Great Plains Rat Snake Control(Elaphe emoryi) (a.k.a. Emory’s Rat Snake)

Great plains rat snake control and removal is a specialized service that should be handled bay a professional animal control provider in your area, You can find a snake control provider here!
Believe it or not, rat snakes can be great to have around – after all, they love to eat rodents! But when they move inside our homes, often something must be done. Here’s what you need to know when dealing with a possible Great Plains rat snake on your property.

Great Plains Rat Snake ID and Habits

Non-venomous, Great Plains rat snakes are native to the eastern two thirds of the United States, from New Jersey to Nebraska, to Colorado, south to Texas, and into northern Mexico.
The Great Plains rat snake is typically light gray or tan in color, with dark gray, brown, or green-gray blotching down its back, and stripes on either side of the head which meet to form a point between the eyes. They are capable of growing from 3 feet to 5 feet long.
This snake seems to thrive almost anywhere, from coastal plains to rocky semi-arid regions. They’re numerous around farmland, leading to the erroneous nickname chicken snake. Their primary diet is mice and rats, but they also eat birds, frogs, small snakes, and lizards. They are nocturnal. When threatened, they shake their tail; when this happens in dry leaves, it can sound very much like a rattlesnake. If you’re ever bitten by a Great Plains rat snake, make sure to get it checked out. Rat snakes are not venomous, but with any wild animal bite there’s a risk of infection.

Great Plains Rat Snake Control

There’s several steps to dealing with snake problems: making your property less inviting to snakes, which means making your property less inviting to the rodents they feed upon; and dealing with any snakes that are already there.

Habitat modification for great plains rat snakes

In wooded, rural and riparian settings where snakes are common, their presence can be discouraged by eliminating stands of tall vegetation and removing piles of rock, lumber, and debris that might attract snakes to search for prey or to seek harborage on the property in question – especially close to buildings. The closing of all entrances to rodent burrows make an area less attractive to snakes. It also helps if one is persistent in controlling rats, mice, and field rodents around residences and other buildings.

Exclusion for rat snakes

Structural gaps and crevices larger than 1/4 inch and within three feet of grade should be closed off because snakes can pass through very small openings. Crawlspace vents should not have screens with larger than 1/4 inch mesh. If snakes are gaining access into a building, a thorough search should be made for cracks in the foundation, unscreened crawlspace vents and gaps around basement window frames. It is important to check clearance under doors and look for improper sealing where plumbing and utility lines penetrate the foundation of the building.

Rodent Proofing Your Home

Repair or replace damaged ventilation screen around the foundation and under eaves.
Provide a tight fitting cover for the crawl space.
Seal all openings around pipes, cables, and wires that enter through walls or the foundation.
Be sure all windows that can be opened are screened and that the screens are in good condition.
Cover all chimneys with a spark arrester.
Make sure internal screens on roof and attic air vents are in good repair.
Cover rooftop plumbing vent pipes in excess of 2 inches in diameter with screens over their tops.
Make sure all exterior doors are tight fitting and weatherproofed at the bottom.
Seal gaps beneath garage doors with a gasket or weatherstripping.
Install self-closing exits or screening to clothes dryer vents to the outside.
Remember that pet doors into the house or garage provide an easy entrance for rodents.
Keep side doors to the garage closed, especially at night.
Keep your trees trimmed, and your bushes and vines thinned. Make sure trees are trimmed back from the house at least 4 feet.
Keep lids on garbage cans.
Clean up all debris in the yard and storage areas.
Seal around your attic.
Don't leave pet food outside, especially at night.
Pick your citrus as soon as it is ripe. Remove any fallen citrus from the ground.
Store wood at least 18 inches above the ground and 12 inches away from walls.
Eliminate standing water and fix leaky faucets.

Great Plains Rat Snake Removal

If you’re confident that you do indeed have a Great Plains rat snake in your house, and you want to deal with it yourself, try this: place a trashcan on the side of the snake, and use a broom or a similar tool to gently sweep it inside the trashcan. Relocate it well away from residential areas, and seal up any openings in your house where it can get back in.
If you have any doubt about which kind of snake you have, or if you suspect several, a call to a snake control company is warranted.