milksnake

[P Auritus]

Hi all,

I am in the Niagara region.

I had placed some old barn roofing (sheet metal) on our garden to kill off the weeds, prior to planting our tomatoes, et al.

When I took the sheet metal off, I had scattered some basking garter snakes, but then I saw two of the largest milksnakes I have seen (admittedly, I mostly see juveniles, not full adults).

The question arose - are they laying eggs now? A quick poke around didn't reveal any obvious eggs (although we did not excavate), but we noticed the snakes, despite the presence of two putative predators towering over them (phone camera and sheet metal in hand), were reluctant to leave, and kept coming back. I had relaid one of the sheet metal boards where we first saw them.

I have long since left the herpetology world for the avian one, so my knowledge of the timing of egg laying of snakes is... not great. I know they would have started mating for some time now, but is it too early for egg-laying? Or is there a good chance that they would have laid? I didn't want to disturb them by palpating them to see if they were gravid (plus I have only done that for Chelydra or Chrysemys), so I am unsure what a gravid female milksnake would really feel like.

Thoughts anyone?

Cheers,

Shane

[rmb...@istar.ca]

I just looked at the Ontario atlas for reptiles and amphibians, it
says that milksnakes mate in the spring and lay eggs in early summer.
Seems more likely that you disturbed their romantic interlude. They
probably just liked it under the metal sheets.

This reminds me that I need to put out more boards, I'm wanting to see
a ring necked snake again.

Rose-Marie

Quoting P Auritus <p.au...@gmail.com>:

> Hi all,
>
> I am in the Niagara region.
>
> I had placed some old barn roofing (sheet metal) on our garden to kill off
> the weeds, prior to planting our tomatoes, et al.
>
> When I took the sheet metal off, I had scattered some basking garter
> snakes, but then I saw two of the largest milksnakes I have seen
> (admittedly, I mostly see juveniles, not full adults).
>
> The question arose - are they laying eggs now? A quick poke around didn't
> reveal any obvious eggs (although we did not excavate), but we noticed the
> snakes, despite the presence of two putative predators towering over them
> (phone camera and sheet metal in hand), were reluctant to leave, and kept
> coming back. I had relaid one of the sheet metal boards where we first saw
> them.
>
> I have long since left the herpetology world for the avian one, so my
> knowledge of the timing of egg laying of snakes is... not great. I know
> they would have started mating for some time now, but is it too early for
> egg-laying? Or is there a good chance that they would have laid? I didn't
> want to disturb them by palpating them to see if they were gravid (plus I

> have only done that for *Chelydra* or *Chrysemys*), so I am unsure what a

> gravid female milksnake would really feel like.
>
> Thoughts anyone?
>
> Cheers,
> Shane
>

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[I Macaulay]

it rains it pours.

There was a small milksnake on the shop floor yesterday.  Tiny thing about 6 inches in length.

Quite the surprise, I do not recall ever seeing a snake of any sort inside the building.

Senility has been a smooth transition for me.

Note New Hours

Ian Macaulay   Carp, Ontario

Open at 11:AM   Close at 5:00 PM

45.2397 N long: 76.0991 W Elv 137 M UTM
    Don't Forget to Save the Stamps

[rmb...@istar.ca]

Quoting 'I Macaulay' via NatureList <natur...@googlegroups.com>:

> it rains it pours.
> There was a small milksnake on the shop floor yesterday.  Tiny thing

> about 6 inches in length.Quite the surprise, I do not recall ever

> seeing a snake of any sort inside the building.

If it was as hot as it was here yesterday poor thing was probably
trying to find a cool place.

Rose-Marie