Outdoor Pest Control - Snake problem

http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=209886&highlight=snake+glue

in that thread, you spoke of a snake trap using glue. Could you explain what type of glue would be used?

I have recently been informed (at about 110dB) by my wife that the Comcast guy saw a snake in my crawlspace beneath my house.

He had a really good description:

brown and near 2 feet long.That's it.


I live in southern Michigan, actually just north of the border with Indiana. from waht I understand there is only one poisonous snake in Mi (Massusauga rattle snake) and 4 in Indiana although most don;'t live this far north.


Since the description is so lacking, I need to get rid of the little guy to avoid any problems (and to allow my wife to lower her voice below that 110dB scream that keeps emanating from her).

any help would be greatly appreciated although the hearing aid guys may get upset that my hearing may return to normal if the wife is quieted before permanent damage is done to my ears.

twelvepole, twelvepole, lama sabach-thani?

live and let live , snakes are good for the enviorment , doesn't sound poisonous or harmful in any way

I believe she is away and has limited connectivity.

A quick search revealed that you can make a glue board by attaching several rodent sticky traps to a piece of wood.
You will need to read the article to see if the glue board will harm the animal.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW037

live and let live , snakes are good for the enviorment , doesn't sound poisonous or harmful in any way

well, when I crawl under the house and hit my head when he scares the bejebus out of me, I would call that harmful. <insert big grin smiley here>


Problem is, I do not know what kind of snake it actually is. I know of rattlers found a couple miles north of me and just want to be sure nobody gets hurt.

The cable guy was a bit too unsure to be convincing as to the species.

That is why the glue board idea sounds like a good idea though. Live trap and release if no threat, take him where he will be ok if he is.

Hi,

I usually don't bother with controlling snakes as long as they are not in the house proper. If you get rid of the snakes then you may have mice or other vermin to deal with. In the wintertime the snake hibernate and of course of are no use to that end. In the other seasons if any rodents take residence then the snakes have their morning breakfast when they wake up.
Sometimes its best to work with nature before you send her walking.

just my two cents,
gascan

Sometimes its best to work with nature before you send her walking.

just my two cents,
gascan

Thanks GS. If the thing is non-venomous, it's not a big deal but I actually do not know what type of snake it is so, to prevent posibble bites to the dogs or family, I need to know and the only way I can think of is to catch the critter.

No problem with a non-venomous snake eating the mice but I just want to make sure there are no injuries greater than that.

and to GregH; thanks. I missed your post somehow and will read the link.

Hey, how about taking a picture of it and we'll help id it! :D

Nap, why not use a live trap instead of a sticky trap? With a sticky trap you will need to remove the snake from it and that could be a problem with a snake that size. If the snake is not poisonious you also risk hurting it with the sticky trap.
http://www.biconet.com/traps/snakeguard.html

Newt

actually the link provided is a glue trap.


I have been looking for other types of traps. Found a few. Not sure which to use to be most effective.

any hobbiest herpatologists out there?

what's the best trap without injuring the snake?

The best way to trap a snake without injuring it is to hand catch it

I know of no effective live catch snake traps

Just toss some mothballs under the house, he'll be come out in an hour or so and you can catch him then

The best way to trap a snake without injuring it is to hand catch it

I know of no effective live catch snake traps

Just toss some mothballs under the house, he'll be come out in an hour or so and you can catch him then

well, how do I know where he will come out and if I don;t see him, how will I know if he is actually out?

Hand catch? Uh, ya. Not to bad if he is not venomous but I do not know what he is so I am not to frisky about grabbing him with my hand.

With a description of "brown and about 2 feet long" that could be several snakes indigenous to my area and one of them IS venomous. Who knows what an idiot neighbor brought into the area and let go when it got too frisky for him?

I haven't been under the house looking for him and he hasn't bothered me yet either. If I knew he was not venomous, that would not be a bad trade-off but I am just not sure what species it is and that bothers me.

You wont know where he will come out but then you also would not know where to place a glue board, the best you could manage would be a good guess

If you are confident in your ability to ID snakes then use a stick to pin his head down if he is nonvenomous or to smack him in the head if he is venomous

if its identification u need get a web cam eye, ( not expensive at all ) and set it up under ur crawl space. If u go thru a day without luck u may want to put a mouse in a cage under the house near the web cam. If and even if the mouse doesn't help u get the pic u need , ( release the mouse safely somewhere,,its bad juju to injure or mistreat an animal ).
i once had a bee's nest i removed from under a deck cuzz i didn"t want to pay an exterminator $50. heh,heh,heh,,sorry just zoned out a little.

signed,
gascan

Gascan, the mouse is a great idea! Wish I'd thought of it. Of course the poor thing might have heart failure after it's meeting with the snake.

You are definitely braver then I am in removing the bees nest! I got a good giggle out of that one. :D

Newt

yes, gascan, that is an excellent idea.

I will need low light or IR but if not mistaken, even some of those are not overly expensive.

Now to the bad juju.

Isn;t tempting the snake and not giving him the food I tempted him with mistreating the snake? So, which one do I mistreat?:eek:

Why not simply put a small white mouse in a cage with openings small enough it cannot escape but large enough for the snake to get in. When the snake eats the mouse you have trapped him. Add the mini cam and you have dinner and a movie!

The only one not happy about this situation would be the mouse.