Snakes
Serving Central Indiana
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Don't Let Pesky Wildlife Invade Your Space

Snakes

Snakes invading your property? The most common complaints include the following:
• Snakes in yard or on property
• Snakes living under home or deck
• Snake in the swimming pool
• Snake inside the home!
• Concern for safety of pets

Snake Species: 
Some facts common to all snakes - they have no eyelids. They smell with their tongues, by flicking the forked tongue out and tasting the air with the Jacobsen's organ. They are carnivorous. Some give birth to live young, but most lay eggs. One myth about snakes is that if a snake has a triangular head, it is poisonous (venomous). This is not true - most snakes have triangular heads. As reptiles, their body temperature is regulated by surrounding temperatures. Sometimes they'll sunbathe to raise temperature. Many snake usually prefer to hide under heavy cover in cool areas. All snakes are strictly carnivores, and since they can't chew, they swallow their food whole. 

Snake Behavior: 
The important thing to know is that most snakes are non-venomous, and pretty much none of them are aggressive. That is, no snake will slither up to you and attack you. Most will run, and some will stand their ground, but if you leave the snake alone, it'll leave you alone. That's how it works for most animals. Snakes live in a wide variety of habitats. Some are great climbers, some are aquatic. Most are very patient when it comes to catching prey - they sit still and silent for a very long time, then when a prey item is in reach, they strike! Some kill by venom, some by constriction. Some just grab bugs and eat them.

Nuisance Concerns: 
The primary concern seems to be fear of snakes (Ophidiophobia) which many people have. It's a common phobia, and I've seen it many times. Even for those without a flat-out phobia, snakes are often unsettling. People don't know which snakes are venomous and which are not, so they are naturally cautious around all snakes. Snakes inhabit many ecological niches, and often around human buildings. They'll get into pools, screened porches, and oftentimes, the home itself. Snakes don't need much space to enter a home.

Snake Diseases: 
Snakes can carry diseases. Snakes can be host to a large number of parasites, which in turn, can affect humans, dogs and cats. Protozoa can cause digestive, respiratory and reproductive illnesses in snakes, humans and other animals. Tapeworms are parasites of the digestive system. Roundworms can damage the lungs and digestive tract. Snakes carry the bacteria salmonella on their skin.

How can you tell if Snakes are venomous:
Many people mistakenly assume that all snakes are poisonous - the correct term is "venomous", because snakes inject venom, whereas poison is a more generic term. The truth is that there's no easy way for amateurs to tell - so just leave all snakes alone! If you must know, your best bet is to simply do a web search for the venomous snake species in your state, and memorize what they look like. Finally, with the exception of the red/black/yellow coral snake, most venomous snakes in the USA are pit vipers, which are very fat snakes. So if it's a thin snake, it's probably harmless. The pit vipers are all rattlesnakes (and all rattlesnakes are venomous!) or fat water snakes, like the cottonmouth or copperhead. Of course, harmless water snakes are also pretty thick, so it's hard to tell. And pretty much all snakes have triangular heads or patterns of some sort, so there's no single trait that will determine if a snake is dangerous or not. Best bet - just leave all snakes alone if you encounter one. Most bites happen when people try to catch or kill snakes.

How to get rid of Snakes:
If you've got a snake on your property, you might just want to leave it alone. It'll be on its way. If you see it habitually and don't like it, then you might want to have it removed. If you've got a snake inside your house and you are unsure of the species, don't try to catch it - most cases of snake bite actually occur when a person is trying to kill or catch a snake. Leave it alone, or isolate it if possible. A wildlife control expert can come and remove the snake.
Call 765-586-2971 today! We're standing by to help.
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