Snakes

[dbs944]

We haven't been married for a long time but I'm finding out that my wife is terrified of snakes - and getting more so as she gets older. We were at Natural Bridge Va, walking along the wide edged path when some kids coming back said they'd seen some snakes further up the trail. DW stopped there and wouldn't go further, even to reach the actual rock bridge. I walked a mile or so further up and sure enough there was a small snake, 10' off the path minding its own business.

To me, camping is getting away and enjoying nature. So, I've resigned myself that any nature walks or hikes through the woods are probably going to be solo.

If you are really scared of snakes, are you able to push that aside and enjoy where you are? How do you deal with it? If you are the partner that may respect but aren't actually terrified of 'Mr. no shoulders', how do you deal with it?

The other post where someone found a snake in their camper would have resulted in putting a for sale sign on the MOHO and leaving it there.

I'm guessing reasoning (they are more afraid of you than you are of them) isn't going to work.

[Arizona_Kid]

I have already had two baby Rattlers dead in glue traps in the garage. I usually kill 4 or 5 a year. Don't seek them out but if they come in the yard I deal with them. It's just part of living in AZ where you have acres of land around you. Just last week a 70 year old women was bitt on the finger by a baby, while gardening in her back yard.
The babies are the worst, and called no seeums, because they are so small, and haven't got their markings yet. I worry more about the dogs than myself, and always take a flashlight whenever the dogs go out at night.
If you make noise, look where your walking, and don't reach anywhere you can't see, the chances of being bit are pretty slim.
Here Snowbirds are more dangerous than the snakes. :B

[K3WE]

The stats on snake deaths in the USA are amazingly amazingly low from rattle snakes and copperheads!

Snake bites- yeah, they probably happen from time to time- but I'm betting that a lot of the bites are well-deserved.

[Vulcaneer]

MichDoc wrote:
Phobias aren't rational, and people who suffer from phobias usually know and admit that, but they're real fears just the same, and no amount of cajoling is going to make her "unafraid". Plan on taking your nature walks by yourself, and you'll both enjoy them more.

Until a Mime pops out of the woods, on you.

[MichDoc]

Phobias aren't rational, and people who suffer from phobias usually know and admit that, but they're real fears just the same, and no amount of cajoling is going to make her "unafraid". Plan on taking your nature walks by yourself, and you'll both enjoy them more.

[empty_nest]

We have no real fear of snakes; just a whole lotta respect for them. There's a reason that they are on this earth, like every other living creature. We may not particularly like them, so we give them a wide berth. Usually, they want no more to do with you, then you with them.

Happy Camping!

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

When I became an educational volunteer at our local zoo - I HAD to get over any fear of snakes; and the more I learned about them, the more interesting they got. Then, as I graduated to "Animal Handler" - I appreciated the fact that snakes are very clean animals - they only defecate occasionally, as opposed to birds...LOL!! I was really PROUD of the people who overcame their fear enough to listen to our talks about snakes; and then blown away by those who actually touched the snake I was holding for them!

So "knowledge is power" - but I understand that some folks are so petrified of snakes, that they can't even attempt to learn about them.

And I'm saddened by anyone who deliberately kills a snake just because it's a snake 😞 Besides being unnecessary - it could get expensive if someone sees them kill an endangered species....

[RoyB]

I saw my two the first time this season last week. I usually just use a stick or shovel and throw them back into the woods... I may have seen the same one twice haha... Mine was not a poisonous snake so he lives. We only have three venomous snakes here in Virgina with the flat and wide triangular head and vertical pupils being the copperhead, cottonmouth, and timber rattlesnake. Very seldom see a timber rattlesnake here in King George.

I'm ok as long as I can see them...

I hear they taste just like chicken haha...

Roy Ken

[Vulcaneer]

Clowns and Mimes. Now those are scary.

[mdcamping]

I have no problem with snakes, though DW doesn't like them, but not to the point of the OP.

I certainly agree that as we age out our tolerance decreases. As posted earlier I also had no problems with heights when I was younger, now I have a hard time climbing up the ladder to my second floor on my house...and the 2 & 3 floor flat roof where I work, forget about me getting anywhere near the edge.

Mike

[Go_Dogs]

KD4UPL wrote:
I'm terrified of snakes. I deal with it by carrying a .38 with snake shot. I shoot first and don't bother to ask questions latter. Any snake I see dies.
If I see one on the road I go out of my way to make sure I run over it.

Do you think the snake on the road would get your plate, run the numbers and attack you at home? Would you rather be plagued with mice and other vermin that snakes eat? "Shoot first and don't bother to ask questions latter" (or later), doesn't sound responsible, nor smart.

[KD4UPL]

I'm terrified of snakes. I deal with it by carrying a .38 with snake shot. I shoot first and don't bother to ask questions latter. Any snake I see dies.
If I see one on the road I go out of my way to make sure I run over it.

[Go_Dogs]

I have loved animals since childhood. My first job was at a petstore. Handled birds, rats, snakes, tarantulas, large insects, crawfish, baby skunks, etc. When we first moved to our farm, I had to catch a snapping turtle with a stick and a trash can. She was laying eggs in a plowed field and I was afraid she would bite the dogs.Once, I was talking to a friend on the phone. She heard the rooster in the background and had to hang up-she was THAT afraid of birds! I consider myself lucky after reading this thread!

[photonanax3]

On one of my first dates with the woman to whom I've been married now for 44 years, we were wandering the pavilions at the state fair when we chanced into the state parks exhibit. You know how big those barns are at state fairs. Anyway, we entered one end and got about ten feet inside when she let out shriek and jumped backward completely out the doorway. It was a solid ten foot jump in a single bound, and no, she did not turn and jump, she jumped backward. It seems she had spotted the snake in a terrerium at the far end of the building.

My DH and I had a similar experience but at the time, he had no clue about my fear and it was our first date. We went to a zoo, walked into an outer ring education building. As soon as we walked in, I immediately turned around and bolted, almost knocking him down in the process. There was a zoo worker with a HUGE snake of some sort wrapped around her - that was the topic for the day. We laugh about it now - but not so funny at the time.

[lizzie]

I am sure that you are aware that excessive fear of anything is a phobia. "Excessive" is defined by the extent to which that fear keeps a person from participating in "normal" activities. If the person who has the phobic reaction wants or needs to do something that may be threatening, they can chose to seek out assistance in desensitizing themselves. For example, years ago I did excercises to help me with fear of flying because I needed to fly in my job. On the other hand, I have never worried about desensitizing to my fear of close spaces, I just avoid them. Snakes are probably the most common phobia found in human beings but most urban dwellers do just fine. For those who have a real desire to hike or explore the out-of-doors, it can be very difficult. Cognitive therapy directed at the specific fear can also be helpful. lizzie

[dave54]

I do not fear snakes at all. But I show rattlers a healthy respect.

I do not kill them unless it is a rattler in a populated area.