Snake Removal and Control
WE SPECIALIZE IN SNAKE REMOVAL, CONTROL & EXCLUSION
Virginia plays host to a wide variety of snake species ranging in size from as small as an earthworm to in excess of seven feet. At Blue Ridge Wildlife & Fisheries Management we understand that ophidiophobia (snake phobia) is a legitimate concern. We take snake control seriously. We will calm your fears and offer beneficial solutions to identify, remove, and exclude snakes from your property.
You’ve got snake questions. We’ve got answers…
Why is there a snake in my home?
What types of snakes are found near Virginia homes?
What should I do if I find a snake in my house?
How can I keep snakes away? Are there ways to do it naturally and humanely?
Are snake repellants or ammonia, mothballs, vinegar, lime or sulfur effective at keeping snakes away? What smells do snakes not like?
Do snakes cause damage?
Are snakes a liability concern?
Can snakes hurt pets?
How do you catch/remove a snake?
How much does it cost to get rid of a snake?
Can you identify the snake in my home?
What are signs of snakes in your house?
Where do snakes hide (inside/around your house)?
How long can snakes live?
How can you tell if a snake is poisonous/venomous?
Are black snakes poisonous?
Do all snakes have venom?
Are baby snakes more venomous?
What animals eat snakes?
What is a snake hole? How do you identify it?
Why is there a snake in my home? Snakes adapt to their environments. Snakes often choose to live in homes and business structures because they offer protection from predators, making them ideal for survival. It is not uncommon for snakes to be in or around a structure due to an abundance of food. This can include insects and rodents currently residing in the structure. As an ectotherm, snakes find homes/businesses to be the ideal location for regulating body temperature. Common household appliances like freezers, refrigerators, heating units, hot water heaters, washers, and dryers all provide ample heat to assist snakes in this regulation. With so many places to stay warm, it’s not a surprise to find a snake in your house.
On the exterior of homes, snakes commonly find opportunities to regulate their body temperatures on driveways, in landscaping, and on decks. In addition to being able to regulate their body temperatures, typical landscaping outside of homes provides shelter and cover from natural predators. Mulch also draws in rodents for an ample food source, and rocks draw in insects for yet another ample food source. Even if you live in a suburban neighborhood in Richmond or Charlottesville – just look around at the typical yards near you. When you factor in in all of the landscaping, mulching, and mowing that is done, this provides snakes with a paradise that is not commonly afforded to them in “nature”.
What types of snakes are found near Virginia homes? The most common snakes in your house could include timber rattlesnakes, copperheads, water moccasins, garter snakes, ringneck snakes, black rat snakes, black racers, northern water snakes, queen snakes, ribbon snakes, and eastern milk snakes.
What should you do if you find a snake in your house? If you find a snake in your home, call a professional. At a minimum this will allow you to have proper identification of the snake (to know if it is poisonous or not, the danger associated with trying to remove it, etc.).
How can you keep snakes away? Are there ways to do it naturally? You can keep snakes away from your home by properly sealing your house, reducing food sources, and eliminating conditions that would make for an ideal snake habitat. The best way to keep snakes away naturally is through habitat modifications.
Are snake repellants or ammonia, mothballs, vinegar, lime or sulfur effective at keeping snakes away? What smells do they not like? No, those items do not keep snakes away or repel snakes. However, snakes do not like cedar.
Snake Damage
SNAKE TRAPPING, CONTROL, REMOVAL & STRUCTURAL EXCLUSIONS
Do snakes cause damage? While there are a few diseases that can be caused by handling snakes or excess amounts of their droppings, this is not what leads to clients calling us. “Damage” caused by snakes is mostly psychological – the heightened anxiety of our clients.
At Blue Ridge Wildlife & Fisheries Management, we understand the fear of snakes is a very real thing, and we seek to provide a solution to that fear. Whether it be snake-proofing your home in Roanoke or identifying the serpent that you’ve seen in Blacksburg, we can do whatever it takes to assist you.
Snakes are also known for raiding chicken coops for their eggs and Koi ponds for fish. These are issues we strive to correct in a manner that assists the customer and protects the snake as well.
Are snakes a liability concern? Sometimes, the fear of snakes is not necessarily an issue for the customer but an issue for companies performing work in the customer’s attic or crawl space. Companies will often refuse to work if snakes are present. This can be from a policy standpoint, or the workers themselves cannot perform their work under a heightened sense of anxiety. We encounter this problem frequently and are happy to provide you with the necessary solutions to your snake issue.
Can snakes hurt pets? Yes, snakes can hurt pets if they are venomous. If you believe you have a snake it is best to remove the pet from the area to prevent a violent encounter between the snake and your animal.
Snake Removal
SNAKE REMOVAL AND CONTROL
How do you catch/remove a snake?
Professional wildlife control operators have a variety of tools and methods at their disposal to catch and remove snakes. These include snake traps, snake hooks, snake tongs, and sometimes, by hand.
How much does it cost to get rid of a snake? Snakes can be removed for as little as $250. Costs are higher for snake exclusions, which often include costs of labor and materials to eliminate entry points.
Hand Removal
We offer hand removal in cases where snakes are inside a bedroom, bathroom, or living quarters in general.
Trapping
We offer snake trapping if you have an abundance of snakes on the exterior of your home.
Snake Consultations
What’s included in a “snake consultation”? An on-site inspection, followed by recommendations about your landscaping (configuration, style, and materials); and pest control recommendations, when necessary, to reduce food sources attracting the snakes to your property.
What Is Snake Proofing? Is It Effective?
Snake proofing eliminates entry points. It is effective. If you’ve discovered snakes or snake skins in your attic or crawl space, we will assess your house, top to bottom, and craft a custom solution to seal your structure. This could entail reinforcing ridge vents, screening gable vents, installing drip edge, sealing foundation gaps, installing foundation vent covers, correcting crawl space doors, fixing door sweeps, or even installing burial fencing around decks.
Snake-Proof Fencing
We can also provide, in some cases, a solution that prevents snakes from entering your yard or property at all by installing snake-proof fencing around the perimeter of the property.
Snake Biology
OUR SNAKE SPECIALIST PERFORMS SNAKE IDENTIFICATION, CONTROL AND EXCLUSIONS
Can you identify the snake in my home? With the abundance of 30+ species of snakes in Virginia, it is difficult to narrow biology down to one simple-to-read graphic. We have snakes that give live birth (vivipary), lay eggs (ovipary), and have eggs inside but then still give live birth (ovovivipary).
Properly identifying the snake you have on your property is key to knowing how to resolve your wildlife conflict. At Blue Ridge Wildlife & Fisheries Management, LLC, we are more than happy to identify the snake you have come into contact with, either from your visual description or a picture. Once we have determined the present species, we can offer you a solution to address it. In some cases, simply knowing that the snake on the property is not venomous is more than enough to help our customers.
What are signs of snakes in your house? Signs of snakes around your house include snake skins and large piles of feces similar to that of a bird.
Where do snakes hide (inside/around your house)? Snakes will often hide (or be found!) in low cover vegetation around the house, walls, attics, or crawlspaces. Snakes prefer to make their homes anywhere that provides either food or an ability to regulate their body temperature. Houses can provide both, making them a perfect habitat for snakes.
How long can snakes live? Snakes can live many years depending on the species.
How can you tell if a snake is poisonous/venomous? There are a couple of different ways that you might be able to tell if a snake is poisonous or venomous. Belly scales remain only one scale per line all the way to the top of the tail on venomous snakes. It splits to two scales on non-venomous snakes. Additionally, “cat eyes” are typically found on venomous snakes, whereas round pupils are found in non-venomous.
Are black snakes poisonous? No. Black snakes are not poisonous.
Do all snakes have venom? No. Not all snakes have venom.
Are baby snakes more venomous? No, this is a myth. Baby snakes lack control of their venom gland, so when they bite they inject all of their venom. That is where this myth came from, but it doesn’t mean they they are more venomous.
What animals eat snakes? Depending on the type and size of the snake, foxes, skunks, opossums, and raptors may eat snakes.
What is a snake hole? How do you identify it? Snakes do not dig with the exception of a hognose snake. If you see a snake go into a hole, it is likely a rodent burrow the snake has went into in search of prey.
Need Snake Control Services?
Call 844-WILDPRO today or fill out this form and someone will be in touch.
Call our nearest office directly
Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton, Waynesboro
109 Shirey Rd
Staunton, VA 24401
(540) 520-0474
Charlottesville, Ruckersville, Scottsville, Free Union
243 Ridge McIntire Rd #1018
Charlottesville, VA 22903
(434) 422-4024
Roanoke, Bedford, Blacksburg, Covington, Smith Mountain Lake, Lynchburg
4210 Electric Rd
Roanoke, VA 24018
(540) 682-7354
Richmond, Henrico, Midlothian (804) 210-3091
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