BEWARE: Venomous Snakes To Avoid in Louisiana

Don't look now, but snake season is upon us in Louisiana. According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife, snakes are at their most active between April & July and when the temps are between 80 & 90 degrees. What that basically means is this: if you spend any time outdoors, whether it be in your yard or in the woods, keep your eyes open.

Experts say there are roughly 48 different species of snake that call Louisiana home and 7 of them are venomous. But, venomous or not, if you're not paying attention you could end up at the hospital.

How To Avoid Getting Bit By a Snake in Louisiana

Most people fear snakes. Indiana Jones absolutely hated them. Me, I'm not too fond of them either. But, snakes are good for the Louisiana ecosystem - so, unless you have to, you probably shouldn't kill them if you see them.

With that said, nobody wants to get bit by a snake, regardless of whether or not they are venomous. Most of the time, snakes won't bite any human unless they're provoked. But, if you're not paying attention, you could make one angry by accident.

Here's a few tips on how to minimize your chances of getting bit:

• Make sure your house is 'snake proof'. Seal any cracks or openings that may be attractive to rodents. Because snakes LOVE rodents. If you get one, chances are you're going to get the other.
• Clean up any debris in your yard. Piles of leaves, limbs, keeping your grass mowed, etc.. It makes it easier to spot snakes and gives them less places to hide. Also, much like the first tip, it makes it harder for rodents to hang around. Minimum rodents (aka dinner), minimum snakes.
• Snakes like the heat, but they don't like the extreme heat. So, your best chance of running across one is in the morning or late evenings/night. Snakes tend to take an afternoon siesta, so if you do activities in the middle of the day, you'll reduce your chances of running across one.
• This may sound counterproductive, but if you see a snake, don't kill it. Snakes generally mean rodents. So, if you kill a snake when you see it, you may go from having one snake to having a rodent problem. Then, if you get a rodent problem, then you're REALLY going to have a snake problem.

The Venomous Snakes of Louisiana

As mentioned above, of the 48 different species of snake that call Louisiana home, only 7 of them are venomous. Most people don't want to get close enough to any snake to see if it's venomous or not. But there are some tell tale signs.

This pest company offers up some tips on how to identify a venomous snake from a non-venomous snake.

• Head shape. Typically, venomous snakes triangular shaped head.
• Eyes - Venomous snakes typically have pupils that are cat like slits.
• Body - Compared to non-venomous snakes, venomous snakes have thicker body types.

You may hear tales about coloration or patterns. While that's true in some cases, using that to try and guess whether or not a snake is venomous could have dire consequences. As always, if in doubt, get away and leave it alone.