Snake in my very little pond

[gimpy]

Just now i was talking on the phone with my son out by my very small pond and just happened to see a snake in the water right where my rosy reds mostly stay. I was very surprised to see it. I guess he will make short work of my fish?



How do I get rid of him? I am cautious with snakes as i don't want to be bit by one, especially a poisonous one. I assume it is not poisonous, but not 100% sure?

I took my eye off of him for a couple of seconds and he disappeared. Didn't see exactly where he went. He was there, then he was gone.

 

[Lisak1]

Oh boy! That could be a challenge. Try to find out what kind of snake you're dealing with first - it's hard to see in the photo, but neither am I a snake expert. He may find the rosy reds are not enough of a mouthful to even worry about, and honestly he may be more interested in any frogs that are hanging around. Let's hope he was just "slithering through"! My sister had to give up her small pond because of snakes - but she lives where rattlesnakes are prevalent so she wasn't willing to experiment with any kind of deterrent.

 

[BKHpondcritters]

I zoomed in on the photo & it looks like a very young northern water snake to me. We have one in our pond this summer too! (we named her Nessie ) They primarily eat fish & amphibians, so if you have very small fish, they could become a meal. (mine are too large to be in any danger from Nessie)
You could try to catch & relocate, but they are VERY fast in the water!!

 

[Mmathis]

Cute little guy, and I agree, water snake. Did he actually eat any fish?

 

[Jhn]

Looks to me more like a garter snake, with the lighter brown color and stripe down the center of the back with black dots scattered. They are pretty common and will go into the water after amphibian. If it is a northern water snake it may not leave until it’s food supply is gone, ie your fish.

 

[gimpy]

Don't know about the fish. They almost always stay hidden and just flash every once in a while. But, they are about the right size for a nice little snack .

I don't know where he came from, or how long he's been in there. I know about a year or so ago (I think), I saw a snake in the water, but, I think, that was before I had put any fish in it, I think.

I will check around to see what can possibly be done. I'm too old and fat to get down there and try to find him. I certainly don't want to go grabbing for him, either. I don't know of any natural ponds that he could have come from, but I am out next to the forests.

 

[j.w]

I'd try catching it w/a long handled small holed deep bowled net. Might work, might not as they are fast and might just jump right out. If you can catch it take it release it but sometimes snakes won't survive if taken away from there regular hunting, living grounds. If your fish are bigger than his mouth then perhaps he won't be a problem.

 

[gimpy]

I think my fish, rosy red minnows are about 2.5 to 3 inches long, max, with a lot of small, different sized fry in the pond. I don't think they are too big, but probably just about right.

I know of no frogs in my pond, which is approximately 1 year old, this month.

 

[gimpy]

Sorry about the bad picture, but, if you look at his tail end (partially covered by the rock), it appears to be flattening out. I've never seen that, I don't think.

 

[Jhn]

Sorry about the bad picture, but, if you look at his tail end (partially covered by the rock), it appears to be flattening out. I've never seen that, I don't think.

They can compress their bodies to fit in and around tight spaces...

 

[Wokfie212]

Looks like garter. Have bunch in my yard

 

[gimpy]

Well, I have seen a few (not many) small snakes around (5 or 6) over the years, that I thought might be garter snakes, but not real sure. I will keep an eye open for him, now that i know he's there, but doubt I can catch it. I hope he will just leave.

Didn't know garter snakes went in to the water, but I found a couple of articles and it sounds like it is quite common.

 

[gimpy]

Well, this is a pic of my little hunting party.

After an hour or so of stalking the prey, we had success and captured the culprit.

After investigating and examining the suspect, they decided to show him mercy and release him.

The only problem is, he was released only about a hundred yards or so from the pond.

 

[Tula]

So cute !!!

 

[BKHpondcritters]

Congrats on the successful roundup. But, yeah, she'll probably be back.