The Snake Whisperers

     As I suspected, it didn't take long for something good enough, bad enough or weird enough to cross my bow and spark inspiration for another blog post.

     In this case, I'm going with weird enough. But the word weird is probably too strong. This is a case of something I'd never consider as a business, a hobby or even an interest. So for those who do, it's not weird at all, but business as usual.

Max & Josh with Big Country Snake Removal

     To bring you up to speed, we had a snake in our house the night before we left on our 2018 Wedding(s) Road trip. It was definitely bad luck and even worse timing. So, we made arrangements with Big Country Snake Removal to help us when we returned 18-days later. It's safe to say that neither T nor myself ever forgot about that snake in our house the entire time we were with family and friends.

     Our situation turned out to be pretty benign, but make no mistakes about it... these young men and Big Country Snake Removal take care, and that's the key phrase here.. take care, of some pretty angry and dangerous reptiles. Take a look.

     To make it clear.... This is NOT the snake Max and Josh found in our house. In fact, they didn't find any snakes in our house. The snake in the video is one they captured on a previous service call with the intention of relocating in a place devoid of people or livestock.

     Remember I wrote that Big Country Snake Removal cares for snakes? Their goal is like fishing... Catch and Release to protect both people and snakes.

     These guys spent about two hours at our house checking inside and outside. They went under the house, through the house, around the house and more. In that two hours, I learned more about snakes than I ever imagined, dreamed, hoped for or dreaded to know.

     For example, the snake in our house was likely a Colubrid. So, here's a conversation I never expected.
     "My wife saw the snake here. It went under the refrigerator," I told Max and Josh.
     "It was likely a colubrid."
     "A what?"
     "A colubrid... non-venomous."
     "That's good. My wife said it was the diameter of her index finger and as long as her forearm."
     "Yep. A colubrid. Probably a rat snake."
     "Not venomous?"
     "No sir. How'd it get in the house?"
     "They can climb. Rattlers don't climb. We'll check everything and let you know."

     They did indeed check absolutely everything! Later, I had another conversation I never expected. Here's how it went.

     "Right now, snakes are in estivation," Max & Josh told me. "Hibernation for cold blooded animals is actually called brumation, but it's essentially the same thing," they explained.
      "Okay, I think," I said all the while thinking this is going to be a cool blog if I can figure out how to spell estivation.
      "So right now, they're looking to stay cool." The guys told me. "All snakes are looking to stay cool and female rattlers are looking for a cool, safe place to drop their babies. The chore is, don't give them a reason to stay cool at your house."
      "And how do I do that?"
      "Eliminate their food and water sources," they explained.

     When the fellas talked about eliminating food, I knew exactly what they meant...Get rid of the rats and mice. Any city folks reading this might be cringing at the possibility of rats and mice around a home, but here in west Texas they're as regular as the sunrise and sunset.

      We even had a summer a few years ago that we refer to as the "summer of the rats." We had so many that we could name them Larry, Curly & Moe. I named them "Dead," "Deader" and "Deadest." It was a regular evening to stand on my porch with  about 30-minutes to spare before sunset and get off 10 to 15 shots with my dearly departed father-in-law's 410 at big Norway rats around our house.

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         So here's what Max and Josh recommend.

         To eliminate the food source (rats & mice)
           -Kill 'em! Lots and lots of poison
           -If you have pets, keep them away from poison
           -Eliminate dripping water sites like condensation lines, pet water               bowels, etc.

          To eliminate snakes in your house
            -Seal all holes into your home with foam spray
            -A hole bigger than a pencil is too big
            -Kill the rats and mice!
                                                        -Eliminate easy water access

                                                        To know
                                                         -Most snakes are colubrids. Not harmful.
                                                         -Rattlers do NOT climb/colubrids can climb
                                                         -Snake Away & Mothballs don't work
                                                         -Snake activity in cooler months = Den possibilities
                                                         -Rattlers are sneaky/Never take a corner for granted
                                                         -Don't fear colubrids/They kill mice/rats = Less food for rattlers

     I can't say enough about Max and Josh's thoroughness. They checked everything and ventured way beyond the perimeter of our home. Without hesitation, call Big Country Snake Removal when in need.

Bill Robertson