Most of us have seen on the news recently that people have been buying houses unaware of these houses being a home to thousands of snakes. This is definitely the extreme.
Snakes are not normally social animals. They do not tend to gather in packs or live in huge colonies; however, if your home looks like the perfect environment for them, then you may have one or more snakes inhabiting your house. This is most assuredly worse in certain climates and locations.
So, how can you tell if you have a snake problem? There are many signs to look for and many experiments you can do; however, if you have the suspicion that you may have a snake nearby, it is certainly favorable to call in an expert.
They will know what to look for and what they are doing. It is also preferable to have someone on hand who can identify the snake and know if they are venomous or not.
Signs of a snake infestation
You see the snake. If you see a snake, you can be sure that you have at least one. Snakes are for the most part nocturnal creatures, so they are more active at night. They hibernate during the winter and try to relax during extreme temperatures. So, you will most likely see a snake on a summer’s night.
However, this may not be the only time that you may come across a snake. Remember snakes do not usually live in colonies, so you could have a solitary snake. Just because you saw one, there is no need to panic and think that you have a house infested with millions of snakes.
You find their skin. Snakes shed their skin, and of course they do not eat it and it does not automatically melt. So, it will remain there where they left it for a while, and you may eventually come across some on your property or in your house. If you do happen to discover some snake skin that is too close for comfort, then you should call a wildlife professional right away. They can identify the type of snake and safely remove the snake from your property.
You come across their nest or eggs. Snakes typically have their babies in the fall, so anytime prior to fall, you may have the chance to stumble across their nests or their eggs. If you do find eggs on your property leave them alone and contact your local wildlife removal company. You never know if the mother or any other snakes are nearby, so you need to tread carefully.
A snake detecting experiment
Many people like to try the flour trick, if they suspect they have a snake problem. Typically they will spread out flour or some other powder like substance near any appliances that give off heat like the stove or the refrigerator and wait to see if they find any slithery marks left on their trap.
Some may even take this trick a little bit farther by adding a heat lamp and a small dish of water to attract the snake. However, this takes a lot of time and patience. Also you have to clean up the flour after you show a wildlife professional, and you can not be sure if they are snake tracks until you have a professional look at them anyway. It would be much easier to go ahead and call in the experts to check and see if you truly have a snake infestation.
The best option for anyone that fears they have a snake problem is to call professional help. It can be hard work trying to remove snakes, especially when you have no idea what kind they are.
Most people are so freaked out by snakes that they just tend to kill them anyway, and this may not be the best solution for the environment. A professional can remove the snake and place it back in its natural habitat.
The best thing for you to do is try to make your house as unfriendly to snakes as you can and leave the snake wrangling to the professionals.