Snake in bedroom

[btroj]

One of our cats has been rooting around in our bedroom for a day or two. She was doing it earlier today and I asked my wife what she was up to. My wife thought she might have a bug.
I went and looked, lifted up the bag she was by and saw what she had. A snake about 2 feet long.
Snake slithered under our dresser, wife screamed, and I went for a bucket and an old hawk handle I use when casting bullets.
Daughter helped me find snake, hit it with hawk handle, put in bucket, went outside.

I am pretty sure it was a prairie king snake. We have no idea how, or when, it got in the house. I am not afraid of snakes but they are not my favorite either. Makes me wonder how long we have had this "visitor".

I am hoping my wife won't make us move!:grin:

I did give the cat some extra food even thou she has a weight problem. I think she arned it.

[Duckiller]

The cat may have brought the snake in as a special present. I know our cats bring in bugs and birds.

[bearcove]

Keeps the mice down.

[btroj]

I mentioned moving it to the garage, daughter mentioned letting him eat the mice in exchange for room and board. Somehow the wife wasn't having it.

[462]

Better you than me. As I've mentioned before, I fear two things: snakes and Janet Reno.

[btroj]

I would have clubbed the heck out of her too!

[gandydancer]

we have had to deal with mice for years here in southwest virginia. no cat. we have dogs. then I could find no trace of mice in the house they where all gone. and I found out why. a very large black snake was living in the basement. I found it hanging (dead) from the netting holding up the insulation its head was caught in it I had to cut it loose. now I have to find another snake. BY THE WAY does any one know what you can do with babit? had some lead given to me its not lead its babit. any help would be great. GD

[gandydancer]

I'm sorry. that would be babbitt GD

[canyon-ghost]

Babbit is used for the tin content in small amounts.

[btroj]

Some babbit is high in Sb also. I use it as a sweetener for soft lead.

[gandydancer]

should I add some to wheelweights? I use lyman #2 9 lbs wheelweights and one lb solder. and thanks for the info. GD

[btroj]

I wouldn't waste it on wheel weights. Save if for the time you have largely pure lead and need to harden it some. Wheel weights work fine all by themselves, I actually would cut them 50-50 with pure lead for much of my shooting.

[9.3X62AL]

King snakes kill rodents AND rattlesnakes. VERY GOOD to have around the yard. In the house, Marie would take vigorous exception also. In Spanish at first, followed by English as the excitement level subsided. Women just have built-in prejudices that trump good sense.

[btroj]

I don't mind them outside at all. I just like to keep indoor cats indoors, outdoor animal outdoors. I prefer to keep a firm hand on this rule.
I was impressed with my 17 year old daughter. She helped me find the snake and not a peep from her. This must be just one more way she is like me.

[geargnasher]

God bless a good cat! Glad you found it before it ended up in bed with you at 2 a.m. and killed you both from shock!

We have three cats, one indoor and two outdoor. The indoor one has saved us from at least half a dozen scorpions by "cornering" and stalking them in the master bathroom. Our outdoor cats keep the snakes and monster centipedes away, and alert us to the ones that make it to the pond. Wife found a 2' Cotton Mouth slithering into the pond after one of the cats had been stalking it. Home made snake load took care of that. When I was a kid my parents and I came home from a Sunday matinee' and heard a hissing noise behind the house, dad thought it was a gas leak until he realized our cat had cornered a rattlesnake. The snake was so agitated its rattle sounded like a bad air leak. 12-gauge took care of that one, cat got half a can of tuna and a lot of petting!

There are some things dogs and people just don't do well.

Gear

[btroj]

Yep, that cat was a Godsend today. Pudge did well. What freaks out my wife is the fact the cats have been a bit goofy the past few days. Makes me wonder how long our guest was here?

The now demised snake is on the patio- a coon or possum will be by tonite to collect him.

Now if I can have some success from my trap line in the garage. Dang mice got my bait last nite with no kills.

[geargnasher]

Use glueboards for mice, when full, dust generously with white flour to kill the glue and offer Pudge a "kitty popsicle"! I've had my frustrations with feral mice, the little buggars will learn how to defeat anything sooner or later, so you have to keep switching it up on them. I made a live trap when I was a kid out of some 1x6 boards, some 1/4" hardware cloth, and a mousetrap. I rigged the bail and latch mechanism onto one of the end boards, wired some hardware cloth to the bail to make a screen door, drilled a 1" hole in the board on center of the bail's closed travel for an entrance, and rigged a treadle actuator with a smal hinge and piece of 1/4" beaded board. Worked every time, and I ended up making pets out of all the ones I caught. Nowdays you can buy plastic "live traps" at the grocery store. Use those too, once they get smart to the glue boards and Victor spring traps.

Gear

[762cavalier]

Better you than me. As I've mentioned before, I fear two things: snakes and Janet Reno.

Aren't those the same thing? :shock:

[RKJ]

About this time of year last year MY DIL came upstairs screaming "There's a snake in our room" I recall thinking "yeah, right" but I dutifully went downstairs and walked into their room and asked her where this snake was. "Turn around" sure enough coiled over and around the doorway was a 5' black snake. I had just walked under the darn thing. My (late) mother had given us one of those grabber tools some time before, my wife got it and I used it to remove the snake. He was non too happy, but then neither were we. :) As far as I know he's living a fine life in the woods below our house, and he hasn't seen fit to come and visit again.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I do indeed believe that all snakes have a purpose - TARGET PRACTICE! Robert

[Echo]

Aren't those the same thing? :shock:

Mark Twain said something along those lines...

[Blacksmith]

RKJ

Keep the grabbers handy that snake last year was either looking for a warm place to hole up for the winter or following the field mice who were looking for the same thing. If he visits again just put him back outside. One visit a year isn't too much in exchange for mouse control.

Blacksmith

[felix]

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/ratterrier.htm

They are lap dogs as well. They will chase about anything. Our dog catches and eats cockroaches in a heartbeat. ... felix

[9.3X62AL]

I don't mind them outside at all. I just like to keep indoor cats indoors, outdoor animal outdoors. I prefer to keep a firm hand on this rule.
I was impressed with my 17 year old daughter. She helped me find the snake and not a peep from her. This must be just one more way she is like me.

Well done, Miss BTroj!

[btroj]

Thanks- she is pretty good that way. Spiders are an exception.
This is the same daughter that wants a handgun for her 18th birthday. She is pretty stable and mature. She may just get her wish.

[Blammer]

after I read the title, for a minute there I thought this was going to be x rated....

[Char-Gar]

I have three indoor cats and they do a good job of keeping down strange and weird critters that do not belong inside the house. They are indeed very useful folks.

[btroj]

after I read the title, for a minute there I thought this was going to be x rated....

Yah, some coworker felt the same when I started talking about it. Luckily the mods read the OP before sending me a PM. I think I am safe.

[Spartacus]

I had a bullsnake curl up by my feet on our patio which made the GK scream a couple of nights ago.

But I like it when she screams...

[RKJ]

RKJ

Keep the grabbers handy that snake last year was either looking for a warm place to hole up for the winter or following the field mice who were looking for the same thing. If he visits again just put him back outside. One visit a year isn't too much in exchange for mouse control.

Blacksmith

I figure he or his siblings might come back, you're right about the mice. About this time of year for the last couple we've been fighting those nasty things. I'd almost would put up with the snake (for awhile anyway) to be rid of them. . A few years back I found a nest of copperheads under a post piling for our back deck. They were a tad too close to the house so they got sent to snake heaven.

[dagger dog]

I have yet to find a snake that was large enough to eat me, and I'm a small person !
Snakes tend to make me hurt myself, especially if you don't know they are there.

I have a resident black snake, he takes care of the mice in the barn, and an occasional starling chick, which he climbs a maple tree to get to the nest, I have to put snake collars around the posts that hold my bluebird boxes.He is not the best natured black snake as he has bitten me several times when I have had to relocate him, when mowing.

We also have a milk snake that lives in the wood shed he makes an appearance mostly in the spring, I have to be carefull when I'm trimming with the weed eater as he likes to lay next to the house foundation. He has had to be removed from my front porch several times, never offers to bite.

Have only had one poisonous snake encounter on the property, it was a copperhead that had nested up between stacked straw bales that we were loading onto the truck, walked back into the stall to grab another bale and reached right over it before I noticed what it was that was moving, no doubt as to what species , it was rather large 4 ft and very thick good size head and noticable "poison sacks" at the back portion of the jaws. Had to hold it down with a pitch fork and decapitated it with a machete. The fangs were 1-1 1/2", could have made a bad day for someone if bitten.

[Silver Eagle]

In Southern Illinois years ago there was a guy that raised king snakes. He would loan them out to the local farmers to put in their silos and barns to eliminate field mice and other critters. After a couple months or so, he would return and collect it. Usually they would stay in the area.
Claimed that after a king snake was resident in a silo for a few months the mice would avoid the place for a while.

Silver Eagle

[1Shirt]

Only two kinds of snakes I don't like-------dead ones and live ones! With or without rattles!
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[3006guns]

after I read the title, for a minute there I thought this was going to be x rated....

I'll go ya one better.....I thought it was about my ex!