08/09/2025
🐍 Glue Traps & Slippery Noodles – W.I.L.D. Edition
Species Spotlight: Plain-Bellied Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster)
I was just wrapping up at the infamous armadillo job (yep, the same one that’s been keeping me on my toes — we’ll cover that saga another day) when my phone dings and rings.
“Uh… we got a snake stuck on a glue trap.”
Well, that’s never good news, but it’s my kinda call. I told them, “Hang tight, I’m on my way,” and rolled up to find a large, healthy female Plain-Bellied Water Snake looking very unhappy about her current life choices.
She was glued from her jaw down like she’d tried to cosplay as a sticker. The trap paper had gotten wet, so it was breaking apart a bit — but don’t let that fool you, she was still stuck like last year’s Christmas decorations on duct tape.
I told the folks what she was and what she liked to eat — frogs, toads, fish. And wouldn’t you know it… right after I said “toads,” she went, “Oh yeah? Watch this.” and spit up a whole toad like a bad magic trick.
She gave me one quick musking — the snake equivalent of crop dusting — then let me load her in the car without much fuss. Once home, the real work started: vegetable oil, Q-tips, and 30–45 minutes of sloooow, careful persistence.
She never once tried to bite — just kinda chilled, maybe figuring, “Eh, these folks are better than a glue trap.” But once that oil got working? Oh, she turned into a greased spaghetti noodle with trust issues.
💡 W.I.L.D. Snake Facts:
Not venomous! These gals get unfairly mistaken for cottonmouths, which is bad news for them.
Smooth operator: They’re strong swimmers and can dive to escape danger.
Belly style points: As the name suggests, their undersides are plain but bright — yellow, orange, or red.
Snack list: Frogs, toads, fish… and occasionally the patience of rescuers.
🚫 Pro Tip: Glue traps are bad news for wildlife. Birds, lizards, mammals, snakes, even pets — all fair game for that sticky mess. If you use them, keep them where non-target animals can’t reach, or better yet, ditch ’em for humane alternatives.
Another life saved, another critter given a second chance.
W.I.L.D. — Wildlife Intervention & Local Defense
Because every snake deserves a chance to slither again.