# Is there a snake in my wall?



## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

I think I have a snake in my wall. It doesn't sound anything like a typical mouse or rat. It's a constant sliding sound. It sounds like it's sliding left to right, and the sliding sound lasts for about 5 seconds straight. There's no gnawing or scratching at all. Just sounds like something sliding around in the insulation. I've tried pounding on the wall, and it doesn't seem to bother it. 

So, I went outside and started scouting around for possible entry points. I do not have any holes in my fascia's or soffits, no rotten spots anywhere along the roof that anything could get in.

I went in the attic and cannot hear or find it. So, it is definitely in the wall.

I did find this hole, next to the wall where I hear the noise. 

I set 2 mouse traps next to the hole with peanut butter. If it's messed with, it's not a snake. That is, if it gets back out.

Any thoughts or suggestions on what you think it may be? And/or how to get it out. I'd open up the wall, but fear that it may be venomous, and im already running late for work. So, it's going to stay in there for tonight. My gf will be here and keep me informed if anything changes.


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## retired guy 60 (Jun 23, 2009)

The overwhelming majority of snakes are nonvenomous. I wish I lived nearby as I would help you remove the snake, if that's what it is. I have experience with all kinds of snakes including rattlesnakes, puff adders and cobras. The latter two do not reside in the US, needless to say. You probably need a scope to look into the wall w/o to avoid alot of demolition. Harbor Freight has one that is relatively modest in cost. Let's assume it is a snake. It might leave by the same hole it enterred by. You really don't want it to die in the wall as there will be an unpleasant odor so please don't listen to the posters who will say to use poison gas. If I had to guess, I'd say it is just a garter snake. The best way to handle snakes you are unsure of is with a stick with an L at the end like a golf putter. The snake will balance on it if you lift it in the middle. Some herpetologists prefer a stick with a noose. It is really unnecessary in my experience. What you could do is become familiar with the native snakes that frequent your area. There may not even be any venomous snakes where you live. In NJ we have copperheads and rattlesnakes but none at all in the county where I live. People often think the watersnakes they see here are cottonmouths but that's not possible. Good luck.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Might be insects,too. so be careful if you open up a wall----


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

retired guy 60 said:


> The overwhelming majority of snakes....


Thanks for the info. I've never had a fear of snakes. Used to catch them all of the time when I was kid without a care of what kind they were or if they were venomous. We used to use a small tree branch and put it against the top of their head without hurting them, then reach down and pick them up. 

Around here, for venomous snakes, we have rattle snakes, mocassins, and copper heads that I know of. 

I'm at work right now, but just spoke to my girlfriend (she's checking this thread regularly from home). She said that she hasn't heard it at all for the last couple of hours. 

If I hear it again tomorrow while I am there, i'll cut a small hole in the wall and step back to see what comes out. 




oh'mike said:


> Might be insects,too. so be careful if you open up a wall----


Thanks for the warning. If these are insects, these are the largest insects I have ever experienced. If I were to guess, I would say whatever I am hearing, sounds like it is between 5 and 10lbs at most.


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## retired guy 60 (Jun 23, 2009)

Since there are studs generally 16 inches on center in most walls you should not have too much problem locating the creature. Please let us know what you find.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

If that is a 10 lb snake in there , I would step WAY back, venomous or not.:laughing:


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

chrisn said:


> If that is a 10 lb snake in there , I would step WAY back, venomous or not.:laughing:


Ha! I'm serious. It doesn't sound small at all. I would be very surprised if it was small and made that much, and that loud of noise.

Plan A: Cut the hole and put a 5gal bucket near it and hope it goes in the bucket. 

Plan B: Wait until it starts to come out of the hole and try to catch it in the bucket. 

Plan C: Grab it right behind the head as soon as it comes out of the hole and gently pull it the rest of the way out.

Plan D: Improvise on the fly and hope for the best. :laughing:



retired guy 60 said:


> Since there are studs generally 16 inches on center in most walls you should not have too much problem locating the creature. Please let us know what you find.


Will do. This morning when I came home, the mouse traps were untouched. I had placed two leaves on the edge of the hole. One of the leaves was moved. My girlfriend said that she hadn't heard it at all the entire night. She's a light sleeper, and anything wakes her.

Assuming it got back out through the hole, I put a small plastic cap over the hole and pushed it into the dirt. I took the rock that is in the picture and put it on top of the cap. If it wants back in, it will have to dig around it. If it's still inside, it can easily push the cap up out of the way. 

If I don't hear anything for a week, i'll move the cap and fill the hole back in. If I do hear anything else, i'll be opening the wall up and posting pictures here of what I find.


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## retired guy 60 (Jun 23, 2009)

Sounds like a good plan. Very glad to read a post from an individual who wants to remove an unwanted guest w/o resort to guns, poisons, explosives, deadly gas or nuclear weapons. And equally refreshing not to read suggestions from others advising that such methods are needed.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

retired guy 60 said:


> Sounds like a good plan. Very glad to read a post from an individual who wants to remove an unwanted guest w/o resort to *guns, poisons, explosives, deadly gas or nuclear weapons.* And equally refreshing not to read suggestions from others advising that such methods are needed.


This is indoors. We save that stuff for outdoor problems.



















Just kidding! :laughing:





Only on wasps.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

retired guy 60 said:


> Sounds like a good plan. Very glad to read a post from an individual who wants to remove an unwanted guest w/o resort to guns, poisons, explosives, deadly gas or nuclear weapons. And equally refreshing not to read suggestions from others advising that such methods are needed.


Well, for me, that would depend on the type and disposition of the critter that was attempting to share my abode. :yes:


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## bassJAM (Dec 12, 2012)

Get a mouse, tie a string around it, and put it in the hole. Snake eats mouse, you pull string, mouse and snake come out together.


Honestly I'd probably wait a couple days and see if it gets out of there itself. Snakes can live for a long time without food so it's probably not going to die right away. And if it sticks around, it could be because there's things in there it likes eating, so you might have other critters as well. If it stays, yeah, I'd cut a hole in the wall and see what's in there.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

bassJAM said:


> Get a mouse, tie a string around it, and put it in the hole. Snake eats mouse, you pull string, mouse and snake come out together.


Hahaha!

We haven't heard anything at all since that day. The little plastic cap that I sat over the hole is untouched. I assume that it got back out. I sure would have liked to have caught it and seen how big it actually was.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

If that thing was 10 pounds, it must have been a python or anaconda!


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

chrisn said:


> If that thing was 10 pounds, it must have been a python or anaconda!


They have them in Texas. :huh: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Five-Giant-Snakes-We-Should-Worry-About.html


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

As an update, I found some feces that I believe may be snake feces. There is definately something that looks like mouse fur in them, and googling for images of snake feces shows very similar results. I found them on the opposite side of the house, next to a new hole in the ground that goes under a flower bed.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

You might need some good friends:laughing:


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

chrisn said:


> You might need some good friends:laughing:


Ha!

As long as it stays out of the walls, it is free to roam the yard. If it's eating mice or other rodents, then who needs a cat?


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

r0ckstarr said:


> Ha!
> 
> As long as it stays out of the walls, it is free to roam the yard. If it's eating mice or other rodents, then who needs a cat?


I get the feeling you wouldn't have a cat for very long either...

Brian: I am in awe of your girlfriend. She just casually goes to sleep..on her own..while this unknown serpent slithers around a mere few metres from where she is sleeping...with her eyes closed...

Typically..you wouldn't have a girlfriend for long as well.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

creeper said:


> I get the feeling you wouldn't have a cat for very long either...
> 
> Brian: I am in awe of your girlfriend. She just casually goes to sleep..on her own..while this unknown serpent slithers around a mere few metres from where she is sleeping...with her eyes closed...
> 
> Typically..you wouldn't have a girlfriend for long as well.


Welcome back!

C'mon, it's not like what you see in the movies. The snake isn't going to bust through the wall, be over 50 feet long, and swallow her whole. She knows this. She also knows that if she encounters it in the yard, to back away and leave it alone. Chances are, as long as she doesn't have it cornered somewhere, it will just run away.


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

Thanks Rock.

I was cornered by a snake and couldn't get away..mine didn't run away. BTW those most be some strange running snakes you have down there.

I wonder though..if you were to be swallowed whole by a snake if he would take you feet or head first. Probably head first, so those pesky appendages wouldn't get all caught up


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## gobug (Jul 13, 2012)

Just a suggestion: get a sticky trap, a big one like one for rats, not little mice. Place it near the hole. I have caught several snakes over the years while setting the traps for mice.

The glue used for a sticky rodent trap is available in gallons. You need a bowl of soapy dishwater to avoid having it stick to you and a trowel. This would allow you to use a piece of cardboard and cut a hole so it can be placed directly over the hole.

I had a job where a new construction site had the insulation outside until it was installed. Apparently, a group of garter snakes took up residence in the insulation and were accidentally put up into the attic. The snakes showed up in light switches and outlets around the house.

I have recently seen boroscopes at the big box hardware. They are a digital camera in a flexible tube that can give a good view inside a wall with just a small hole. Although the cost of ~$200 was high for a single use, I suspect a local pest control company or supplier would rent you one. That way you could get a good view.

Good luck
Gary


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

How would I safely get it off of the glue trap? I don't want to kill it. It's here to eat mice or rats. I'd rather have a snake roaming around than mice.

Also, after reading online and comparing the feces I found, I think I may have a rat snake. Rat snakes don't make holes in the ground. They take over holes that other rodents make, go in and eat that rodent, and then leave. 

Also found this info:

http://www.houstonzooblogs.org/zoo/2011/10/texass-bold-rat-snake/


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## gobug (Jul 13, 2012)

Taking something off a glue board is not too difficult. It just takes slow motion.

I have removed snakes and birds from the glue boards. Grip the snake near the head with one hand and the glue board with the other hand. Slowly pull the glue board away from the snake. The glue stays on the glue board.

The snake's entry could be hidden from your perspective. Many types of snakes will come out of their habitat in the early morning as the sun rises. They find a place to get warm. Then they leave. The pic of the hole in the ground is not a guarantee that it is the snake entry (if it is a snake).

Do you have a crawl space, or a basement, or just a slab? My question regards how the snake is getting into the wall. If it is in the wall, there must be an entry point beyond the hole in the ground shown in your photo. A crawl space would be the easiest place for you to investigate. There are often multiple entry points into the walls from inside the crawl space. 

A slab would be difficult because you cannot get into the snake space if it is beneath the slab. If you have a basement, the entry could be where the house sits on the foundation.

You could take a handful of flour and spread it around the suspected snake hole. If there is a snake, you will see some marks, like lines (not footprints). That could help confirm it is the entry.

good luck
Gary


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

r0ckstarr said:


> Chances are, as long as she doesn't have it cornered somewhere, it will just run away.


Snakes don't have legs. So they can't run. LOL


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## retired guy 60 (Jun 23, 2009)

Removing a snake from a sticky trap will result in injury or death to the snake. I am certain of this. Snakes are not as indistructable as people think. Their skin is soft unlike an alligator's hide. 
Best to leave the snake alone as you plan to do and it will repay the favor by eating unwanted mice. Gopher snakes (not sure if you have them in Texas) will borrow into the ground and they are relatively large. Also quite harmless.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

That's what I was thinking. I've held snakes before and know how soft they are. I honestly have no issue with the snake, just so long as it stays out of the wall. Still haven't heard it in the wall, so we are good for now.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

beenthere said:


> Snakes don't have legs. So they can't run. LOL


:laughing: Sorry, I forgot that evolution took them away. :laughing:


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## retired guy 60 (Jun 23, 2009)

r0ckstarr.
Snakes are not great at digging holes. Sure. a sand snake can bury itself in loose sand but digging holes is not a snake's forte. Problem is they can't seem to grasp a shovel. If I had to take a guess I'd say you have moles or chipmunks making the holes and the snake is enterring in search of food. Once the food source is gone the snake will go elsewhere. I hope there are woods nearby. Not many homeowners are as enlightened and tolerant as you are.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

retired guy 60 said:


> r0ckstarr.
> Snakes are not great at digging holes. Sure. a sand snake can bury itself in loose sand but digging holes is not a snake's forte. Problem is they can't seem to grasp a shovel. If I had to take a guess I'd say you have moles or chipmunks making the holes and the snake is enterring in search of food. Once the food source is gone the snake will go elsewhere. I hope there are woods nearby. Not many homeowners are as enlightened and tolerant as you are.


Yep. I read that the rat snakes don't make the holes. They go in holes made by rodents, eat the rodents, and leave. So, that rat snake did me a favor by getting in my wall. Especially when you consider that I found the snakes feces with mouse hair in them.

My back yard is a very giant field. I expected all of the wildlife before I moved in and keep my camera fully charged at all times.


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