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UPDATE - Snake in the House

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Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 955 Central Iowa
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2005-02-17          106302


Ok everyone!! The snake has been caught! See my pics. I posted the photos under #1 (cause I screwed it up), #5 and #6. I don't know how you add words to describe the photos. I think that may be on the board somewhere, but it's not obvious so I haven't found out how to do it.

The scale is hard to see, but it's about 18-24 inches in length. I plan on getting a more accurate measurement upon it's removal. I hadn't checked that room for well over a week. I was in my skivies when I found the body this morning by acident. I wasn't prepared to dispose of it while dressed like that. But I did take photos!

I had set traps along the wall where I had found it the first time. But this time I used the good neck breaking ones. It couldn't squirm out of the trap this time!!

My wife made point in no uncertain terms that she was NOT to see the carcass when I removed it. She does not want to know.




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Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2005-02-17          106308


What species of snake is that? Sure does resemble a copperhead. Glad you finally caught it. I can imagine the nervous posture that was around your house up until now. ;O) ....


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Justus
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 179 Justus, Pa.
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2005-02-17          106313


Iowafan, if you go to this website, scroll down to just below the last image of hognose snakes and CLICK on KEY TO SIMILAR SPECIES, my vote will go to the Fox Snake. Of course you're the one with "Corpus Delicti so you'd have to make the final determination. http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/reptiles/snakes/western_hognose_snake.html
....

Picture Link


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Justus
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 179 Justus, Pa.
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2005-02-17          106314


Iowafun, not Iowafan. Sorry, I'm getting old. ....


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NHDaveD
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 71 New Hampshire
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2005-02-18          106341


Congrats!!! Wow that is one heck of a snake. My family would freak if that was in the house. Heck they would freak if it was outside. I certainly wouldn't like it inside - although it would have come in handy last winter with the mice infestation. ....


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Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 955 Central Iowa
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2005-02-18          106345


It looks more like a Fox snake than a bull snake. Both are non-venemous. I sent a photo of to one of those snake guys to see if they can help with the ID.

I haven't removed the carcass yet. Dealing with a problem with the drain stack. Something's gone wrong and it's pumping fumes into one of the bathrooms. ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-02-18          106351


I think you will find it is a cousin of the fox snake.

It is IMHO, a Great Plains Rat Snake.

If it was only 18-24" long you (and the wife) were lucky, they can grow to 5' long.

The snake in your house though is merely a symptom, it means you also have unprotected openings and likely more than justa few mice, the smell of which is what brought in that snake. They will follow a pathway used for mice until it leads them to dinner, inside or out of your house.

Best of luck. ....


Link:   Great Plains Rat Snake

 

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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2005-02-18          106371


It's a gopher snake. Everything else Murf said is right.

Two years ago I had a gopher snake drop a litter under the front porch. I had baby snakes all over the place, including in the house for weeks.

I threw some of them outside and watched as they crawled back in the house under the wood siding, just like Murf said. It is amazing how small a hole a baby snake can fit into. At least I knew where to tighten things up after that.

Once they get in the house you have to kill them to keep them from coming right back in. ....


Link:   

Click Here


 

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Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 955 Central Iowa
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2005-02-18          106388


I expect I will be tracking down openings this spring and summer. I have had a nice reduction in the mouse population though. So he wasn't all bad. I've gotten one major opening closed up.

Oh well... At least I have a carcass to show that it's dead. ....


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cthonestguy
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 267 northeast
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2005-02-25          106823


WOW you did get him. It looks like a copperhead to me but I can't see the head. Are the eyes round or are they a slit? If they are slits he is a bad dude!

I would move the hell out of my house if I found a 2 inch snake. I won't be able to sleep tonight seeing that sucker. HOLY %$#% I HATE SNAKES!!!

I'm 210# 6'1" and terified of a 6 inch snake!

Glad you killed him. One less snake in the world! ....


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lbrown59
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2005-02-26          106842


Let's hope it was the only one. ....


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brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2005-02-26          106844


Good Job "Mate" So was it a "shiela" or a bloke?
Regaurdless ain't she purdy, she ment no harm just looking for a warm place with plenty of food.
LOL
Sorry , my best impersenation of the crock hunter.
As long as there are no hornet nests down there Id be ok ....


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Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 955 Central Iowa
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2005-02-27          106904


Well, I got it cleaned up yesterday. Thought I had the guts to pick it up by the mouse trap that had it. No going. So I used a tree branch trimmer to grab the mouse trap and haul it out of the room. It did straighten it out and measure it. Not perfectly straight and was 28 inches long. So add another inch for the curve and you have a 29 - 30 inch long snake.

Whew!! Glad that's out of the house. I reset the traps in case there are any more. ....


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cthonestguy
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 267 northeast
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2005-02-27          106905


If I found a 30" snake in my house I'd move to where that Pied Piper dude chased them all out!

They can get into pretty much any house as long as they find the hole. I noticed where my A/C refrigerant lines come in the seal has pulled away a little, dryer vents are a common spot too.

String him up the the front yard for the other snakes to see so they go to the next house! ....


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Justus
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 179 Justus, Pa.
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2005-02-27          106908


Iowafun, did the Herpetologist you sent the picture to ever say what type of snake it was? ....


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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2005-02-27          106910


I am a little surprised that you caught it in a mouse trap. I have never seen that. ....


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Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 955 Central Iowa
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2005-02-27          106915


I never got a response from the herpetologist.

DRankin, He originally got into a mouse trap by wiggling along the wall where I had it set for the mice. They don't know any better so he crawled up along thr trigger and tripped the original. So I did the same with better mouse traps.

What you don't see in the pictures is all the other traps along the walls were all tripped. It was pure dumb luck the one got it. But that's why I set a quantity of traps to get odds in my favor. ....


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