CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – Snakes on an airplane? Try snakes on a wall. No, this is not a movie poster announcing the latest snake movie designed to make you squirm in your chair. This is the reality of living in Lowcountry – snakes, living on its walls.
David Adams works for Alpha Wildlife by fighting rebel creatures and safely releasing them into a more suitable habitat. He says he found this snake at a home in Charleston a few weeks ago, along with a clutch of eggs hidden behind an outlet.
“The snake was a rat snake and she had laid her eggs, about 15-20, on the way out, which was really interesting,” said Adams. “When you took off the cover, there were all these little gems. They looked like porcelain eggs. They were really cool … and they all broke out. “
The 60-cm-long momma snake was captured and released in a habitat more than 40 kilometers away, much to the relief of the homeowner, but the babies were a little more difficult to deal with.
“I don’t know where the babies went, but we had to arrest them,” said Adams. The effort to find them all is an ongoing project, but one that Adams calls “interesting”.
A snake peering out from behind an outlet sounds like a completely absurd situation. What are the chances? It turns out that the odds are really very good.
“It is more common than you think. Snakes are chasing rodents and that is why they are attracted to your home, ”said Adams. “We have a big problem with rodents in Lowcountry. So, it is very common for someone to find a snake inside your home. “
He adds that most people probably also have rodents in or around their home – even if they don’t know it. Although the prospect of food may attract them in the first place, the warmth and shelter keep them close. Despite the dramatic fanfare often associated with discovering any snake within sneezing distance, Adams says people have very little reason to fear it.
“Snakes are very, very shy. They don’t want to be around you at all. As soon as they feel that you are experiencing the vibrations, they will try to escape as quickly as possible, ”said Adams. “Snakes in general, with the exception of venomous ones, are good snakes. They are there for a reason. They are good for our environment. They are good for the food chain. They are not bad. They will not hurt you. “
Rat snakes, like the one on the wall, are not poisonous and pose little or no threat to humans. They mainly eat eggs, birds, small lizards, frogs and small rodents.
Adams warns, those who do not know what type of snake it is, must assume that it is poisonous and keep their distance. Snakes enter houses through holes in the walls or roofs. Adams says the best way to make sure a house is snake-proof is to fix any external holes.
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