A garden snake was in my garage and my hamsters came up missing did it eat them and is it still in there?

Question

The little dark green snake was last spotted in December.I thought it might have found its way out.My garage is a little junkie.I have empty boxes, blankets,shoes,and a deepfreezer in there and some other stuff in there. If it is in there where could it be hiding .Could it have survived seen December with no food .There may have been a few roaches that are attracted to the heat from the bottom of the deep freezer.There was 14 hamsters that disapeared over night most of them babies.There was nothing left but a hair ball in cage.Just knowing that it may be in there is creeping me out.If the snake is in there how do I find where could it be hiding?.Also how do I get rid of it?

Answer 1

It would help to identify the snake if we knew where you were (general geographic location).

It's possible if you're in the US southwest the snake was a green rat snake and it could have eaten them. If you're in the northwest, the smooth green and rough green snakes there probably wouldn't have been much interested - these are primarily insect-eaters.

Snakes can go for several months without eating if the temperature's cool - not necessarily in a state of hibernation, but something called brumination - the snake is awake and active, but the metabolism has slowed down and it doesn't eat.

Was the hamster in a cage that the snake could have gotten into (wire)? Or was it a glass fish tank with a cover? If you're keeping the hamsters in your garage, I'd suggest a glass tank with a screen cover that could be locked. They make these for reptiles and you could find one in a good pet store. It will keep your hamsters safer!

Another possibility is that the mother may have killed/eaten the babies - they will do this if they sense a threat.

If it cold outside, the snake probably came in looking for warmth. If it has no food source, once it gets warm outside it will leave on its own. If it's a small snake, it could be hiding in anywhere there's a small crack it could get through. You could try animal control, but they would probably want you to have already caught the snake yourself. You could contact a local university or try googling to seee if there is a reptile club in your area (or even contact a local pet shop - private would be best) to see if they know of any local reptile enthusiasts that could help you find and remove it safely.

Answer 2

Yea that would be the snake that ate them, but whether the snake is still in the garage remains to be seen, It could have gone into hibernation, or it could have gotten out somehow, your best bet is to remove everything one by one and look through it, if it is a garden or bush snake it is harmless, or if you are too scared to do it get someone who knows snakes to come and remove it, but if it has gone into hibernation, look in the warmest places like the blankets or the deep freeze. But there is another solution to the disappearance of the hamsters, they know when danger is near, the will do everything in their power to escape, it could be that the hamsters are roaming your garage and the predator is in there with them, that hairball is only one hamster so do yourself a favor and search the garage for your hamsters, there might still be some that is alive. Put some food down for them they will be starved

Answer 3

I would imagine that the missing hamsters might be in "momma" hamster... a snake will not leave a fur ball... they swallow the hamster whole. Finding the snake that MIGHT be in the garage is another matter... find a warm place ( freezer motor ) or under something that is warmer than the rest of the garage.. this will take cleaning out the garage.. have fun with your safari

Answer 4

If the hamsters were in the garage, it's possible that the snake ate them. Call your local animal control and see if they can come get the snake.

Answer 5

It depends on how big your hamsters were. If they were small, then yes, the snake ate them. Garden snakes don't get too big, so it also depends on how big the snake was.