Snakes in the Attic - How to Get Rid

If you keep hearing slithering noises from your attic, or if you have spotted a snake getting in the attic, that’s really an indication of a bigger problem. Something must be attracting that snake, and that something is most definitely food, most probably rats or mice. And while it’s true that the snake you’re dealing with is probably non-venomous, unless you are 100% sure of this fact, you shouldn’t, under any circumstances, try to remove the snake yourself.

Determining why the snake is in the attic and proceeding accordingly: The most common scenario in which a snake goes in an attic, in order to feed on rats or mice, can be solved by handling the rodent situation. Getting rid of the rodents will also rid you of the snake. If somehow there is no food source in the attic for the snake, your safest bet is to play the waiting game. The snake will leave on its own, it has no reason to stay in there if it has nothing to hunt. If you don’t agree with waiting, and if you’ve determined that the snake isn’t venomous, you can go up, pick it with your hand, and set it free outside. Use thick protective gloves, and make sure you educate yourself on proper snake handling so that the removal process is conducted in a safe manner for both you and the animal. You can also try and shoo the snake away towards an exit that leads directly outside through the use of a long stick or a broom. Alternatively, you could purchase and use a snake trap with a sticky pad, spraying the snake with oil prior to releasing it.

If food is definitely not the reason why the snake came visiting, you should make sure that your property doesn’t offer snakes a safe environment. This means keeping grass and bushes trimmed, making sure your yard isn’t overflowing with debris, filling any holes or cracks the snake could use to get to shelter, not keeping compost and woodpiles in the yard, as snakes like to hide in a cool place.

All in all, the bottom line is that the best way to deal with a wandering snake is to leave it alone and keep an eye on it until it leaves. However, if the snake has set shop in your attic, you really need to perform a thorough inspection of what’s in there, and find and deal with the true pest that’s probably inhabiting your attic. And remember, you always have the option of hiring the services of a professional that will be able to remove the snake without any incidents, and to provide you with an educated guess, or even better, the actual reason why the snake went up there in the first place.

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