Does the thought of having a snake in the house send you running right out of your home? It makes sense!

There are over 3,000 species of snakes in the world. And of those, some 600 species are venomous.

Having a venomous snake in your home is downright terrifying.

But regardless of whether the snake if venomous, if it’s in your home then it’s important you get it out of there.

For both you and the snake.

Why Is There a Snake in the House?

Whatever your feeling about snakes, there’s almost no chance that the snake entered your home with a thirst for blood or strangulation.

At least, not yours.

In warmer tropical climates where snakes are more common, they have been known to wander into homes to seek prey such as mice or other small animals.

On other occasions, snakes have been accidentally washed in by floodwaters.

But sometimes, snakes are just looking for shelter. If the weather has taken a sudden shift for the colder, they will seek out a warmer environment.

Then are the snakes that choose to hibernate in homes. Many of them find cellars and crawl spaces of older homes ideal for this. In this case, you may not even know you have a snake in your house until you find some shed skin.

By that time, you’re looking at a snake that’s been there a while.

So How Do I Remove a Snake?

Unless you are able to determine otherwise, the first and most important rule of thumb in this situation is to assume the snake is venomous.

In other words, take every necessary measure to ensure that neither you nor someone else is bitten.

Also, remain as calm as possible. Screaming or yelling can disturb the snake and cause it to either lash out, or drive it further into hiding.

Once you have these in place, then you can try the following:

1. Herd It out with a Broom

One of the simplest ways to remove a snake from your home is to quietly and carefully open a nearby door, and then use a broom to gently herd it out the door.

If you’re nowhere near a door, see if you can gently move it toward a bucket that you know you can seal once it’s in there.  

Once again, notice that the directions dictate that you do everything slowly and gently. Snakes are more likely to bite if they are feeling threatened or irritated.

If you’re too aggressive with this herding action, you may upset the snake.

By all means, if you notice that the snake is feeling threatened and is in a position to lash out and bite, then you need to call Wildlife Removal Services to handle the job.

2. Confine, Corral or Box It

If you find that the snake is moving further and further into the house, then you may need to corral it or box it.

In the case where the snake has moved further into the house, try to get it confined to a small room or corral it into a corner created by boards and boxes. You can even include a heating pad in this area to give it a warm place to settle until a professional handler can get there.

For a small snake that is coiled, you can contain it by slowly placing an empty pail or wastebasket over it. Then put a weight on top to trap the snake until the experts arrive.

3. Fabric Bag

If the snake has managed to elude the first two steps, then you may want to try using a fabric bag.

But you’re not going to throw it on the snake.

In fact, you need to make the bag an inviting habitat of sorts. A damp burlap bag can provide the sort of dark and cool area that snakes prefer for nesting. So you simply set up the habitat, then hope that the snake finds it inviting.

Once the snake has coiled up and settled into the bag, you can pull it closed and then remove the snake from your house.

Just remember though, you may want to turn to a professional for the actual transporting of the bagged snake back to the outdoors. Especially if you think it might be venomous.

It’s best not to take any chances. 

4. Rodent Glue Traps

A popular and often effective method to trap snakes that have entered a home is to take 16 x 24-inch piece of plywood that’s ¼-inch thick and attach four rodent glue traps to one side.

Or you can apply a non-toxic adhesive substance to the board. Just be sure that it coats one entire side of the board.

In order for either of these glue traps to work, the snake must slither across the board. But once it does, it will be trapped there.

This may sound terribly inhumane, but once the board is taken outdoors by a professional, the snake can be doused with cooking oil and will work itself free.

One thing to consider with this method is the presence of kids or pets in your home though. If they accidentally come into contact with these glue traps, it can be very difficult to remove the adhesive from their skin or fur. 

5. Grab Some Gloves

Now, if you have no fear of snakes, you may just throw on a pair of gloves and handle the job yourself.

But we don’t mean to sound flippant here. This method should ONLY be used under two conditions:

1. You are 100% certain that the snake is not poisonous, and
2. You know that you can carefully relocate the snake without causing the snake or yourself any harm.

So if you are not absolutely certain that both of these conditions exist, then stick with steps 1-4. And always have a professional on standby to help.

Homeownership Comes with So Many Joys

But there will always be some challenges too. 

So if you find a snake in the house, don’t panic! Just follow the above steps and call in the professionals if needed. 

You’ve got this.

And for more great articles on the joys and challenges of owning a home, keep checking back with our blog!