What am I supposed to do if I found a snake in my garage?

Question

I know the right thing to do would be to set it free somewhere else but to be honest and since I am not Steve Irwin, the first thing that came up to my mind was killing it, you know, I don't really get along very well with those animals and I'm afraid to get bitten.

At the end, some1 else took the snake but I'm not really sure what he did with it, in the future I hope I can take care of the situation by myself.

Thanx.

I forgot to say.... where I live... we don't have local animal services or any animal professionals to do the job.

Answer 1

Unless you live in an area with an abudance of poisonous snakes (which I don't, and most people in North America don't), I'd leave it there. Why wouldn't you? It wasn't bothering you, in fact, it was probably eating all the pest rodents around your house. Aside from that, the snake probably lived there months and months, if not years. It only bothered you when you saw it, and even then it wasn't physically bothering you, it was just there. I say leave it there. It wasn't hurting anything.

Wait.. your handle is "Shark" and you have a picture of yourself in the water with.. something.. I can't make out very clearly because the picture is small and my eyes are not what they used to be, but please, please don't tell me it's a shark, because if you get in the water with sharks and you're afraid of a little snake.. well sorry, but that just doesn't make any sense.

Answer 2

You also forgot to say where you live, since that could have a definate impact on whether the snake is likely to be venomous or not. If you live in the United States, chances are that the snake was a harmless species, most likely a Rat Snake, since these are most prone to winding up in buildings. Calling someone who can come and catch the snake, if you're not comfortable catching it yourself, is the best option. Killing the snake is the WORST. Most likely, if left alone, the snake would have left on its own, especially if it didn't find what it was looking for, which would have been rodents or small roosting birds. If the snake was venomous, trying to take care of the situation yourself, whether by catching or killing or otherwise confronting the snake, would put you at the greatest risk of being bitten. In the US, 78% of venomous snake bites occur while the person is trying to kill the snake. If you do not have the proper equipment for safely catching and containing a venomous snake, like a pair of snake tongs or a snake hook, you put yourself at risk. It's also a REALLY good idea to find out what kinds of snakes are native to your area, and learn how to identify them, so at least you'd know if you were dealing with a harmless snake that is probably better off left right where it is.

Answer 3

If the snake has a large diamond shaped head that is larger than its body then it is poisonous. I personally would just pick it up with a broom handle regardless of weather it was poisonous or not, put it in a trash can, and return it to a wild area.

Poisonous snakes can strike half their body length. If it was 2 feet long then it only has a one foot striking distance.

Snakes are not nearly as scary as people make out. The snake in your garage was most likely not poisonous. A bit from a non venomous snake actually hurts less than a bee sting.

Answer 4

Hello, I'd say first find out if you have any poisionous snakes in your area before I'd worry... most snakes, especially wild snakes will leave where there are humans or dogs around.. & won't strike unless really messed with - frightened or cornered.. ( as Steve Irwin often did ) so best is to ignore them & give them a wide birth..they will only stick around or come back if they have a food source..mice, rats...things like that.. if your in snake country, there's not much you do..where there's snake & snake food, you're going to just have to watch out & be careful, most will move on on their own..Take Care :)

Answer 5

Call animal control. It's their job to handle a problem like that. Also, they will know for sure whether the snake is dangerous, and where to release it if not. If you tried to kill a poisonous snake yourself, you could easily get bitten. And if the snake is not poisonous, it should be set free somewhere. Such snakes are very beneficial in catching vermin.

Answer 6

I look to see if it's venemous, and then take the proper steps to move it outside.

Venemous snakes can be moved with a snake hook and a strong sense of caution. However, this is NOT recommended unless you know what you're doing. Harmless snakes can be swept into a jar, picked up, or also moved with a hook, depending on the species and/or size.

However, most people don't know a harmless snake from a venemous one, so the safest thing is to call your local animal control to come move it. (Or, you can just open your garage door and wait for it to leave on its own.)

There's no need to kill it, as chances are, it's probably just a harmless snake who decided to explore a bit.

Answer 7

Odds are its harmless if you live in the USA. Just let it be. Your in more danger if it a rattlesnake or something if you try to remove it yourself, such things should be left to profesionals.

If I was near you I wouldn't mind coming down to get your snake out of the garage. I used to catch them all the time in peoples houses in the hills.

Always made me laugh, people move to the hills to be close to nature than they kill nature when it gets in the way. Poor gopher snakes, the rattlesnake defense trick backfires when its a nasty lady with garden ho.

Answer 8

I use to live in the country and whenever we seen a snake my dad would kill it so that way it couldnt bite anybody. But if you are afraid of getting bit call a professional and they will come out to your house and remove the snake safely and set it free to where it should be.

Answer 9

Call the local animal services so they can come and remove it

Answer 10

You should try and identify the snake if it isn't poisonius you can try and catch it or just leave your gargae open and let it slither out.