More snakes

[thurlow]

My old maid divorced 58 y o sister called me last night;  said there was a snake in her attic.  Her mid-30s daughter lives with her and doesn't work.  Heard it moving around over her bedroom in the afternoon.  Tile.........celotex or whatever..........ceiling put over (under) the original sheetrock.  It's the house we were raised in and she bought it from parent's estate.  We vaguely remember a leak years ago and some of the sheetrock coming down, so I won't know until looking what is really there.  This was an added-on room and the attic crawl space is LOW.  I've caught and removed 2 other (gray rat/chicken) snakes from the hearth area in the last 2 years.  She says she doesn't have mice, so I don't know why they want to come in.  The chimney/fireplace/hearth was an add-on and has apparently moved away from the house a little, leaving a crack allowing them in.  She and my niece are UPSET.   The niece said she could see the tile moving yesterday when she was hearing it.  I'm waiting to hear from them;  suggested the best thing to do may be to pull the tile down if we hear it and deal with the snake in the bedroom.   That means a messed up ceiling.  I plan to at least look in the attic first and try this

 

It's about 10 ft long and the best I could come up with in a hurry.  It's been suggested that multiple large glue traps would hold the snake.  Ideas?

[Jeff]

I'm logging off, and I'm not coming back until somebody tells me that snake is gone.

[Radar67]

The glue traps will work...if you can get the snake to crawl through them.

Stew

[beenthere]

thurlow
This should be an interesting problem to solve. 

Maybe a trap with a mouse or rat in it will get the snake to come down, or into the trap. Or put the trap where the snake goes out for food, maybe a better idea.

No mice, maybe because the snake is there........??

But will continue to wonder if it is a snake, or something else the women are hearing......not that they ever make things up or jump to conclusions.....

Sure hope the mystery gets solved. 

[sgtmaconga]

Learned this trick off the animinal planet.

your food source is eather rats or birds. we get rat snakes in dads bird room so take the food source be it rat mice or baby bird. tie a 5' fishing line around 15 to 20 lb. test to the bait. the snake will swallow the bait and you can just pull him out the next day. live bait works best.

and please know that no pets were harmed in the use of this trap.

[jim king]

This might not be for you but here they cover thier arm or leg with blood and put it into where the snake is resting.  When the snake swallows enough arm or leg it cannot let loose so with some help the guy gets pulled out with the snake hanging on and then they can kill the snake.

[LeeB]

You're absolutely right. Not for me. Snakes don't bother me, but I can't see letting one eat me on purpose. 

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Gives a whole new meaning to the words "Snake Charmer", EH

[Dave Shepard]

I'd get me some of them sticky moose traps fer sure!  Don't need any stinkin' snakes in my house!


Dave

[Onthesauk]

I had an email float through here yesterday, even tried to figure out how to get it on site somehow, just for Jeff's benefit.  Some gal had a snake crawl into her computer and fried itself, apparently trying to get warm.  Whole series of pictures, all wrapped around the components.

[LedlieLogs]

thurlow I think you are pretty good with your rig there. I used a broom stick with a plastic top rigged like yours, worked liked a charm. Get up in that attic and take a gander, keep a sharp eye. You know what happens when you tear into the ceiling/roof system in old houses. You and your sister might get to spend a whole bunch of time together.
Good luck,
Ledlie

[Kcwoodbutcher]

Had a black snake do that in my breaker box. Got in there pretty good before he hit the mains and fried himself. Only reason I knew he was there was the stink it made. Cleaned out what I could but parts of him are still in there.

[maple flats]

I'd sell the house, I hate snakes! One of my some however has 3 pet snakes, some type of constrictor, but they are not in the house i live in.
Dave

[Faron]

Thurlow, are you sure that there pole is long enough?    You know, if you catch him that way, that snake might make an interesting show and tell item at the pig roast.    He'd be kind of a celebrety. Just box him up and feed him for a few months.

Had a little blacksnake try to convince me he was a rattler today.  I grabbed for his tail as he was going into the honeysuckle, and he took exception to that.  He coiled up and vibrated his tail against the leaves to make a buzzing sound.  I have seen them do that before.  I wonder if they somehow know about rattlesnakes, or does that just happen because they are nervous?

[pineywoods]

[quote author=FaroMight be a little of bothn
.
Had a little blacksnake try to convince me he was a rattler today.  I grabbed for his tail as he was going into the honeysuckle, and he took exception to that.  He coiled up and vibrated his tail against the leaves to make a buzzing sound.  I have seen them do that before.  I wonder if they somehow know about rattlesnakes, or does that just happen because they are nervous?

Might be a little of both..There's a variety of mud snake here that has a very blunt tail. folklore has it, there is a poisonous stinger at the end. They will pop theend of the tail against anything that comes close. One tale says a farmer tackled one with a hoe. The snake popped the hoe handle with his stinger and the handled swelled up to 4" dia..

[Dave Shepard]

I don't know if black snake know about rattlers, but I do know that around here the saying is that if you have black snake, you don't have rattlers.


Dave

[Larry]

I don't know if black snake know about rattlers, but I do know that around here the saying is that if you have black snake, you don't have rattlers.
Dave

Not true.

 

Rattler blood really pops the grain on fine walnut.

[Tim L]

Burn the house down and move !!! I HATE SNAKES !!!

[WDH]

That rattler's head looks a little catywhompus............

[thurlow]

Well, a little bit of an update.  Went down Thursday and climbed up into the attic.  The roof is about a 3/12 pitch; can get around on your hands and knees.  No flooring, but sheets of plywood down the center.  I've got a 15 million cp rechargeable flashlight and it lit the place up good;  trust me I looked carefully overhead.  There were 6 or 8 snake skins, so they've had snakes for a while.  No snake, but birds are definitely getting in and nesting, so I assume that's the attraction.  Haven't yet found where they're getting in, but if they climb the chimney to the roof, there is a place under a gable where the back porch was added where they can get in............................

Maybe my sister having snakes is catching;  have finished "boxing" the inside of my new shop, except for the double doors.  Had a piece of weather stripping laying in the frame of one about head high.  Was doing some measuring;  head about 4 inches from the door, when the weather stripping moved. 
  

 

Called my wife to come from the house and look at what had climbed up the door.  (There has been some discussion in the family as to whether snakes could climb the outside of a chimney.) 

Pushed open the double doors (he was laying partly on both of them) and he flopped out onto the ground. 

 

 My wife doesn't recognize but one species...........they're all poisonous (rattle-tail cottonmouths).  Had shovel in hand, but intended to let him escape; at least 'til he started back into the shop where Angie was standing.  The scream she let out would wake the dead, so he went to snake purgartory.