Lawn mowers and snakes

Paolo Alfa · 05-19-20, 11:11 PM

I am trying to eliminate what seems a fairlly large infestation of snakes from my basement. As I don't want to hurt any of them I want to know of a humane method of making them move on. It occurs to me that since most snakes are deaf but sensitive to vibation they might leave if I was to put a running lawn mower down there, (after taking precautions against carbon monoxide, of course)

But would that work? or might it attract them?

And could it make them come upstairs, where i live?

Might minnow traps be better?. They would take longer and still possibly leave several snakes there who might be difficutl to deal with as I clean the place out.

I know snakes are generally beneficial but there seem enough down there to be dangerous and I would like to get rid of them and then clean the area out so they won't return

Thanks for any help

Veronica · 05-20-20, 08:07 AM

I'm not sure that would work. manually removing them, and then ensuring that there is no way for them to get back in, is probably going to be the best way. If you don't want to remove them yourself, there are usually snake removal services that you can find (just ensure that they won't kill them)

What kind of snakes are they, may I ask?

MnGuy · 05-20-20, 10:14 AM

Please don't put a running lawnmower in your basement or an indoor space under any circumstances. You cannot eliminate the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Hire a professional and then seal up any holes/cracks in your foundation. Or, manually find and remove all snakes, remove all boxes and belongings from your basement so there's nowhere for them to hide and seal the holes and cracks.

Good luck.

chairman · 05-20-20, 01:54 PM

If you want to attempt to use vibrations then get a subwoofer and play bass heavy music on a loop. It would not need to be loud to create annoying vibrations.

The best way to keep snakes out of the basement is to make it unsuitable for snakes. Clean out all the clutter. Fix moisture issues. Set rat traps. When the foundation, walls, etc are properly sealed (see the suggestion above about hiring a professional if you aren't sure how to seal basement walls against moisture) then you could look in to finishing the space, at least minimally.

You can attempt to seal the area but snakes can fit through surprisingly small holes. I'd double check the places where your phone, cable, and internet wires come through the side of your house, or perhaps where your AC pipes are run through the wall. Those holes aren't typically sealed properly or, in the case of AC units, the foam they usually use degrades over time.

But, seriously, don't run any gasoline engine in an enclosed space. The news is full of stories of people accidentally killing themselves trying to run generators indoors during a storm. Whatever precautions you take against CO and CO2 won't be enough.

Paolo Alfa · 05-20-20, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veronica

I'm not sure that would work. manually removing them, and then ensuring that there is no way for them to get back in, is probably going to be the best way. If you don't want to remove them yourself, there are usually snake removal services that you can find (just ensure that they won't kill them)

What kind of snakes are they, may I ask?

Just black snakes. Probably gophers or racers going by the Internet.

I know they're probably beneficial but I just don'l like having to work around them. I also think that one may have gotten into my HW heater pipes and caused a leak, but probably just my own bad maintenance and easily repaired

One other real concern is that I'm in an area just north of where cottonmouth mocassins are found and they look awfully similar to these but they are still rare in this area.

I've sort of lived with these snakes for some years but I think they may be nesting now.

phenyx · 05-20-20, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paolo Alfa

One other real concern is that I'm in an area just north of where cottonmouth mocassins are found and they look awfully similar to these but they are still rare in this area.

If you haven't positively identified these snakes as being non-venomous, please, please call a professional for removal services. It's not worth risking a cottonmouth bite!

ClockwerkBonnet · 05-20-20, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paolo Alfa

Just black snakes. Probably gophers or racers going by the Internet.

I know they're probably beneficial but I just don'l like having to work around them. I also think that one may have gotten into my HW heater pipes and caused a leak, but probably just my own bad maintenance and easily repaired

One other real concern is that I'm in an area just north of where cottonmouth mocassins are found and they look awfully similar to these but they are still rare in this area.

I've sort of lived with these snakes for some years but I think they may be nesting now.

Do you have a picture? Since you have made five posts, you can send us one.