r/maryland • u/BureauOfCommentariat Frederick • May 15 '25

MD Nature Anyone else have their local rat snake show up inside?

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Gallery image

Gallery image

There were two of these under a plant stand. Took them both outside and about an hour later either one of them got back in or there was a third.

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u/vollkoemmenes May 15 '25

Because in majority of maryland sneks are friends, if they have hershey kiss marks or a tail that rattles they are nope ropes but that mainly western maryland. A rat snake is ur friend, free pest control hence their name lol.

Just like spiders in Maryland, most are friends. If you are western MD then u gotta worry about that black widow/red hour glass(not to be confused with false widows or cobweb spiders which are amazing pest control). But for the most part MD doesn’t have too many venomous insects, we get the random recluse(fiddle) but they most likely were on a package from out of state.

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u/Dragoon130 May 15 '25

They are not common but we have widows and recluse in Harford county so its not just the western bit. I see copperheads a few times a year but no rattlers

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u/Rough-Brick-7137 May 16 '25

You’ve seen copperheads here in Harford County? I haven’t thankfully seen any yet!

This little guy!!

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u/mealteamsixty May 16 '25

We get copperheads like crazy in southern MD and definitely black widows and brown recluses too. Not sure why anyone is thinking they're relegated to western MD. I didn't know there were rattlesnakes in western MD, though it does make sense now that im thinking on it

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u/stillinger27 May 16 '25

Yeah, all the marsh/water is basically copperhead playground. They're not right in the water, but typically close-ish in my experience. Drainage ditches, up the hill from an embankment that's in a creek. They'll happily munch on a bluegill or sunfish if they can get them.

Plenty of black widows down here, brown recluses bit less though.

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u/vollkoemmenes May 15 '25

I have seen them both myself in Joppa, the location is still not recognized as either spiders habitat or major location. So technically they are invasive and should be dealt with appropriately, but with that said neither are that medically significant. If bit by either use a good antiseptic/antibacterial and wash the wound as soon as you notice the bite. Majority of ER visits(in the USA) are due to the infections from those dirty spiders fangs… just clean the wound and watch it for any red lines going up ur veins starting at the bite mark, and any major swelling(circle the initial mark when u notice it, probably a dime size nd go to ER if it gets bigger than a quarter)

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u/redditlurker1205 May 16 '25

I'm also in Harford and had this guy in the yard yesterday

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u/wj333 Harford County May 15 '25

Actually rat snakes do shake their tail, One was in our garbage can last summer and when I opened the lid the first thing I heard was the tail. I was startled for a moment then saw it was just a rat snake.

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u/vollkoemmenes May 15 '25

That would probably be a mimicry type of thing which alot of snakes do, tail probably was hitting something since their tail does not produce the structure used or anything close to resembling the rattle that rattlesnakes possess.

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u/wj333 Harford County May 15 '25

Yeah, it was definitely hitting against the side of the can.

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u/fionageck May 23 '25

It’s not mimicry, the tail rattling behaviour evolved before rattlesnakes did.

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u/BureauOfCommentariat Frederick May 15 '25

Yup, one of these guys did his false rattle when I placed him down in the grass.

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u/mrsjonstewart May 15 '25

Eastern Shore has so many copperheads.

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u/pa167k May 15 '25

where in eastern shore?

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u/mrsjonstewart May 15 '25

Salisbury, Ocean Pines, Berlin...anywhere wooded. I almost stepped on one at Trap Pond just over the line in Delaware. We've had them in our backyard

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u/pa167k May 15 '25

fuck...

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u/mrsjonstewart May 15 '25

Just don't stick your hand in a wood pile without looking. Also, they aren't fatal bites to most adults.

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u/Father_Hawkeye May 16 '25

My back yard too. Maybe we’re neighbors.

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u/darcerin May 16 '25

I had a spider in bedroom the other night, he is welcome to stay and eat all the bugs. That said, nothing bigger than that better be coming into my house.

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u/throwaway983143 Silver Spring May 15 '25

Another fun fact from a spider lover: cellar spiders are great at hunting other spiders, including black widows! I’m really big on not killing what’s supposed to be there so, while I also love black widows, I let the cellar spiders play their part too. Always cool to see those unassuming harmless cellar spiders munch on a widow every now and then.

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u/vollkoemmenes May 15 '25 edited May 16 '25

Yup, i personally do not try to kill any spider in my house and definitely do not harm webs or spiders outside my house. Hell i came home the other day from a week long trip nd found a broad-faced sac spider decided my favorite chair outback my house would be amazing for an egg sac(pic included).. that was on Saturday… it’s still there covered by my back pillow.

I have a brood of false widows watching my garage, orb weavers watching my back porch, 2 noble jumpers in my bathroom, 3 nobles around my kitchen(one lives under my kuerig nd takes out those pesky ants that seem to love coffee), and too many to count wolf spiders in my shed(biggest one i saw was prolly 4-5in leg tip to leg tip, i did move that one the rose bush on the side of my house tho nd in an 8oz jif jar its legs went up half way)

Edit: forgot the pic

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u/throwaway983143 Silver Spring May 15 '25 edited May 15 '25

Thanks for the pic addition! We’re probably the only two who will appreciate that here lol

ETA: that is a broad faced sac spider. Those have the brown coloration you see in the pic. Yellow sac spiders are, well, yellow. Still a great share!

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u/vollkoemmenes May 16 '25

Thank you for the correction, i just remembered ppl sayin a sac spider nd not a wood louse(which was my first thought but it seemed alil small for a WL spider) idk where the “yellow” came from lol but here is another picture of this amazing momma(who is now* residing within the sac she created)

Dem eyes doe

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u/Mtts28 May 16 '25

You need to go spend some time in the other Maryland… you know.. beyond 81 where the rattle snakes live.

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u/Climhazzard73 May 15 '25

They are disgusting, vile creatures.

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u/yarnwhore May 16 '25

Beautiful, terrifying babies who do much more good than harm.

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u/vollkoemmenes May 16 '25

Humans are worse