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A friend's photo of a snake in her SUV made me wonder why snakes appear in unexpected places. While that was the first time I'd heard about a snake in a vehicle, my family has had snakes in their homes on more than a few occasions. Earlier this summer my grandmother found a snake in her kitchen. When my father moved into his new house we discovered dozens of baby snakes in the stairwell to the basement. Snakes slithered through an uncapped pipe into my aunt's finished basement.
Why Do Snakes Go Inside?
It comes down to two things that are important to many animals: food and shelter. The shrubbery and landscaping that surrounds most houses is an ideal snake habitat. Food is generally abundant near humans with bugs in the garden, rodents seeking out similar shelter, and egg-laying chickens.
Snakes seek safe dens, especially in the winter. They often den in groups. One alarming fact I discovered while conducting research for this blog entry was that a single rattlesnake den can contain over 70 snakes - and it could be in your home! You might not even notice it until the snakes disperse in the spring. Most snakes that venture indoors seek shelter in basements, attics, and wall cavities.
During times of drought snakes will go inside to seek water. I believe this is why the snake was in my grandmother's kitchen; the summer was very dry here and there are not water sources nearby their home. Snakes are commonly found near hoses or other pipes in the summer when water is scarce.
What to Do
If you find a snake in your home it's first important to determine whether or not it is poisonous. While a poisonous snake is obviously a danger, any snake poses a risk because they carry an odor and may carry disease. Snakes may signal an insect or rodent problem; they may come inside because of a food source.
While I was searching for information about the topic I came across the PTS Snake Finder Micro Mini Camera. It has a 1-meter flexible tube attached to a handheld viewing screen. (Personally, I wouldn't really want to be within 1 meter of a rattlesnake!) They recommend getting the snake hook and tongs, plus a bag to go with the device. No thank you! Any snakes found in my home will be evicted by experts.
There are some "snake repellants" on the market; home remedies like moth balls are also recommended for keeping snakes away. The verdict on whether or not these methods actually work was usually "…no, they don't."
As for why the snake was in the SUV, I didn't find any conclusive answers. Googling "why is there a snake in my car" turned up tens of thousands of results. Most of these were question-and-answer sites. There were even some videos!
Have you ever found a snake where you least expected it? What did you do?
Resources:
Allstate Animal Control - Snakes
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Re: Snakes Inside
