Why does this snake keep coming back?

Question

Yesterday I found a black snake in my garage about 2 feet long, my mom is terrified of snakes so I took it and put it about a half a mile away, today the same snake was at my back door( I could tell by the coloring and length) so I took it again and put it in the woods, about an hour later the same snake came back in the same spot and the first 2 times i grabbed it, it was not aggresive at all but the 3rd time it bit me... I'm thinking it has family near my house, If thats the case I feel pretty bad because my mom made me drive to to my friends house about 4 miles away and I feel bad becuase im taking it from its family.... i dont know much about snakes can anyone fill me in on why it keeps coming back

Answer 1

It keeps coming back because your yard is it's home. Snakes don't have a maternal instinct, so it's not that it wants to be near family, it just wants to be where it grew up and it knows where food is likely to be found and where it's water supply is. Relocation of reptiles is tricky at best. I suggest finding out what kind of snake it is (probably a black racer or black rat snake if you're in the U.S.), learn all you can about it, and educate your mother about why having it around is a good thing. You're the one who finds it? Wait till mom finds it before relocating it again. (Btw, you'd be kinda peeved, too if someone kept moving you around without taking into consideration where you want to be. Think how far two miles is for a two foot snake...)

Answer 2

Snakes do not have maternal or family instincts, so that rules out THAT reason. I still find it hard to believe the number of people who know ABSOL-UTLEY nothing about snake that try to answer these questions!
Many reptiles do have a well-developed homing instinct, which is why they will return to where they consider home. The other very distinct possibility is that what you're finding is not ONE snake, but different ones, of the same species and general size, and you can almost bet money it's a Black Ratsnake. If you took it far enough away, assuming it WAS the same snake over and over, it should remain gone. There is something in the garage that's attracting them, probably the combination of shade and food, which means that you most likely have mice or birds living there, too. Try to convince your mom that it's harmless and can actually get rid of mice, which can cause a LOT more problems than a snake, especially if they get in your house!

Answer 3

Educate your mom about the benefits of snakes. They eat the bugs, mice, and other pests that live around your home. It does not matter how many times you move him, he will keep coming back. He is comfortable there, and it is his territory. Since it has already bitten you and you are still alive and well (i'm assuming, since you posted this...), you can safely guess it is not poisonous, so there is no threat to you or your mother. Just as a rule of thumb and reminder, you should never try to handle a snake you are not familiar with or educated about. You were lucky this time around. I agree with the previous response that it it probably a rat snake or a racer. Here are a couple of links:

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Blackratsnake.cfm

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Coluber_constrictor.html

Also, depending on where you live it could be an eastern indigo snake. You should be glad to have one of these, if it is indeed what he is, as they are endangered.

http://www.centralfloridazoo.org/animals/Eastern_indigo_snake.htm

Hopefully some of this helps. Enjoy having him around, and hopefully you can change your mom's mind!

Answer 4

Hello...it likes your house, it has the shelter & food it needs so that is why it keeps coming back...you would not be removing it from a family, reptiles DO NOT rear their young ..they are on their own after birth, but it is a young snake..meaning there are more, think mom needs to get over her fear...your in snake country & there's gonna be snakes, they won't bother you ..unless you bother them..as you did this one, which is why it bit you ...leave it be & it will leave on it's own, but y'all are never going to get rid of them all..so best thing is for mom to get over her fear or move to non snake country is all you can do...also make alot of noise when you go to the door, out for walks, or near wood piles, etc, that usually makes them leave as well..they won't like it if you accidentally step on them or grab them !! Take Care :)

Answer 5

Not to burst your bubble,but this can't be the same snake. This is not a homing pigeon & snakes don't travel that far in their lives usually, let alone overnight.

Answer 6

It probably does have a family. You may wanna look around for snake holes and any signs of more snakes. But i would go to the local zoo and ask for help or any info on snakes. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

Answer 7

yes it may have some baby snakes around but it maybe because there is food around your home and it is easy to fined right now.

Answer 8

Sounds like you need to move fast! I saw the same thing in a bad TNN movie get out while you still have a chance!!!

Oh bye the way I HATE SNAKES!!!!!