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 Post subject: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 1:52 pm 
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Oh my lands girls, I found a SNAKE in my kitchen this morning. I came in from the garden and there he was coiled up. Luckily my 25 yr old son was there and he took a fork and "gently guided" the 12" snake back out the door. We shut the door and the little snake looked kind of surprised I think--he was slow to move away but he finally did...lol.

This is the 2nd SNAKE in our house this year. We found one in the sunroom which I don't count as actually "in" the house since we have another door that opens to the inside of our home. He was MUCH bigger--a good 24 inches long. Again my husband "guided" him back out the door. We don't like to kill them because they get the mice and this year we have a huge poliferation of them too. We haven't had any in the house yet but I'm sure we will.

But this was the first summer I actually saw twice within one week a big hawk flying away with a snake clutched in his talons. Both times the snakes were pretty big. All our snakes here are harmless bull snakes.

It seems the spiders and other critters are trying to get in for the winter though. Anyone else have this happening to them? Yuuuuuuk........


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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 3:11 pm 
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Location: Missouri Ozarks
Haven't seen a snake in the house since Spring when we had a couple of baby snakes come in, but we have had 2 tree frogs in the house in the past month or so. The cat was stalking something and I thought it must be a spider or moth, I didn't realize it was a frog until the cat had it in his mouth -- he dropped it quickly and then reacted to whatever protective stuff frogs secrete -- he was foaming at the mouth and meowing. Don't think he'll be bothering frogs anymore. :lol: My storm door doesn't seal really tight, and I'm guessing these things must be coming in under the door. We also had our first mouse in the house, the cat left him next to my chair in the kitchen.

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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:17 pm 
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I would love to have some bull snakes and garter snakes around our place to eat the darn pocket gophers! We tried the sound-making repelling stakes and they are useless. As soon as I find the receipt, I'll be following up on the "money back guarantee." Any snake found in my house would be gently guided down a gopher breathing hole!


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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:26 pm 
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Location: Australia
I recently went to try out our aircon (summer is starting here) and it wouldn't work. The electrician opened it up and it was absolutely full of mouse poo and pee, they'd obviously decided to nest in there while it was switched off over winter. The main unit sits outside the house and had apparently not been sealed. Horrible smell and embarrassing too. It is still not repaired and it's a very hot day today!


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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 9:17 am 
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Where are you from sam? We had mice get into our shop where our "work" pick-up is and what a terrible smell they leave--my husband was not happy to say the least, even if it is the "old work pick-up." lol

chile--you made me laugh right out loud! Those bull snakes can get pretty big. We had one at our other home several years ago that was 4 feet long--seriously! He was huge!! Fortunately he was outside. I didn't realize they will eat gophers too.

Oh blondie--your poor kitty. I hope she didn't suffer much from the frog secretion. We don't have tree frogs here, we are too far north. It's good your kitty will go after any mice in the house--my cats are too fat and lazy. :roll:

I don't like to kill critters but I also don't want them in my house!! They stay outside. Doors stay shut now.


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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 9:31 am 
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Quote:
I don't like to kill critters but I also don't want them in my house!! They stay outside. Doors stay shut now.

I came across a baby gopher snake sunning himself in the back bedroom a couple years ago. I was able to herd him out.

We also have rattlers - saw two large ones in the yard a couple weeks ago. Argh! All doors are kept closed always, and only windows with sound screens are left open.


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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 9:57 am 
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LOL I would have just picked it up and tried to encourage it down a pocekt gopher hole LOL.

We get tons of pocket gophers and ground squirrels so all snakes are welcome in our yard. Not the house though LOL.

We got our first mouse in the house a week ago .. One of the cats caught and killed it.

We usually get two or three a year.. they last a few weeks and then one of the cats makes short work of them. One year we had one smart little guy that lasted a couple of months.

We have gopher snakes king snakes and rattle snakes also red runners.. so you do have to look before you grab but most of the ones we see are the gopher snakes.

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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 10:24 am 
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I am happy to say all I get is bugs and spiders. I have had a mouse in the house years ago. You want to see a mouse run for it's life and probably die of a heart attack - Let about 6 ferrets after it. I never did find that mouse. Our house is really well sealed because Mom did have mice when she first moved in.

I know it's a pain this time of year when everything is moving in to keep warm. I have had so many spiders.

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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 6:20 pm 
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Leanne - I am in Australia. Mouse season has just ended and spider and locust season is about to begin :(.


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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 7:43 am 
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Sam--you live so far away--actually isn't spring there and summer about to come there? Seems strange to think of summer in December-January-February....

Faith--you are so lucky to not have to deal with snakes or mice. But I don't like spiders either.

Oh my Kitty--you have a lot of different kinds of snakes in your area. Dendra--We have rattlesnakes here in our area too but I've never seen one at our place. The bull snakes and rattlers look a lot alike but those "rattles" make the distinction.


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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 3:14 pm 
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I'll be asking advice on snakes in a few years. WV has plenty.

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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 3:47 pm 
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Just reading this was enough to make my skin crawl. If i had one snake in my house, let alone two, i'd die of a heart attack.


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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:01 pm 
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Conz I'm not used to it either and actually both my husband and I dislike snakes VERY much. We've lived here for five years and this is the first time we've had snakes in our house.

Needless to say, we are VERY careful now when going in and out.


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 Post subject: Re: Snakes, Mice and critters
PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:06 pm 
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Snakes don't usually slither in teh door.

If you get one in the house look for small cracks around the drier vent and pipes coming into the house... that is where they enter usually. OR via the garage.

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