Finding a lost snake in your house

Need snake removal in your hometown? We service over 500 USA locations! Click here to hire us in your town and check prices - updated for year 2020.

While this may not be an appealing pet to the vast majority of us, there are those who love the idea of having a snake. Some even go as far as choosing the more lethal options of the species, choosing to purchase a rattlesnake or the copperhead as the pet that they would love to have in their home. As long as you take the proper precautions to ensure that the snake does not get out of its cage or container, then you have no issue whatsoever.



However, there are instances where your snake may have been able to get away and have left you scrambling around the home looking to find where it is at. If you are looking for some tactics to find a lost snake in your house, here are some tips to assist you.

The first thing to consider when beginning your search is that you should not assume the snake moved very far away from wherever its cage was at. This is the common mistake that most people make. They assume that the snake would try to get as far away as possible, which is not the case at all. If there is a bookshelf, bed, couch, or other piece of furniture that is within close proximity to where the snake was being housed, you will likely find that it is somewhere around one of these locations.

What this tells you is that this is where you need to begin your search. Start by looking in or around furniture, carpeting, and other items that are within 10 or 15 feet of where the cage was set. The chances are that nine times out of 10 you will find your snake here right away.

Make sure that when you are handling your snake, that you take the proper precautions. Remember that this is still a wild animal, even if you have brought it into your home, and so you can take the risk of just reaching out to grab it, even if you are talking about a non-venomous snake. Be careful by wearing gloves when you try to reach for the snake. It may even be a good idea to use a coat hanger to try to pull the snake from behind any furniture where it may be hiding.

You should probably scare those snakes away: How to scare a snake away

If you do not find the snake in this location, then begin to expand your search by moving 10 or 15 feet further out each time. If you have conducted a thorough search and have not had any success, then one thing you may want to try is laying out flour on the floor and waiting for the snake to move through it. This is not the cleanest option that there is, but at some point, the snake will slither across this, attaching itself to the flour and giving itself away. It doesn't take a whole lot of flour to do the trick for you. All that you are looking for is enough for the snake to attach itself to and give itself way.

For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How much does snake removal cost? - get the lowdown on prices.
How to get rid of snakes - my main snake removal info guide.
Example snake trapping photographs - get do-it-yourself ideas.
Snake job blog - learn from great examples of snake jobs I've done.
Do snakes come out at night?