7 Signs of Snakes Around Your Home

7 Signs of Snakes Around Your Home

While many species are not harmful to people, even poisonous snakes like rattlesnakes, most people feel uncomfortable about the idea of seeing a snake on their property. If you're hearing strange noises throughout your home or see something moving in your garden, you might be concerned that a snake has found its way into your space. 

Snakes are legless, carnivorous reptiles that live in a variety of land and water habitats. Their diets consist of rodents, other mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, insects, and eggs. Venomous snakes like cobras, vipers, or rattlesnakes kill or paralyze their prey by injecting poison through hollow fangs, while other harmless garter snakes can be useful in your garden. 

No matter what kind of snake it is, the last thing your family wants to encounter is a snake hibernating in your home. We are going to look at some ways you can spot signs of a snake infestation, and what you should do if you find one.

 

7 Signs of Snakes in Your Home

Finding evidence of snakes is difficult, especially in winter, because they can nest inside of your walls to protect themselves from the cold. Typically gardens and landscapes with secluded wildlife areas will have snakes. The most obvious way to determine you have snakes around your house is by spotting them, but many people don't ever want to encounter snakes on their property. Snakes don't leave damage behind like other pests and insects; however, once they enter your home, they often remain in hiding for months without being seen. There are some signs you can look at around your yard and home.

  1. Snakes prefer damp, cool, and dark areas. They like to live in basements, crawlspaces, utility, and laundry rooms. You should cautiously check these areas and behind items like boxes and clutter boxes with a long stick.
  2. Many snakes shed their skin as they grow. If you find a dry, scaly sheet of the skin or a crumpled heap somewhere close to an entrance into the walls of your home or small space areas.
  3. If you are inspecting a dusty area or crawl space, you might notice slither tracks that indicate where a snake has traveled.
  4. Snakes have a distinctive smell that is noticeable. If you encounter a strange scent in a crawl space or other areas that weren't there before, you may want to investigate snakes that might have inhabited the space.
  5. Places to find snakes are in reptile habitats like your yard, garden features, sunny areas with lots of vegetation covered with places to shelter, and under debris and compost heaps.
  6. Unexpected noises coming from the flooring area may indicate the presence of a snake in small, dark, and damp places where they can hide and lay eggs. 
  7. This may be a weird one, but if you observe mice or rats around your home from time-to-time, but there is a mysterious absence of rodents, there may be a chance that you have a snake in the house. 

Removing Snake Nests from Your Home

If you have spotted a snake around your home, you should begin to take steps to protect yourself and your home from an infestation. Examine areas where you have seen snakes and inspect if any holes in the ground may indicate a nest. Do not deal with these spots yourself because there is a high possibility that the snakes will attack. Instead, you can make a note where they are and make a note before a pest control company arrives. Remember snakes prefer dark, damp, and cool areas like basements and crawl spaces. Carefully inspect those places and search for signs of snake inhabitants. Once you are finished checking, and pest control has removed the snakes, follow these preventative steps.

  • Remove any piles of wood, compost heap, or debris from around your property. They can also attract smaller pests that can act as prey for snakes.
  • Regularly mow your lawn and any tall vegetation that is close to your home to eliminate shelter for snakes to hide in.
  • Make sure that you avoid attracting rodents to your home by cleaning out clutter, trash, and food as quickly as possible. 

Call a Professional Snake Removal Service

If you notice the presence of snakes around your yard or home, the most important thing to remember is to not remove them yourself. Many snakes are not dangerous; however, some snakes are deadly, and it's not obvious which ones are and which ones are not. The proper way to remove snakes from your property and keep your family safe is to call for help from a professional company like Rid-A-Bug. Our staff is trained in the humane removal of all types of unwanted wildlife and offers fast, dependable, and effective pest management. If you have a wildlife emergency, contact us today.