Yikes!

Love the post title!

So, did YLB have to wrangle the visitor into the box?

Don't they travel in pairs?
If you get a couple of big ones you could make boots. And they taste like chicken.

So, did YLB have to wrangle the visitor into the box?

Nah, she stood about 10 feet back saying helpful things like, "are you sure it's not a rattler?!", "when rattlesnakes are young, they don't have rattles!", "don't get so close! where do we keep the life insurance policy?"

And they taste like chicken.

The boots?

and keep the population of mice under control

And rabbits. ;-)

12 inches? My gosh, what measuring stick are you using? That thing looks to be a good 36 inches if you stretched him out.

Oh, and if that's a baby, they come in litters, you know. 8-}

My gosh, what measuring stick are you using?

That must be a first: a woman accusing a man of saying something is smaller than it really is. ;-)

The studs in the corner are throwing off the perspective; they're spaced more closely than normal (which is 16" on average in our house, although some are 13" apart, making my ceiling speaker placement more of a chore than I expected).

they come in litters, you know

I can think of much worse things to be overrun with, you know. Like spiders. Or teenagers.

Heh. I'm not taking the bait on that first comment. ;-)

I can think of much worse things to be overrun with

Easy for you to say...the snakes are in the GUEST room. Did you hear that, Jim and Rachel?!?

I'm so glad you didn't kill it! Bull snakes are useful for so many things. Not only will they keep your mice/ rabbit population down, but they will keep rattlers at bay as well. They are very territorial, bottomless pits. They eat everything thus keeping other snakes so hungry they move on!

They eat everything

Very comforting. 8-}

Becky, I would hesitate even to kill a rattler, except that in a residential area it truly is a danger to pets and children. Even they (the rattlers, not the pets and children) play an important role in the ecosystem – but not enough to give 'em a pass in the 'hood!

Oh, by the way, Gwynne, blogger visitors need not worry about infestations in the new guest bedroom, as they qualify to stay in the 2nd master bedroom (which, afaik, remains serpent-free). If that doesn't comfort you, I don't know what will. ;-)

Eric I am so glad you share my views on rattlers! I've been known to pull over and shoo them out of the road so the oncoming traffic will not SWERVE to hit them. :)

Well, I probably wouldn't go that far! At some point, the danger of roadkill becomes simply another factor in the natural selection process. ;-)

What no warning for Beth that this post involved snakes hehe?