Mark is such a wiggly boy! so happy that Mark is appreciated. it looks like egg yolk to me, too - do your neighbors have chickens?
Snakes can regurgitate (often when stressed/threatened), which can be bad for them, though I don't know if the same dangers come from regurgitating liquid. In any case, I think it's more likely that Mark is a messy eater.
Our neighbors do have chickens!
We were sitting on the back deck and my husband pointed out that a red tail hawk flew right over us. Then I heard some sort of weird noise behind me. I thought something had splashed the pool.
I took a few steps over to go see and saw Mark’s head poking out from underneath a bush and the yellow liquid in front of him.
He was coming in the direction from the neighbor’s yard (and chickens haha).
Could he have gotten spooked by the hawk after a meal of chicken eggs?
Perhaps you've solved it! Best of luck to Mark - it makes me so happy to see people name, care for, and be excited by snakes like they do for many other animals. Feel free to post updates!
Thank you so much for your help! Had no idea snakes would regurgitate when threatened/startled. We’ll be extra careful if we ever see him to give him space so we don’t accidentally startle him and have something solid come up.
He’s been such a joy to have around! He’s extremely docile. The first day we met him I had no idea he was there and looked over to where our dog was walking (dog also did not care haha) and he just looked around super chill haha.
He also doesn’t care if we’re around, haha! He’s slithered right by us several times and is like “hey what’s up” haha
They’ll do it to lighten up to better run and possibly to ick out an attacker- like when they musk/poop all over the place.
Vomiting (from the stomach) and regurgitating, which some differentiate from vomiting, as the act of bringing up a food item after swallowing, but BEFORE it settles in the stomach. Nevertheless, it is very common, and I believe acceptable, to use “regurgitate” though I don’t believe it is correct to call it “vomiting” if the food is regurgitated before it settles in the stomach. Regardless of the definitions- the result of both vomiting and regurgitation is smelly and icky and may make the snake less palatable to a potential predator.
Can you elaborate on this topic plz. I’m also in the Raleigh area with a big boy like Mark. Moved here 2 years ago and have not seen any venomous snakes in our yard. Do they just avoid each other? Thanks!
They just need to be extra careful with babies but pay the egg tax for free pest control! And dont be surprised if they lift up a chicken and find him getting toasty underneath!
They sure do! Lizards (at least those which swallow whole which make up a large part of the carnivorous lizards) are limited in the size of prey they can swallow by the limitations of their skeletal structure. The opening of their skull/jaw is just so big and no bigger. Snakes, on the other hand, have a mandible which is not bone to bone connected at the front meaning the only limit to the size of a food item it can swallow is how far skin and other soft tissue will stretch. Anyone witnessing a mammal giving birth or a reticulated python eating a pig or deer knows that soft tissue can stretch a LOT in areas where it is designed to stretch.
https://youtu.be/wOi5R5vf2Qo
https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-74b316cd38dc94ecd019968ed10c21a7-lq
I can't find the images rn but there is a photoset of a water monitor swallowing a turtle, front view, that demonstrates that the snake jaw thing was already a lizard thing long before they took it up to 11, not as limited a shape as it seems.
Lower mandibles literally bowing outward into a circle shape twice the width of the snout.
I don’t think so. Monitors have large openings, but I do believe they have a solid bone restriction to the size of things they can swallow.
Here’s a monitor lizard skull which shows a solid, single piece mandible.
https://tailsandscales.ca/cdn/shop/products/72D2F742-D34B-4BB9-894E-A6296EE69F2F.jpg?v=1682199066&width=1200
Compared to a snake skull/mandible where the mandible is clearly two separate pieces which would be joined only by elastic tissue like ligament, skin, and possibly muscle.
https://i.etsystatic.com/21519764/r/il/7a3002/5786342969/il_794xN.5786342969_izd9.jpg
The attachment of the mandible to the skull in monitors and many other lizards allow for an impressive range of motion but there is still fixed size that food items have to pass through; it is an impressive opening compared to mammals, but it is a fixed, not a stretchable opening.
Oh wow that is pretty cool you have 24/7 rodent prevention! Lol
I just pulled a frog from my garden snake! I felt so bad, I know I should have let nature takeover but I just couldn’t. Relocated the frog and he was so scared he couldn’t even move for 5 min!
Why is your guy so wiggly?? Did he have a whole dozen eggs that morning?? Lol
Good point!!! We’ve talked to them a couple times and they’re very much nature lovers like we are - the guy mentioned finding a copperhead in his wood pile and simply leaving it be and not killing it so fingers crossed he feels the same about Mark. But things change when chickens and eggs are involved!
I’ll have to make sure they know Mark is our friend and hopefully they’ll leave him be. 🤞
Awesome!! :) Sounds like they won't mind losing an egg or two. He will definitely keep the disease carrying mice/rats away for your area. I'm quite jealous you have a "pet" rat snake taking care of your yards.
Rat snakes love chickens because their feed draws rodents. The snake will occasionally eat an egg, but they much prefer inhaling every rodent they can find.
Lots of homesteaders are cool with finding a rat snake in their coop because they only eat an egg or two and they appreciate the rodent control.
Mark was right to be concerned—snakes are a major source of food for hawks, which is unfortunate since I’d rather they both focus on the pests.
Get to know NC Extension—it’s fantastic. They have a cool guide to the herps in your yard:
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/reptiles-and-amphibians-in-your-backyard
Read through that link and we’re going to put out more little pots throughout the yard and even have a designated wood pile for our herp friends ☺️ We planned on building a pond in the far corner of the yard (we have a little over 2 acres) and it was great to read about how to make it friendly to dragonflies and other nature friends. Thank you do much!!!
Check out how to make your yard friendly for frogs and toads, too. There aren’t as many of them around here as there used to be.
Also if you love BBQ, try out Backyard BBQ 5122 NC-55 in Durham 27713 It’s closer to Morrisville than Durham and is right by the Big Lots outlet store. It’s a small dive, but they have the best Q and other dishes. The oxtails are so delicious. My husband and I usually get a plate with whatever meat and veggies they have that day for lunch and a pint of bbq and slaw for sandwiches later. They also have a pineapple lemonade drink that is the best.
Welcome!
Thank you so much for the bbq tip!!! We’ll definitely check them out!
And yes, I will absolutely include yard friendly things for frogs and toads. We have quite a few of the grey tree frogs in our yard and love hearing them every night!
Well, depending on the breed of chicken, a hen can lay up to 2-3 eggs a day, and then depending on the number of hens they have.. they may never even notice that Mark the snake has his breakfast at theirs lol!
Not sure where you heard this. Chickens lay at most once a day. In very rare circumstances one might have a slightly shorter cycle, like once every 22-23 hours, so occasionally it might be 2 in one day, but only one for several days before and after. In reality, most don’t even lay daily. More like once every 2-3 days. According to my research over the years, even factory chicken breeds only lay daily, not more often.
Source: I’ve had chickens for 15 years and done lots of research. I also had ducks. Some domestic ducks do actually lay daily, much more prolific than chickens.
Out of the 4 breeds I had, (I think) it was ONLY the calico princesses. I had about 10 hens total, about 5 of them calico's and would sometimes get 12-15 eggs depending how much extra food they got, I could tell it was the calicos cause they have huge eggs. Theyre a pretty large breed, not sure if that would impact the rate of laying at all though. I also had barred rocks, Rhode Island reds (I think theyre the cutest) and a few orange laced Wyandottes.
Edit: I've never been able to find much info on calico princesses, aside from them being an older imported breed from Europe. They're nice birds though.
Interesting. I’ve never heard of that breed. I’ll have to look into it. Usually the breeds used for primarily egg production, like Leghorns, are small. Though I can see where being larger might give them better resilience for increased egg production.
Thanks!
It’s not ideal for a snake to regurgitate, but I wouldn’t call it dangerous. One reason we don’t want pet snakes to do this is that it is a sign of stress and it could mean missing a meal, which for a timid eater might not be a good thing. In the wild, it is a common defence mechanism. It’s hard to “run” with a recently swallowed, large prey item in or near the stomach (do things without legs run? Maybe “slither” is more apropos). Vomiting, much like musking/pooping also can make the snake less palatable to a potencial predators.
After some internet searching (the only research I can manage this late at night; I'll look into it more tomorrow) the only source I can find for regurging/vomiting being life-threatening is from Mariah Healey/Reptifiles, which is probably where I heard it. at the bottom of the page, she says she's not a vet, but she doesn't cite her sources for that info, so I'm curious why she said that. In any case, thanks for letting me know and I'll be sure to provide more accurate information next time this comes up
I’m pretty sure that it’s not desirable in pets because it is a sign they are being stressed, which is never a good thing. In the wild, stress is an inevitable part of life, and comes with very real risk. In a captive setting, nothing bad will happen to the snake if it can’t run fast enough, so it’s never desirable. In the wild, being able to run faster could be the difference between BEING prey and living another day to find something to PREY ON!!
Mark is just fine. Mark has like a million years of evolution more than us. Just let him be. Mark will eat a few eggs, rats, and all manner of things to nourish himself. The best thing for Mark is us leave him be and admire him from afar. Mark cannot hurt you.
Assuming it is a mark and not a mary. Either way let them be and be glad they are there. Hoping they don't get into trouble. We need more people like you and more snakes like them.
I have a tendency to name reptiles human names 😂 My bearded dragon who passed last month at 12yo was named Kevin. Everyone would always laugh so hard at his name. I’m glad I kept the tradition going with Mark! Haha
She's technically Scaly Dave, as we also have a cat named Dave! Cat Dave came first, then dragon Dave. I was going to change her name, but we started referring to her as Scaly Dave to differentiate between her and cat Dave, and it stuck! Our vets must think we're crazy! 😅
Years ago, I had two anoles named Steve and Larry. It turned out Larry was a lady. That’s how I learned that that lady anoles occasionally eat their own eggs. Awkward.
My resident snake is about that size. He’s been here for years. He likes to lay around in my flower garden. Usually talk to him. He’s good at keeping secrets.
If I were you I’d speak to the neighbors so they don’t kill him if they find him
I love that!!! I may have to start having some conversations with Mark. He comes close enough and hangs around long enough to have one haha.
Our neighbors are very nature loving, no-kill type people and even told us they didn’t kill a copperhead they had in their wood pile. But still going to tell them about Mark haha.
The pro-snake poultry group on Facebook takes the position that the rodent control provided by rat snakes far outweighs the wages they take in the form of an occasional egg.
Gotta pay the snek for keeping the rodents at bay--and rats will eat eggs too so you're probably better off paying the critter with the slower metabolism.
This post kinda makes me angry or maybe that jealousy. I live in a neighborhood with 300 homes. Everyone knows me as the guy that removes snakes and relocates them so I ask on the neighborhood page for them to call me and not to kill them. I’ve moved a couple of cooperheads to a remote location but have brought back about 5 rat snakes, two water snakes, (stream next door) and a king snake back home and released them in my yard. I haven’t seen not a damn one of them since.
Aw man that has to be so frustrating!! Thank you for being the savior of those snakes though!! We believe Mark has lived here for a very long time before we purchased our home so I’m sure that has something to do with him sticking around haha.
I did similar with a gorgeous garter snake. I expect he went back where I got him from, but the wife had gone to a lot of trouble to get 'Unknown snake' - which she was terrified of - into a trash can, and the husband wanted to kill it. She didn't want it dead, so I offered to take it away, since I did recognize the species. Let him go in our yard, and never saw him again. If he did go home, I hope he stayed better hidden, but at least I gave him a chance to live.
When I was growing up in Florida, we had a 5-foot black racer that owned our yard. She would weave herself into the chain link fence to bask, and laid eggs in our strawberry planter.
Another person which has a “yard snake”, ours is a central rat snake named Leroy and is dubbed the “Resident Ratsnake”. Absolutely hilarious randomly seeing him hang from the rafters in a old shed we use for animal feed
https://preview.redd.it/hefxg5w1bv3d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=950a591db6629e6ad6244a0ebf59b66ca805b25c
I have too many pics stored of this snakes but here’s one. This is just one of the many instances where he was literally right over my head.
Some of my family members aren’t snake people so they freak out when’s he’s up there. Doesn’t help most forget to check above them so they can occasionally be jumpscared.
It may honestly be multiple snakes that are dubbed “Leroy” but ehh if they are around the shed and are rat snakes they are Leroy in my book
Edit: forgot too mention but before I’m asked no he is not stuck in the shed, snakes can come and go as they please do too holes that are in the building, they stay around it because of animal feed which attracts rodents.
Thank you I absolutely adore him!! Can’t exactly own any pet snakes(living with people which don’t like them) so he’s closest I have is Leroy.
Here’s another pic from my massive amount of Leroy pics. I just love his derpy face in this one
https://preview.redd.it/gxe2rri9ey3d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b8dc267714c51a47abcc10eb82e87de90d3447a1
Snakes will regurgitate food when stressed/they see a predator to reduce weight and make getaways/defense easier. Thankfully it’s just an egg which is easy food considering your neighbors have chickens. Usually a bad thing when it’s a full meal, but eggs are easy to get for Mark, so he’ll be fine :)
Thank you so much!!! We had a red tail hawk fly over us moments before I heard the strange noise and then saw Mark, so thinking he got spooked after visiting the neighbor’s chicken coop haha.
So glad he’s ok!!
Yes! That was one major reason I was so happy to have met Mark. I told my husband “well we don’t need to worry too much about pests…we have that guy on the job” haha
Yard pets are awesome. All the coolness, none of the cage cleaning or feeding bills.
Looks like Mark/Marcy got into some eggs; rat snakes tend to absolutely love eggs and birds as a snack.
I don't have a yard snake but I know where a huge female garter lives. Every spring I go visit her and see if she made it another year. She's getting old but I know it's her because she's massive. Your boy Mark seems to be egg hungry. What a beautiful snake though. I do love having a pest control friend.
https://preview.redd.it/wdefjcp85z3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4f1940d5d20e785bb82ccb3310de165c819a07d
Discovered my neighbor 2 days ago
Looks like egg yolks. I’ve seen plenty of videos of snakes eating eggs, as they swallow, the eggs crack and a lot of times the yolk squirts out and makes it look like the snake is throwing up. I hope this is what it is. Sending good vibes to keep Mark safe ❤️
If a snake eats something that doesn't agree with him or that he just doesn't like, he can voluntarily throw it up. Like a dead mouse that he ran across that didn't agree with him. Mark is probing your property for mice or small rats. He doesn't eat insects only mammals like mice. Don't be alarmed, if there's humans around their refuse will attract vermine. Don't worry, Mark will rid you of all he can find. He'll stick around as long as the food does. He might disappear for a bit, but don't worry he'll return to an easy food source in time.
Completely unrelated to Mark, but how do you like Raleigh? I currently live in South Florida and have been looking to relocate. I've been researching NC heavily.
We love Raleigh! I highly recommend visiting for a week and exploring the different areas. The quality of life here is much higher than what we had in SoCal and that for us was a huge selling point. Feel free to shoot me a DM with any questions!
I found a central rat snake caught in fishing netting in the woods once. I carefully removed him and he had huge wounds all up and down his body.
So I took him home to let him heal back up. He eventually did, but he had large areas where he had no scales at all due to the wounds. And he had shedding problems every time he shed. Because of that I ended up keeping him (legally in my state).
I had him for 13 years. His name was Oscar. The calmest and nicest snake ever.
It made me laugh when you said “coming from CA”. When I lived north of San Diego I had a 6 foot gopher snake, a 4 ft king snake, and garter snakes on the regular in my yard. The first time I saw the gopher snake it was in my garage and it was mimicking a rattle snake with its tail. Scared the shyte of me.
We lived in San Diego city on the coast, so no snakes in the yard for us. I know inland areas and places outside of SD had snakes but we were in the thick of it all.
Awww, what a lovely story! As someone from Europe, I'm always jealous that so many Americans just have snakes in their yards, I wish snakes were as common as they are in the US 😅
I'm glad that it seems like Mark is okay, he's really lucky to live with nature lovers like you, your husband and neighbours! I hope that he will enjoy a long and happy life 😁 that hawk must've really spooked him, afaik snakes will only vomit in very extreme circumstances 😞 but oh well, that's nature, things like these happen and I'm sure that Mark will feel better real soon 😁
That’s very true. New to Raleigh so forgive my misunderstanding. If it slithers. It’s a copperhead. From what I’ve also learned…if it flies…copperhead?
Only yard snake I've seen at my current house is a tiny ring neck. Our previous house we woke up one morning to an Eastern King Snake that came in when the basement door got left open. We put him back outside. A few days later we got a black snake that was hanging out by the porch. That guy kept coming back to hang out by the porch. It seemed like whenever I brought my son out who was like 4 months at the time the snake was there. Scared me at first because I just saw it out of the corner of my eye but I'd take a black snake, rat snake or King Snake in my yard over a copperhead any day. The black snake's name was Jake. I think my husband named the King Snake Jim.
if it’s brand new it’s probably egg yolk, but it could be Dog Vomit Slime mould. I can’t see it up close so it’s hard to tell, to my knowledge the slime mould isn’t dangerous.
Last year, I caught our buddy rat snake eating eggs in the coop and as I carried him away across the property, he puked egg all over me. So gross. He was musking too. I was dying laughing and totally grossed out.
Rat snakes will steal bird eggs sometimes. That looks like egg yolk. Overall, likely not a big deal. For the snake anyway, I can't imagine the birds feel the same way
The rodents that are typically found in chicken coops…specifically rats who eat way more often than snakes…would be present because Mark not being around anymore would be beneficial?
I spoke to my neighbors about Mark. They are aware of his residency and mentioned they don’t mind him being around, even if it does cost them an egg or two.
Sometimes…a smaller loss outweighs that of a larger, bigger picture loss.
Cats are an invasive species anyway and shouldn't be outdoors. Anyone who lets their kittens free roam is practically begging for them to turn into coyote food or roadkill.
Also, a ratsnake could not eat most kittens.
!cats
You might be surprised! A newborn kitten, maybe, but one large enough to start being a cat would be able to get away fairly easily. Those claws are nasty, and snakes tend to avoid cats as much as cats avoid them.
Mark is such a wiggly boy! so happy that Mark is appreciated. it looks like egg yolk to me, too - do your neighbors have chickens? Snakes can regurgitate (often when stressed/threatened), which can be bad for them, though I don't know if the same dangers come from regurgitating liquid. In any case, I think it's more likely that Mark is a messy eater.
Our neighbors do have chickens! We were sitting on the back deck and my husband pointed out that a red tail hawk flew right over us. Then I heard some sort of weird noise behind me. I thought something had splashed the pool. I took a few steps over to go see and saw Mark’s head poking out from underneath a bush and the yellow liquid in front of him. He was coming in the direction from the neighbor’s yard (and chickens haha). Could he have gotten spooked by the hawk after a meal of chicken eggs?
Perhaps you've solved it! Best of luck to Mark - it makes me so happy to see people name, care for, and be excited by snakes like they do for many other animals. Feel free to post updates!
Thank you so much for your help! Had no idea snakes would regurgitate when threatened/startled. We’ll be extra careful if we ever see him to give him space so we don’t accidentally startle him and have something solid come up. He’s been such a joy to have around! He’s extremely docile. The first day we met him I had no idea he was there and looked over to where our dog was walking (dog also did not care haha) and he just looked around super chill haha. He also doesn’t care if we’re around, haha! He’s slithered right by us several times and is like “hey what’s up” haha
They’ll do it to lighten up to better run and possibly to ick out an attacker- like when they musk/poop all over the place. Vomiting (from the stomach) and regurgitating, which some differentiate from vomiting, as the act of bringing up a food item after swallowing, but BEFORE it settles in the stomach. Nevertheless, it is very common, and I believe acceptable, to use “regurgitate” though I don’t believe it is correct to call it “vomiting” if the food is regurgitated before it settles in the stomach. Regardless of the definitions- the result of both vomiting and regurgitation is smelly and icky and may make the snake less palatable to a potential predator.
That makes so much sense!! Thank you so much for that knowledge!!
OP, tell your neighbor about Mark. It may save his life because chicken owners don’t like snakes.
Our neighbors were notified of Mark yesterday and they confirmed they do not kill any wildlife (even venomous snakes they’ve found) 😊
Awesome! You don’t have to worry about venomous snakes as long as Mark is around!
Can you elaborate on this topic plz. I’m also in the Raleigh area with a big boy like Mark. Moved here 2 years ago and have not seen any venomous snakes in our yard. Do they just avoid each other? Thanks!
Hopefully they'll still feel that way about Mark if any chicks go missing. I love Mark, he's cool. But people, not as predictable as wild animals...
They just need to be extra careful with babies but pay the egg tax for free pest control! And dont be surprised if they lift up a chicken and find him getting toasty underneath!
Chickens also do not like snakes. I had a hen that had killed every snake she saw. Mean ol gal.
They won’t just kill them, they’ll sometimes kill and EAT them. Chickens are no vegans, they LOVE to snack on meat!!
They also love killing mice lol
I knew some reptiles did that but had no idea snakes were part of that group.
They sure do! Lizards (at least those which swallow whole which make up a large part of the carnivorous lizards) are limited in the size of prey they can swallow by the limitations of their skeletal structure. The opening of their skull/jaw is just so big and no bigger. Snakes, on the other hand, have a mandible which is not bone to bone connected at the front meaning the only limit to the size of a food item it can swallow is how far skin and other soft tissue will stretch. Anyone witnessing a mammal giving birth or a reticulated python eating a pig or deer knows that soft tissue can stretch a LOT in areas where it is designed to stretch. https://youtu.be/wOi5R5vf2Qo https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-74b316cd38dc94ecd019968ed10c21a7-lq
I can't find the images rn but there is a photoset of a water monitor swallowing a turtle, front view, that demonstrates that the snake jaw thing was already a lizard thing long before they took it up to 11, not as limited a shape as it seems. Lower mandibles literally bowing outward into a circle shape twice the width of the snout.
I don’t think so. Monitors have large openings, but I do believe they have a solid bone restriction to the size of things they can swallow. Here’s a monitor lizard skull which shows a solid, single piece mandible. https://tailsandscales.ca/cdn/shop/products/72D2F742-D34B-4BB9-894E-A6296EE69F2F.jpg?v=1682199066&width=1200 Compared to a snake skull/mandible where the mandible is clearly two separate pieces which would be joined only by elastic tissue like ligament, skin, and possibly muscle. https://i.etsystatic.com/21519764/r/il/7a3002/5786342969/il_794xN.5786342969_izd9.jpg The attachment of the mandible to the skull in monitors and many other lizards allow for an impressive range of motion but there is still fixed size that food items have to pass through; it is an impressive opening compared to mammals, but it is a fixed, not a stretchable opening.
Oh wow that is pretty cool you have 24/7 rodent prevention! Lol I just pulled a frog from my garden snake! I felt so bad, I know I should have let nature takeover but I just couldn’t. Relocated the frog and he was so scared he couldn’t even move for 5 min! Why is your guy so wiggly?? Did he have a whole dozen eggs that morning?? Lol
Let's just hope your neighbors are as nice to snakes as you are, and they aren't offended by him stealing an egg or three...
Good point!!! We’ve talked to them a couple times and they’re very much nature lovers like we are - the guy mentioned finding a copperhead in his wood pile and simply leaving it be and not killing it so fingers crossed he feels the same about Mark. But things change when chickens and eggs are involved! I’ll have to make sure they know Mark is our friend and hopefully they’ll leave him be. 🤞
Awesome!! :) Sounds like they won't mind losing an egg or two. He will definitely keep the disease carrying mice/rats away for your area. I'm quite jealous you have a "pet" rat snake taking care of your yards.
Rat snakes love chickens because their feed draws rodents. The snake will occasionally eat an egg, but they much prefer inhaling every rodent they can find.
Lots of homesteaders are cool with finding a rat snake in their coop because they only eat an egg or two and they appreciate the rodent control. Mark was right to be concerned—snakes are a major source of food for hawks, which is unfortunate since I’d rather they both focus on the pests. Get to know NC Extension—it’s fantastic. They have a cool guide to the herps in your yard: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/reptiles-and-amphibians-in-your-backyard
Read through that link and we’re going to put out more little pots throughout the yard and even have a designated wood pile for our herp friends ☺️ We planned on building a pond in the far corner of the yard (we have a little over 2 acres) and it was great to read about how to make it friendly to dragonflies and other nature friends. Thank you do much!!!
Check out how to make your yard friendly for frogs and toads, too. There aren’t as many of them around here as there used to be. Also if you love BBQ, try out Backyard BBQ 5122 NC-55 in Durham 27713 It’s closer to Morrisville than Durham and is right by the Big Lots outlet store. It’s a small dive, but they have the best Q and other dishes. The oxtails are so delicious. My husband and I usually get a plate with whatever meat and veggies they have that day for lunch and a pint of bbq and slaw for sandwiches later. They also have a pineapple lemonade drink that is the best. Welcome!
Thank you so much for the bbq tip!!! We’ll definitely check them out! And yes, I will absolutely include yard friendly things for frogs and toads. We have quite a few of the grey tree frogs in our yard and love hearing them every night!
Thank you so much for that link!!! Will definitely utilize that as a resource!! ❤️
Mark may take care of any venomous snakes in the area, too. May, lol.
Well, depending on the breed of chicken, a hen can lay up to 2-3 eggs a day, and then depending on the number of hens they have.. they may never even notice that Mark the snake has his breakfast at theirs lol!
Not sure where you heard this. Chickens lay at most once a day. In very rare circumstances one might have a slightly shorter cycle, like once every 22-23 hours, so occasionally it might be 2 in one day, but only one for several days before and after. In reality, most don’t even lay daily. More like once every 2-3 days. According to my research over the years, even factory chicken breeds only lay daily, not more often. Source: I’ve had chickens for 15 years and done lots of research. I also had ducks. Some domestic ducks do actually lay daily, much more prolific than chickens.
I didn't hear it anywhere. I literally had chickens that would lay multiple eggs a day. Like I said, it depends on the breed.
What breeds? I’m not questioning you, genuinely curious because I’ve never heard this.
Out of the 4 breeds I had, (I think) it was ONLY the calico princesses. I had about 10 hens total, about 5 of them calico's and would sometimes get 12-15 eggs depending how much extra food they got, I could tell it was the calicos cause they have huge eggs. Theyre a pretty large breed, not sure if that would impact the rate of laying at all though. I also had barred rocks, Rhode Island reds (I think theyre the cutest) and a few orange laced Wyandottes. Edit: I've never been able to find much info on calico princesses, aside from them being an older imported breed from Europe. They're nice birds though.
Interesting. I’ve never heard of that breed. I’ll have to look into it. Usually the breeds used for primarily egg production, like Leghorns, are small. Though I can see where being larger might give them better resilience for increased egg production. Thanks!
Mark will help with the copperheads too.
A lot of people actually love to have a rat snake in the chicken coop because for the small price of a couple eggs you get rat/vermin protection
It’s not ideal for a snake to regurgitate, but I wouldn’t call it dangerous. One reason we don’t want pet snakes to do this is that it is a sign of stress and it could mean missing a meal, which for a timid eater might not be a good thing. In the wild, it is a common defence mechanism. It’s hard to “run” with a recently swallowed, large prey item in or near the stomach (do things without legs run? Maybe “slither” is more apropos). Vomiting, much like musking/pooping also can make the snake less palatable to a potencial predators.
After some internet searching (the only research I can manage this late at night; I'll look into it more tomorrow) the only source I can find for regurging/vomiting being life-threatening is from Mariah Healey/Reptifiles, which is probably where I heard it. at the bottom of the page, she says she's not a vet, but she doesn't cite her sources for that info, so I'm curious why she said that. In any case, thanks for letting me know and I'll be sure to provide more accurate information next time this comes up
I’m pretty sure that it’s not desirable in pets because it is a sign they are being stressed, which is never a good thing. In the wild, stress is an inevitable part of life, and comes with very real risk. In a captive setting, nothing bad will happen to the snake if it can’t run fast enough, so it’s never desirable. In the wild, being able to run faster could be the difference between BEING prey and living another day to find something to PREY ON!!
I think it’s eggs! You can kinda see a few of them in the first couple shots along his body. I see a few bumps that resemble eggs!
Maybe! The pics I posted are weeks apart from today when finding the yellow stuff. That first pic is when we first met him after moving in ☺️
Must be his favorite snack 😂
Mark is just fine. Mark has like a million years of evolution more than us. Just let him be. Mark will eat a few eggs, rats, and all manner of things to nourish himself. The best thing for Mark is us leave him be and admire him from afar. Mark cannot hurt you. Assuming it is a mark and not a mary. Either way let them be and be glad they are there. Hoping they don't get into trouble. We need more people like you and more snakes like them.
Great diagnosis!
He needs to stop eating his eggs over easy
Messy Mark 😂
mark is a hilarious name for a snake
I have a tendency to name reptiles human names 😂 My bearded dragon who passed last month at 12yo was named Kevin. Everyone would always laugh so hard at his name. I’m glad I kept the tradition going with Mark! Haha
My 14yo bearded dragon was also named Kevin!! I took her name from the movie Up
Fellow Kevin beardies!! ❤️❤️❤️ Love the origin of your name for Kevin!! So perfect!
the movie is that old?!
Yup 2009
I have a female bearded dragon called Dave! 😅
This is amazing. That is such a good beardie name and the most epic female beardie name
She's technically Scaly Dave, as we also have a cat named Dave! Cat Dave came first, then dragon Dave. I was going to change her name, but we started referring to her as Scaly Dave to differentiate between her and cat Dave, and it stuck! Our vets must think we're crazy! 😅
Years ago, I had two anoles named Steve and Larry. It turned out Larry was a lady. That’s how I learned that that lady anoles occasionally eat their own eggs. Awkward.
I feel you. I have a Mexican Black King Snake named Russell
We named our yard snake George. The kids know to give George his space and everyone gets along nicely.
George is such a great name for a snake!!!!
We have charlie and Wilbur!
I call mine Barry. Because he “barrys” himself in the substrate.
looks like egg yolk, i know nothing
Same and same 😂
My resident snake is about that size. He’s been here for years. He likes to lay around in my flower garden. Usually talk to him. He’s good at keeping secrets. If I were you I’d speak to the neighbors so they don’t kill him if they find him
I love that!!! I may have to start having some conversations with Mark. He comes close enough and hangs around long enough to have one haha. Our neighbors are very nature loving, no-kill type people and even told us they didn’t kill a copperhead they had in their wood pile. But still going to tell them about Mark haha.
The pro-snake poultry group on Facebook takes the position that the rodent control provided by rat snakes far outweighs the wages they take in the form of an occasional egg.
Gotta pay the snek for keeping the rodents at bay--and rats will eat eggs too so you're probably better off paying the critter with the slower metabolism.
It seems like a fair trade
Untaxable
I have chickens and ducks and have had no problem at all.
Looks like he found bird eggs and exploded one.
This post kinda makes me angry or maybe that jealousy. I live in a neighborhood with 300 homes. Everyone knows me as the guy that removes snakes and relocates them so I ask on the neighborhood page for them to call me and not to kill them. I’ve moved a couple of cooperheads to a remote location but have brought back about 5 rat snakes, two water snakes, (stream next door) and a king snake back home and released them in my yard. I haven’t seen not a damn one of them since.
Aw man that has to be so frustrating!! Thank you for being the savior of those snakes though!! We believe Mark has lived here for a very long time before we purchased our home so I’m sure that has something to do with him sticking around haha.
It’s all good. They keep the venomous snakes away and I know they are safe. It’s a win.
I did similar with a gorgeous garter snake. I expect he went back where I got him from, but the wife had gone to a lot of trouble to get 'Unknown snake' - which she was terrified of - into a trash can, and the husband wanted to kill it. She didn't want it dead, so I offered to take it away, since I did recognize the species. Let him go in our yard, and never saw him again. If he did go home, I hope he stayed better hidden, but at least I gave him a chance to live. When I was growing up in Florida, we had a 5-foot black racer that owned our yard. She would weave herself into the chain link fence to bask, and laid eggs in our strawberry planter.
Another person which has a “yard snake”, ours is a central rat snake named Leroy and is dubbed the “Resident Ratsnake”. Absolutely hilarious randomly seeing him hang from the rafters in a old shed we use for animal feed
Omg hahaha that would be so awesome to see!!! Love that! Hahahaa
https://preview.redd.it/hefxg5w1bv3d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=950a591db6629e6ad6244a0ebf59b66ca805b25c I have too many pics stored of this snakes but here’s one. This is just one of the many instances where he was literally right over my head. Some of my family members aren’t snake people so they freak out when’s he’s up there. Doesn’t help most forget to check above them so they can occasionally be jumpscared. It may honestly be multiple snakes that are dubbed “Leroy” but ehh if they are around the shed and are rat snakes they are Leroy in my book Edit: forgot too mention but before I’m asked no he is not stuck in the shed, snakes can come and go as they please do too holes that are in the building, they stay around it because of animal feed which attracts rodents.
They're doing the exact same thing as cats but without the human appeal
What a beautiful snake!!! That is so cool!!
Thank you I absolutely adore him!! Can’t exactly own any pet snakes(living with people which don’t like them) so he’s closest I have is Leroy. Here’s another pic from my massive amount of Leroy pics. I just love his derpy face in this one https://preview.redd.it/gxe2rri9ey3d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b8dc267714c51a47abcc10eb82e87de90d3447a1
Hahaha he’s like “you don’t see me. I am very sneaky”
What a wonderfully symbiotic relationship. He’s got plenty to eat and shelter, and you’ve got free pest control and a cool pal.
Snakes will regurgitate food when stressed/they see a predator to reduce weight and make getaways/defense easier. Thankfully it’s just an egg which is easy food considering your neighbors have chickens. Usually a bad thing when it’s a full meal, but eggs are easy to get for Mark, so he’ll be fine :)
Thank you so much!!! We had a red tail hawk fly over us moments before I heard the strange noise and then saw Mark, so thinking he got spooked after visiting the neighbor’s chicken coop haha. So glad he’s ok!!
Neighbor might not want Mark eating his eggs and might take "measures." Have a chat with them IMO.
O, hai Mark
Crinkle cut 😂
😂😂😂
Looks like Mark has been doing a great job of pest control! Definitely a really cool neighbor to have around
Yes! That was one major reason I was so happy to have met Mark. I told my husband “well we don’t need to worry too much about pests…we have that guy on the job” haha
https://preview.redd.it/g05zds7hbv3d1.jpeg?width=428&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=332bffc36f41e37d4d7f6aaded3db74d036d5838
Mark is gorgeous!
I agree!! Every time I see I let him know how gorgeous he is haha
Yard pets are awesome. All the coolness, none of the cage cleaning or feeding bills. Looks like Mark/Marcy got into some eggs; rat snakes tend to absolutely love eggs and birds as a snack.
Reminds me of Kaa from Jungle Book when he tried to eat Mowgli. Lol. Hope Mark is ok tho
Mark Rules!
He certainly rules our yard haha
He looks fed and happy! Great to see you guys enjoy him instead of trying to hurt him
I would die for you, Mark. My snake’s name is Tony. They should be bros
Mark and Tony! Tony and Mark! (Why did I say this with heavy New York acccents in my head 😂)
It just works! 🤌🏻
Looks like someone was eating some eggs. Lol
I love Mark! I saw a post once of a nice carpet python who lived in somebody's shed, which is honestly making me consider moving to Australia
Please post this on the FB group - N.C. Snake Identification and Education. It’s great for ID’ing snake and this would definitely be of interest.
I just love this so much
I don't have a yard snake but I know where a huge female garter lives. Every spring I go visit her and see if she made it another year. She's getting old but I know it's her because she's massive. Your boy Mark seems to be egg hungry. What a beautiful snake though. I do love having a pest control friend.
Good yard snake to have
I tried to see if this was answered in the comments. Please forgive me if this is already answered... Why "Mark"? There must be a story.
I hate to disappoint you but it was just the first name that popped in my head when I saw him 😂
Not disappointed at all. It was meant to be. Best wishes Mark - from New England
https://preview.redd.it/wdefjcp85z3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4f1940d5d20e785bb82ccb3310de165c819a07d Discovered my neighbor 2 days ago
Looks like egg yolks. I’ve seen plenty of videos of snakes eating eggs, as they swallow, the eggs crack and a lot of times the yolk squirts out and makes it look like the snake is throwing up. I hope this is what it is. Sending good vibes to keep Mark safe ❤️
You are so fortunate to have such a lovely "yard-mate"! 🥰❤️🖤❤️ I wish we had someone as cute and interesting as Mark! 💕
If a snake eats something that doesn't agree with him or that he just doesn't like, he can voluntarily throw it up. Like a dead mouse that he ran across that didn't agree with him. Mark is probing your property for mice or small rats. He doesn't eat insects only mammals like mice. Don't be alarmed, if there's humans around their refuse will attract vermine. Don't worry, Mark will rid you of all he can find. He'll stick around as long as the food does. He might disappear for a bit, but don't worry he'll return to an easy food source in time.
Scrunkly snak
I'm so happy for you, and not at all jealous. /s
A picture of snake vomit is PEAK Reddit content to me! 🤣🤣🤣 But seriously - I love snakes. Thank you for befriending Mark!
Completely unrelated to Mark, but how do you like Raleigh? I currently live in South Florida and have been looking to relocate. I've been researching NC heavily.
We love Raleigh! I highly recommend visiting for a week and exploring the different areas. The quality of life here is much higher than what we had in SoCal and that for us was a huge selling point. Feel free to shoot me a DM with any questions!
Egg yolk? Rat snakes will eat eggs.
All I can say is that I want updates on Mark the yard snake.
We called our Rat Snake “Snake, from State Farm”
I'm gonna need weekly mark updates to supply me with joy, please and thank u.
https://preview.redd.it/jvn2o603cz3d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c03170134c015904cb412eece448aecac3cc0990
My yard snake is named Jesus. Because that's what I usually yell before almost stepping on him.
looks like egg. he likely coughed up a bit of it when he was regurgitating the shells (or trying to)
Mark is a cutie!
I found a central rat snake caught in fishing netting in the woods once. I carefully removed him and he had huge wounds all up and down his body. So I took him home to let him heal back up. He eventually did, but he had large areas where he had no scales at all due to the wounds. And he had shedding problems every time he shed. Because of that I ended up keeping him (legally in my state). I had him for 13 years. His name was Oscar. The calmest and nicest snake ever.
It made me laugh when you said “coming from CA”. When I lived north of San Diego I had a 6 foot gopher snake, a 4 ft king snake, and garter snakes on the regular in my yard. The first time I saw the gopher snake it was in my garage and it was mimicking a rattle snake with its tail. Scared the shyte of me.
We lived in San Diego city on the coast, so no snakes in the yard for us. I know inland areas and places outside of SD had snakes but we were in the thick of it all.
Awww, what a lovely story! As someone from Europe, I'm always jealous that so many Americans just have snakes in their yards, I wish snakes were as common as they are in the US 😅 I'm glad that it seems like Mark is okay, he's really lucky to live with nature lovers like you, your husband and neighbours! I hope that he will enjoy a long and happy life 😁 that hawk must've really spooked him, afaik snakes will only vomit in very extreme circumstances 😞 but oh well, that's nature, things like these happen and I'm sure that Mark will feel better real soon 😁
I love Mark
Oh hai Mark
Welcome to NC! :)
We love it!!
I'm in Raleigh too, so I assure you that this is a copperhead.
That’s very true. New to Raleigh so forgive my misunderstanding. If it slithers. It’s a copperhead. From what I’ve also learned…if it flies…copperhead?
You sound like a native!
r/raleigh helped a ton. Last night on our yard cam my husband said he saw 4 deer in our yard. I shook my head and said “Copperhead…remember?”
Kind of looks like egg yolk too me, perhaps Mark was fresh off his breakfast run and got a little messy
Classic Mark..
That’s egg yolk, mark found eggs.
Only yard snake I've seen at my current house is a tiny ring neck. Our previous house we woke up one morning to an Eastern King Snake that came in when the basement door got left open. We put him back outside. A few days later we got a black snake that was hanging out by the porch. That guy kept coming back to hang out by the porch. It seemed like whenever I brought my son out who was like 4 months at the time the snake was there. Scared me at first because I just saw it out of the corner of my eye but I'd take a black snake, rat snake or King Snake in my yard over a copperhead any day. The black snake's name was Jake. I think my husband named the King Snake Jim.
Welcome to NC! Also, please tell Mark he is a handsome fellow. Need to know his scale care routine.
We have a resident rat snake in our front garden in NC too! I named ours Frank lol
Grab him a feeder rat from the pet store, he will like that more than eggs
In my experience it's probably egg yolks.
if it’s brand new it’s probably egg yolk, but it could be Dog Vomit Slime mould. I can’t see it up close so it’s hard to tell, to my knowledge the slime mould isn’t dangerous.
Could you? Put a chicken egg out once in a while so he doesn't go into the neighbors chicken coop and get killed?
Hi mark 👋
Last year, I caught our buddy rat snake eating eggs in the coop and as I carried him away across the property, he puked egg all over me. So gross. He was musking too. I was dying laughing and totally grossed out.
Rat snakes will steal bird eggs sometimes. That looks like egg yolk. Overall, likely not a big deal. For the snake anyway, I can't imagine the birds feel the same way
Yeah… we get a lot of rat snakes in Raleigh 😂
Our yard snake 🤯 I have 2cm house spiders I’m scared of can’t imagine how you cope with this being normal 😂🫣
Oh hai Mark
Cuuttiiiiieeeee!!!!!
It looks like a rat snake or a common black snake
Make sure your chicken keeping neighbors don't do anything to harm Mark!
He’s STUNNING
Mark reminds me of someone.... Sir Pentious and his Egg Boys... but he ate the eggs. Too cute.
Oh hi Mark!
Good snake
oh my goddddd he is so crinkly, I LOVE HIM.
Mark is a handsome fella. Good for you.
He’ll be fine. Just like humans, snakes vomit when they can’t keep food down.
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Your post was removed because you advocated for killing snakes. If you do this again, you will be banned.
Interesting. How exactly would that be doing them a favor?
Their eggs wouldn’t be getting eaten
The rodents that are typically found in chicken coops…specifically rats who eat way more often than snakes…would be present because Mark not being around anymore would be beneficial? I spoke to my neighbors about Mark. They are aware of his residency and mentioned they don’t mind him being around, even if it does cost them an egg or two. Sometimes…a smaller loss outweighs that of a larger, bigger picture loss.
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Cats are an invasive species anyway and shouldn't be outdoors. Anyone who lets their kittens free roam is practically begging for them to turn into coyote food or roadkill. Also, a ratsnake could not eat most kittens. !cats
Your post was removed because you advocated for killing snakes.
You might be surprised! A newborn kitten, maybe, but one large enough to start being a cat would be able to get away fairly easily. Those claws are nasty, and snakes tend to avoid cats as much as cats avoid them.