibians.

2007-05-17 10:59:43 · answer #9 · answered by David J 1 · 1 1

We used to pick them up too. They may bite at first (which is just a little pinch) but once they realize you're not going to hurt them, they like the warm skin and they calm down and it feels kind of neat to have them move across your skin. I don't know of any diseases carried by garter snakes that could be transmitted to humans and I wouldn't worry about it.

2007-05-17 07:38:01 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 6 0

No, Garter Snakes are harmless and sweet creatures; part of the nicest animals. You should be happy you're daughter is interested in animals this young. She could study animals when she grows up, and maybe be on Animal Planet herself!
:)

2007-05-17 07:37:57 · answer #11 · answered by Midna 2 · 6 0

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