Huge honking rattlesnake under my deck

[SusanO]

Do those snake repellents work? If so - which ones?

I came up to my house from the barn so I could mow my grass before we had a thunderstorm. My cats were looking at something and acting spooked. Then I heard the rattling noise. There it was right next to my house rattling away. My 22 was jammed so I drove over to my neighbor’s house for help. When I drove back it had moved towards my deck and was still rattling. When he got here it was gone under the deck. It is huge.

I am not a snake killer but this is a really bad situation. I don’t want my cats bitten. I don’t want my horses bitten. I don’t want me bitten. I am not crawling under the deck to see where it is. There are tons of snake repellents at TSC. Do they work? Now I am worried about walking out there in my front or side yard tonight. I want it gone dead or alive!

[lorilu]

They dont work. There are trained snake removal specialists. See if there is a local Snake group on Facebook (we have a great on in Florida). They can probably direct you to the removal expert.

[4Frogs_aLilypad]

Can’t help with the repellent part, but do you have someone that you can call that can trap it and remove it? Something like animal control but more specialized?

[Bluey]

We keep a designated snake shovel in every vehicle and by every house, garage and barn door.
Those are long handled flat end shovels, similar to this one:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-47-in-Fiberglass-Long-handle-Transfer-Shovel/1000551473

They are good for when you don’t have a gun handy and going for one may let the snake disappear, a real danger for everyone around there.
Next you know, someone gets bitten.

Most of the snake repellent are naphtha crumbles, same as mothballs in crumbles.
They scramble snake’s senses and they tend to go away from where they are spread.
They gass out in a month or so, you have to reapply.

Not sure that is what you need there right now, you need as recommended someone to find and dispatch that one snake.

[wsmoak]

That happened here, I opened the back door and heard a very loud buzzing and froze. It was underneath the deck. I have an agreement with the snakes… I have 20 mostly wooded acres and they are welcome to wander around most of it but NOT the few acres around the house and barn.

He doesn’t want any part of you or all the activity and will move along, assuming the cats let him. (This is usually my problem, there is a standoff with a semicircle of cats and an annoyed rat snake.)

If you know where he is and can safely do so, spray him with a water hose which will move him along faster.

[SLW]

A Glock or a shovel is your best bet to deter/remove rattlesnakes.

Non poisonous snakes are fine. All others are not fine.

[BrendaJane]

go with the removal people.
the rattler has a right to live, too, and a niche in god’s creation.

And no, I would not want one under my porch either.
But if you can, live and let live.

[hoopoe]

Personally I would check your fish and wildlife and see what resources they have for you. We need these snakes in our environment. They will likely have referral for licensed relocation

[SusanO]

Good idea! I didn’t think of that. I don’t want it to wander down into a horse pasture or bite one of my cats. it was lying in one of their favorite spots to jump on the deck.

[SusanO]

Well I did save one a year or so ago. It was crossing the road in an unpopulated area. I know they can’t strike farther than about a body length so I judiciously moved it on its way faster before it got run over. Damn thing probably moved in here.

I am live and let live and appreciate the ecological implications. But not living next to my house. They can dump it down the road. I know that the clear cut areas have really destroyed a lot of habitat and I bet it came from one of those areas.

[SusanO]

Snake removal and relocation person is coming in the AM. I didn’t think about contacting somebody like that so that was a good suggestion. This snake looked like it was setting up shop next to my house before it slithered under my deck. It needs to live elsewhere. It was BIG!

[Fiesta01]

Let us know how it goes.

[js]

I would suggest putting wire mesh with holes a 1/4" or smaller around the bottom of the deck to keep critters out. The 1/4" is too small for baby rattlers to get thru (video on youtube about making your backyard/patio snake proof).

[SusanO]

The snake has moved on. I found somebody who does snake removal - he is a snake geek. He came out this AM and did a thorough inspection all around the house and even crawled under the deck. ( I sure wasn’t going to do that!) and looked all over the property. It is gone. I even checked out the arena to make sure it wasn’t sunning itself in the sand. No mice or chipmunks here due to Gretel so I guess the snake decided this was not a place with plenty for it to eat. The $75 I paid him was worth it for peace of mind and I if I see it again he will come back for free. Happy it is elsewhere!!! First rattlesnake I have ever seen on my property. Apparently they roam over a large area in rural settings especially male snakes looking for females this time of year.

[JanM]

Depending on the species of snake, it may be protected.

[SusanO]

Obviously he did not see it but said it was most likely a timber rattlesnake. Probably not protected . But they have a very potent neurotoxic venom, stronger in this area than say in Virginia or other areas. You REALLY don’t want one of them to bite you although they are not usually aggressive. This one was rattling like crazy - I suppose to warn off the cats. Who were NOT getting close to that thing.

[saddleup]

My neighbor had one on her front porch. She called around to find someone to deal with it and no one would come. She was home with three little kids. I’m not recommending this…but…she called 911 and said she was afraid one of her kids was bitten by a rattlesnake. The firemen and ambulance arrived. She met them at the driveway with a shovel and said “I was wrong. But there he is and here’s a shovel”.

They killed the snake.

[PeteyPie]

@SusanO

The snake has moved on. I found somebody who does snake removal - he is a snake geek. He came out this AM and did a thorough inspection all around the house and even crawled under the deck. ( I sure wasn’t going to do that!) and looked all over the property. It is gone. I even checked out the arena to make sure it wasn’t sunning itself in the sand. No mice or chipmunks here due to Gretel so I guess the snake decided this was not a place with plenty for it to eat. The $75 I paid him was worth it for peace of mind and I if I see it again he will come back for free. Happy it is elsewhere!!! First rattlesnake I have ever seen on my property. Apparently they roam over a large area in rural settings especially male snakes looking for females this time of year.

The part I bolded above made the hair on my neck stand up when I read it. (Shudder.)

[SusanO]

Yes! I sure as hell wasn’t doing that. He was armed with a flashlight and a snake stick and an EMT lives across the street but really…

No signs of snake and I am getting grass mowed around here. Pay attention to your cats folks - they have warned me every time I have seen a venomous snake. Now I watch them carefully for signs of danger.

[js]

Keep the grass cut very short, snakes will go for taller grass where they can’t be seen (supposedly). We kept our grass cut super short, took out all shrubs/plants around the house etc… Eliminate places for them to curl up and hide, I would highly recommend putting mesh around the bottom of your deck to keep them from going under it.