Black snake in the attic question?

Question

I have recently discovered a black snake (eastern rat snake, I live in Virginia) coming in and out of a hole that is on the side of my front porch's roof. The area it enters empties out into a crawl space/attic. I've seen it in and out of this area several times, and I've heard they're harmless and help to get rid of rodents. Which is a good thing, but I'm scared to death of snakes regardless. My family and I always catch it going in and never catch it going out. Otherwise, I would just wait for it to go out and patch the hole. I was wondering if it keeps going in and out of the hole because my attic/crawlspace is its hunting ground, or did it more than likely make a home out of my attic/crawlspace? If it made a home out of my attic, will it hibernate there? Since my home is heated, would it hibernate at all if it lives in my attic? Also, the attic/crawlspace has access to my bedroom. Will the snake come into my bedroom, and if so what are the dangers/precautions?

I'm sorry I wasn't exactly clear. My house was built in the 1940s and it originally didn't have a second floor. The original owners turned the attic into a large bedroom, but left small portions of attic in the front and back of the house. These portions of the attic can only be accessed by crawling through a small door. Which is why I said attic/crawlspace.

I forgot to ask, if I do catch the snake outside of the attic, and I patch the hole, will it simply go find a new place to live or will it try to get back inside the patched hole and possibly attack me for patching it/while patching it?

Answer 1

Hmm. Tell yourself it's not a snake, it's a scaly, legless cat, then. ;)

Now, whether your attic is it's hunting ground or home, that's a pretty tough question, chances are, it's both. How often do you see it coming back in? Once a week? Not that often? More often? Do you have/have you ever had a rodent problem? What's the weather been since you started seeing it? Ever consider it already -has- hibernated in your attic, and it's just starting to wake up as spring sets in? (I'd say this is pretty likely, and as summer moves in, you'll probably see it less and less, and then, if you're lucky, it'll come back in late in fall with the rodents (they migrate, too, you know) and keep them from tearing your house apart.

And yes, even though your home is heated, it's also probably insulated, unless your attic stays nice and toasty all winter, yes, the snake would have to hibernate in there or somewhere else.

Will the snake come into your bedroom? Maybe. Who knows. No one can tell you exactly what a snake will do. The dangers and precautions are as follows:

You wake up one morning, get out of bed, walk across the room and step on it. Chances are, it will turn around and strike at you, perhaps even getting a successful bite in before hiding who knows where. Wash the wound thoroughly and use tweezers to remove any broken off teeth. Use whatever you would use on any other type of wound to prevent infection.

Really, though, your snake, being a snake, will most likely stick to smaller, less traveled areas. If you absolutely can't live with it, I'm sure there are people in your area (look up wildlife removal in the phone book) who can come out to get it. (Personally, I'd rather have snakes than rats, but that's your own business.)

Answer 2

Snake Skin In Attic

Answer 3

First off is it in your attic (roof area) or Crawl space (under floor) If it is in the roof area somehow then get someone to get it out of there. If it is under the house dont worry about it till you have to get under there for some strange reason, it is better to have a snake that kills mice and incets than mice and incets comming into your house and eating your food and furniture. It should not come into your house because like most snakes it is probably scared of you more than you are of it. If you by chance do find it in your house, use a shovel to its head, that seems to be the best thing to grap in a pinch.

Answer 4

If it were me, my biggest concern would be stepping on it by accident, which is unlikely. Unless you have pet rodents, in which case it will try to eat them. I'm not afraid of snakes, so I'd let it be. If it has babies or gets to be a problem you can always chase them out with a cat or by patching the hole.
If you get any kind of winter out there, they will go dormant, even with the heat on, especially since there probably isn't much to eat.

Answer 5

He is harmless and likely lives in the attic, it is dark, warm, dry and safe from predators, except for you, you big scaredy cat.
Keep him around, he will take care of any rodents for you.


The chances of him crawling into you bedroom while sleep and constricting you to death are pretty slim.

He will do the best he can to avoid a close encounter with a human.

Answer 6

I agree that it's better to let the snake be and let it keep the rodent population down. However,if you just can't stand the snake in your house, hire a pest control professional to remove and relocate the snake.

Answer 7

OMG im not sure.. but I would be terrified. I HATE snakes! Maybe call an animal control office and ask them if they have any suggestions. They should be able to help. Good Luck! :)

Answer 8

BRING SOMEONE TO CAPTURE THE SNAKE
AND TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM YOUR HOUSE.