A majority of snakes are harmless. Of the 45 species and 44 subspecies of snakes found in Florida, only 6 species are venomous. Snakes may bite, but biting is not a sign that they are dangerous.
Many people seem to be surprised that snakes bite — not all of them bite, but many do, even harmless species. Biting is not a sign the snake is venomous or that it is vicious. It happens to be the only way that most snakes have to defend themselves. You may be able to safely feed squirrels in a city park, but if you grab one of the squirrels, chances are it will bite and scratch you out of fear. Most people would not condemn squirrels because they defend themselves by biting and scratching. If threatened, snakes will flee, but if they feel they must defend themselves, most species will bite. Snakes do not have feet with claws that they can scratch you with, so they bite. Some species also will defecate and smear the feces on the human or animal that is threatening them. Other species exude a smelly musk from glands in the cloacal vent (=anus) and smear that on any threatening human or animal. However, when it cannot flee, the snake's most common method of defense is biting.
Nevertheless, a word of caution
is warranted here. If you find a snake and you do not know whether it
is 
or 
,
the safest thing to do is leave it alone. Florida snakes are not aggressive
and, unless they are cornered, most will flee when humans approach. Too
many snakebite victims are bitten on the hands and arms when they are
handling the snake. Do not catch a snake and do not handle one unless
you are sure it is not venomous. In addition, for a short time after a
snake is killed, its reflexes may continue to work. Those reflexes typically
cause the body to writhe slowly for a while, but poking or prodding a
freshly killed snake can cause a convulsive contraction and a bite, so
do not handle a newly killed venomous snake.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides information on snakebite treatment and how to avoid being bitten by a venomous snake.
The only acceptable treatment for venomous snakebite, involves the use of antivenin. So if you or someone else is bitten by a venomous snake, seek immediate medical attention at the nearest hospital or medical facility. Stay calm, remove any rings that could restrict circulation if tissues swell, keep the bitten limb below the level of the heart, and immediately seek medical attention. Your most important aids in getting to a hospital and treatment may be car keys or a cell phone.
If you have snakes around your house, they are there for a reason.
All snakes are carnivorus predators that feed on a variety of small prey. For example, corn snakes, rat snakes, and pine snakes eat rats and mice; watersnakes eat fish and frogs; hognose snakes eat toads; green snakes and earth snakes eat insects; ringneck snakes eat earthworms; kingsnakes and scarlet snakes feed on lizards and other snakes. Snakes are most abundant where their prey is abundant and they do not live where they cannot find food. If you have rats or mice around your house, one of the best things you can do is welcome any rat snakes you might find in your garden or backyard.
Snakes occur in every natural habitat in Florida. Species, like the corn snake and green snake, are good climbers and live in trees and shrubs. Others, like the indigo snake, coachwhip and kingsnakes, are terrestrial, living on the ground. Yet others, like the brown snake and ringneck snake, burrow in the soil and leaflitter. Finally, some species, like watersnakes and rainbow snakes, are aquatic. Pine flatwoods, hardwood hammocks, cypress ponds, wet prairies, Florida scrub, marshes, swamps, ponds and lakes, all are snake habitats.
Given the chance, most snakes will flee rather than confront a human or other large animal that could harm them. You may fear snakes, but remember most snakes fear you as well. When you see a snake, leave it alone and it will wander away on its own. If the air temperature is cool and the snake is basking in the sun, it might stay there until it gets warm.
We frequently receive email from Florida residents who have discovered a snake in their in-ground swimming pool. They want to know what species it is and how they can get rid of the snake.
The snake that most frequently turns up in backyard swimming pools is the ringneck snake. The next most frequent intruder is one of the crowned snakes. During the night these little snakes crawl into the pool to get a drink and then are unable to climb out because they are too short to reach the lip of the pool. Ringneck snakes and crowned snakes are totally harmless. If one turns up in your pool, you can pick them out of the water and release them in your garden or under your shrubs.
If you discover a snake in your swimming pool, your garage, your backyard, or some other site around your home, do not kill it. Identify it and if it is not venomous, appreciate it and leave it alone just as you do with songbirds in your garden. If it is a venomous species, or if you feel threatened by even a harmless snake, catch it and release it in suitable habitat where it will survive.
If given the chance, agile species like racers and coachwhips will flee when you approach, so it is not likely you will be catching racers or coachwhips.
Catching most snakes around your house — particularly the small and medium-sized ones — can be done relatively easily and without danger if you have an empty plastic garbage can and a regular household broom. Lay the garbage can on its side near the snake and use the broom to sweep the snake into the can — click on the photographs below to learn more . An angry snake can strike about half its length so a household broom is long enough to allow you to stand safely back from the snake and still sweep it into the garbage can.
If the snake is in your swimming pool, scoop it up with the leaf skimmer and drop it into the garbage can.
Once the snake is inside, stand the garbage can up and put the lid on it.
The snake cannot bite through the stiff plastic of the can so until the lid is firmly in place, keep your fingers away from the open top of the can and keep the lid between the snake and your hands.
The typical household plastic garbage can is approximately 20 to 26 inches (50 to 66 cm) tall and has smooth sides. If the snake is shorter than that, it will not be able to climb the smooth sides whether or not the lid is on the can. If the snake is longer than that it still will not be able to climb out unless it manages to push up the smooth side and hook its chin over the lip of the can. Most big snakes will sit in the bottom of the can long enough for you to put the lid on. To prevent a long snake from getting out, you should fasten the lid on the garbage can, by securely tying or taping it on. All you have to do then is take the snake away to a site where it can be safely turned loose.
To release a snake from your garbage can, take the lid off, tip the can over and dump the snake out. There is no need to handle the snake. Simply retrieve your garbage can and leave. Remember, there is no need to handle the snake.
If the snake is a small species like a ringneck snake or a crowned snake, turn it loose in your garden where it can do its job eating little pests you do not want in the garden. However, do not turn it loose in your garden if you have recently sprayed or dusted the area with a pesticide. Most pesticides are lethal to snakes.
If you cannot find a wild habitat where the snake can be released, call one of the Florida herpetological societies listed in your local telephone book for assistance in releasing it.
For information on an alternative method of safely capturing snakes without harming them, and without having to handle them, visit the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service's page on 'Removing Snakes from Dwellings' using rodent glue boards.
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