Texas Rat Snake (15 May 2007) Fort Worth, Texas

(Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri) Extremely Beneficial as a predator of mice and rats, not so beneficial for its predation on birds. Non-poisonous; very aggressive; may bite if cornered, not allowed to escape, and handled; the productive bite of a mature adult may produce painful wounds that bleed freely from the numerous puncture marks caused by its small, sharp teeth; the bite is otherwise inconsequential.

Photos courtesy of Joanne P.; text by Jerry Cates

The muscular body of the Texas rat snake allows it to climb trees with ease.  It's not unusual to see these snakes in trees, gliding along branches with ease and raising a ruckus among the avian population aloft.  Like owls, hawks, and others of the animal world that love to dine on rodents, rat snakes are omnivorous hunters that enjoy a bird and its eggs as much as a mouse or rat.  In these photos, taken by Joanne in Fort Worth, a rat snake has taken over a bird house in her yard.  No doubt the birds that once lived there have either been evicted or--gasp--consumed.

One of the more common questions I am asked is "How, pray tell, can I get the rat snakes to stop eating the birds and their eggs in my trees and yard?"  The answer is deceptively simple: begin a regular program of spreading repellent around the perimeter of your yard to discourage the snakes from dropping by for lunch.  As long as your trees are not so limb-enmeshed with your neighbor's trees that snakes are able to come in via aerial routes, a proper application of snake repellent at ground level should do the job. Be sure to follow the label directions, and to reapply whenever time and weather conditions act to reduce the repellent's effectiveness.

Many thanks to Joanne P., of Fort Worth, Texas. for these excellent photos.

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