# Snake behind drywall



## bob22 (May 28, 2008)

Don't know if this would work, but could shake flour or similar powder in front of opening to see if there a marks left by your visitor on exiting.


----------



## KurtP (Sep 12, 2010)

Yes I put some tissue at the entrance and it doesn't seem to be disturbed after a night of clove oil and this morning the ammonia addition






. Ammonia has the vapor pressure that should permeate. It is used as a diy repellant around the house (soaked rags in plastic).
Fortunately I know where the studs are.


----------



## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

Depending on where you live it could be a black racer (they also come in brown, yellow bellied and red). They live all the way up and down the east cost and sub species live in the mid west. Probably the most beneficial snake you can have. They are non-poisonous and very territorial and will kill any other snake in the area as well as all the rodents, lizards and larger insects.

In Florida they kill coral snakes, water moccasin (cotton mouth), rattlers, etc. And they go after moles!

I don't know how you can tell if they are gone - perhaps put a flapper on the exit you created so it'll shut after they go out?


----------



## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Being that small indicates it recently hatched, probably along with a dozen or so others. So you are dealing with a lot of snakes, hopefully all others are outside.

You said you don't like snakes but you may have to accept that this one will remain part of the house which really isn't a big concern being so small.

Bud


----------



## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

Bud9051 said:


> Being that small indicates it recently hatched, probably along with a dozen or so others. So you are dealing with a lot of snakes, hopefully all others are outside.
> 
> You said you don't like snakes but you may have to accept that this one will remain part of the house which really isn't a big concern being so small.
> 
> Bud


Didn't OP mean it was 3-1/2 FEET long....=?


----------



## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

LOL, I had to go back and check. He actually said 3 1/2 without specifying feet or inches. My mind just jumped on inches but logically I agree "feet" would be more realistic.
Thanks
Bud


----------



## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

KurtP said:


> I saw a 3 1/2 black snake slither behind my drywall. I don't know how it got into the house. I managed to jerry rig a 6" duct exit to the outside via a window. I drilled a small hole and covered it with ammonia soaked rags to repel it out. How might I know that the snake exited? I don't want it to die back there. I hate those things.


Hmm. Three and a half feet?

If so that's pretty good sized.

Snakes are very VERY hard to track. If it's not poisonous, I strongly recommend letting it stay. It will be a live-in exterminator for rats, etc. But it won't hurt you or your family.

Yes, I know, some people are afraid of snakes, but I wouldn't worry about this one.


----------



## Santa01 (Apr 15, 2021)

I was disgusted when I found out that the snake was behind my drywall and I didn't know how to get it out..


----------



## KurtP (Sep 12, 2010)

Fortunately the snake found the egress and after examining with a flexible scope, was able to see that it didn't like the oils and ammonia in there. 

For snakes in the yard, since I live near a water area, I managed to find and order poly netting with 1/8" openings. This will protect the important yard areas. I was thinking that a 2 ft or 2 1/2 ft height, concave, would/should keep them from crawling over it, secured with landscape fabric pins. For the property boundary, I am constructing the fence myself with overlapping edges and zero clearance at the bottom. This should complete the pest barrier.


----------



## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Building a fence to keep snakes out is a measure of futility. I read the post in amusement. Sorry. Rat snakes are the most important element of your ecostructure when it comes to ridding your yard of bad venomous (not poisonous) snakes and rodents. Snakes don't hear. They only sense vibrations with their tongue. We have them all over, and welcome them. Oh, they can climb further than 2 1/2', incidentally. Close up entrances to your house, but leave them alone. They know what to do.

We have them all over, and consider them friends. I know most folks abhor them. Unjustifiably so.


----------



## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

chandler48 said:


> Building a fence to keep snakes out is a measure of futility. I read the post in amusement. Sorry. Rat snakes are the most important element of your ecostructure when it comes to ridding your yard of bad venomous (not poisonous) snakes and rodents. Snakes don't hear. They only sense vibrations with their tongue. We have them all over, and welcome them. Oh, they can climb further than 2 1/2', incidentally. Close up entrances to your house, but leave them alone. They know what to do.
> 
> We have them all over, and consider them friends. I know most folks abhor them. Unjustifiably so.
> 
> ...


Great pictures!

Hmm, if you can get two snakes to wrap around that stick at the same time it would look like a physician’s symbol.


----------



## KurtP (Sep 12, 2010)

Now I found a 3 ft snake skin in my cellar. Unfortunately it is opened to the basement from improvements to replace rotted joists so it could crawl up there. My wife will freak out if she runs into it. How do I find out where the snake is, let along go inside?


----------



## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

KurtP said:


> Now I found a 3 ft snake skin in my cellar. Unfortunately it is opened to the basement from improvements to replace rotted joists so it could crawl up there. My wife will freak out if she runs into it. How do I find out where the snake is, let along go inside?


Geeze, I don't know.

I think the true answer is therapy for your wife, though I know many people are afraid of snakes, and this is NOT to make fun. (My mom hated my snake-for-pet fling as a kid.) 

Non-poisonous snakes are so good in so many ways.

That said, maybe a university herptologist might have some thoughts, though I suspect that anything that will "scare" snakes off, will likely not be fun for people or pets, either.

Hmm. Wish I knew more!


----------



## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

KurtP said:


> How do I find out where the snake is


Snake is nowhere near where it shed its skin. It has moved on to where FOOD is. So if you have mice, he may still be around. Otherwise, once he has scouted things out, he is on to better hunting grounds.


----------



## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

One huge thing, is that snakes often love human habitation, because lots of rodents are there, and lots of rodents are there, because there's food for them, which is food for us.

I've done a bit of searching on "snake scaring" with no luck.


----------

