Please help!!!!!

[the baglady]

Today we are tearing the cedar siding off the outside of our house to do some repairs. We have found a snake skin about 7 feet long dangling up and around the metal fireplace box. It appears the snake crawled up, under and around the framing of this box and left its skin. In order to get where it is, the snake had to get behind the cedar siding, plywood, tar paper, and insulation in order to get to the fireplace box. OR it had to come into my house, crawl up into the fireplace area and get between the box and the framed fireplace area. From the outside, the house is approximately 40 feet from ground to chimney and about l8 feet from ground to the place on the fireplace box where the skin is found. The southwest side of our house gets over 100 degrees during the hottest days. The house sits on the side of a heavily wooded ridge known for copperheads. Did the snake come from the ground under the deck and crawl up the block foundation wall about 16 feet and then get into the wall somehow (NO signs of an entry anywhere, the deck is attached to the house with trim everywhere) or did it crawl thru our doors which I leave open without screens in the spring and early fall for air circulation? About 3 years ago another skin was found inside the basement hanging in the corner of the block foundation wall. About 7 years ago, I was walking in our woods and got bit by a copperhead. 3 surgeries, bone specialist, infectious disease specialist and 6 doctors later I am finally healed but scared to death of snakes. If a snake or snakes are inside our large home, how can I find them? We have 3 outside dogs that run loose at times when they are not in their pens, 2 inside dogs, and 3 cats. Our home sits on 8 acres of woods. I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight thinking others are inside our walls or inside our home. PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE THIS OUT AND WHAT I SHOULD DO. THANKS SO MUCH.

[Zoo Nanny]

For your peace of mind why not give a call to a local pest control company. They could come out and do an inspection for you and determine just where the snakes are getting in so it can be closed off.

[Jim Smith]

I agree with Zoo Nanny in that you first must determine how the snakes are getting in. My guess is they enter at the foundation somewhere, perhaps near a window frame /door frame, or some other opening in the foundation wall. That said, it sounds like the snakes you've had enter the house were almost certainly not copperheads. I don't believe there has ever been a 6+ foot long Copperhead found. Much more likely that they are King snakes, Black racers or perhaps one of the rat snakes, all of them completely harmless, unless of course they startle you and you trip and fall. The pest control technician should be able to find the entry spots and make recommendations to plug it up.

Good luck, and even though you've had terrible luck with getting bitten by a copperhead, most snakes are harmless and/or beneficial and you have nothing to be afraid of at all.

[FWK]

I also agree that if you are worried a pest control specialist is the way to go. Personally I'd be willing to place a healthy bet on the snakes being Rat Snakes. Rat Snakes are very fond of using small spaces in buildings to shed. I would just about guarantee you it is not Copperheads. Copperheads are capable of climbing but they are not very good at it and for the most part prefer to stick to the ground, and they are much less likely to enter building occupied by people than Rat Snakes. Snake skins typically stretch 30-40% when shed so you most likely have five foot Rat Snakes using the space your walls to shed in peace. As long as you have Rat Snakes hanging around keeping the rodent populations down the Copperheads will stick to the woods.

[Dan84]

This is just a wild thought, but you might be able to tell the type of snake from the shed. I can faintly see the pattern of my pet snake on her shed. If you still have it post a picture and we might be able to help ID it.

[Derek Roddy]

Given the location of the skin.....most likely a rat snake. Most of our venomous snakes don't climb that well (although, I have seen Canebrakes at head level in branches)

Most likely nothing to worry about. It got to 6+ feet without you ever seeing it......most likely you never will.

D