So glad that Hissy has found a good temporary home. I've always loved snakes and have had them as pets since I was a child. Later, when I was in grad school and living in an apartment just off campus, my much younger brother brought a rat snake home from scout camp. Unfortunately, my father, who was terrified of snakes, announced that either the snake went or he would go, so naturally I took him off my brother's hands and installed him in a nice herpetarium in my apartment (at which point I discovered just who my friends were and weren't!) Kaa (as I named him, from Kipling of course) stayed with me until I had to move to another location, at which point I found a new home for him.I would love to have a snake pet again, but now I'm in a New York City apartment and haven't the room it would need. I'm hoping that Hissy will find a wonderful new home. Thanks to you for being so kind in rescuing him even though you weren't familiar with snakes!

I google for "__animal name__" of "__location__" and it works quite well http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/snakes/snakes_of_virginia.htm  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_water_snake http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/northern_water_snake  Northern Water Snake baby ... they are strongly marked compared to the adults.

Anyone living or playing outside the concrete jungle in Tx should learn to id the 4 venomous snakes indigenous to Tx because there are so many different kinds that are harmless. Two are easy. Coral will never be confused with others if you remember "red touch black,friend of Jack,red touch yellow kill a fellow". Rattler,,,,,,,,,you will know him when you see him,nuff said. That leave's Copperhead and Cottonmouth which have hundreds of look alikes. Unlike imposters,both have elliptical eye pupils like a cat. If you have someone show you pits in both their heads and lack of in imposters,that will help also. BTW,most Texans call all large harmless species "chicken snakes"but that's because so few know the proper names.

Not sure where you are located but just generalizing, the head is the wrong shape to be one of the venomous North American snakes. The exception to the triangular shaped head would be the coral snake and it certainly isn’t one of those. Just leave it be and let it go about its business of eating vermin.