Rats are such a pain!!!!
I would think an engine would get too hot . Tough Texas snakes!

Reading this I am reminded of the time shortly after moving to Fountain, that I had to take one of the dogs to the vets. I had not found a vet here yet, so it was a two hour drive to Port St. Joe. Just before leaving I watched a red rat snake climb into the engine compartment of my truck. It rode there all the way to St. Joe and stayed put even while waiting on a train to pass. Got to the vet, parked in front of the door and I watched while the snake dropped down and headed that way The race was on...who would win...me and the dog or the snake. The gal at the desk was not a happy camper, but the snake took a left and we (Hannibul and I) headed into the office. Well the gal got to thinking and turned ashen because her car was parked on the left and that's where the snake was headed. The vet was rather surprised when a few minutes later he returned from lunch and saw half his staff and me outside beating the bushes

that would have been a sight to see

porkpal said:Oh the rat snake has no worries. He is welcome to stay. I just need to remember to look into the nest boxes before reaching in. That cold, smooth snake feel is not anything I can get used to. Rats are a far bigger problem. We have had to have one of the farm trucks worked on several times, as it is not used daily, and rats take up residence in various parts - most recently the air conditioning system.

Rats were eating through my speedometer cable EVERY night once. At $70/a whack at getting it repaired, I did without knowing my speed for a few months. I finally caught two huge rats - or rather my dogs caught one and I caught the second in a trap. That stopped it, but they show up from time to time. Anything plastic or rubber is at risk - vehicles, lawnmowers, wheeled weedeaters. Destructive things and it's expensive to get some things repaired. Frankly, their destruction even makes me feel more kindly toward the pit vipers. I can sure empathize with not wanting to put my hands on the snakes, though. That's exactly why the one in the barn left. I put my hand under a hen to get the egg(s) and instead got hold of a rat snake. I went all kinds of haywire . Just another instance when I'm glad no one was around with something to put it on video - or even to tell their version of what they witnessed .

@needrain That's pretty funny, even if we couldn't see the video!