If You Find a Baby Snake Are There More Nearby?

Snakes are not social creatures. Contrary to common belief, they do not always travel in groups; instead, they prefer to hunt and live alone. So, chances are if you find one snake, there’s no greater likelihood that there are more around the place.

Most baby snakes never see their mothers because they are abandoned shortly after hatching or birth. Some snakes stay with their mothers for up to two weeks or until they shed their first skin.

However, baby snakes are hatched or born in clutches or groups. After they are born or hatched, they begin to go separate ways. Therefore, if a few baby snake is discovered in somebody’s yard, there might be a whole brood of juvenile snakes.

If You Find One Snake Are There More?

Snakes are not typically sociable creatures. They do not often dwell in colonies. After mating or laying, a snake goes on its way. Therefore, if you see one, it is probably the only one.

There’s no need to panic if you see one; you don’t have a house infected with millions of snakes just because you spotted one.

However, this is not always the case. Some snakes, such as rattlesnakes and garter snakes, hibernate in large dens. Therefore, if your yard provides the space they need to hibernate during the winter, you might have hundreds of snakes in your compound.

Related: Are Snakes Friendly?

If I Found a Baby Snake, Are There More?

When a baby snake is seen around a property, the first question that prompts people is the location of their mother. However, newborn snakes are mostly never protected by their parents.

Most snakes never meet their moms as they are abandoned soon after hatching or being born. Some snakes remain with their moms for two weeks or until they lose their first skin.

After they hatch or are born, the youngsters begin to go their separate ways. They have no one to look after them, so they must fend for themselves. If you find a few baby snakes in the garden, it’s possible that the mother snake saw it as an ideal nursery and placed her eggs somewhere in it. So, there may be a complete brood of young snakes, signaling the existence of an infestation as they are born in clutches or groups. But there’s no way to really know.

Related: Where do Snakes Live?

How Can You Tell if You Have Snake Infestation?

Detecting snakes is the most obvious way to establish if you have a snake problem. However, discovering snakes isn’t always straightforward, especially in winter. They may nest in the house or yard and may remain hidden for months.

However, there are specific warning signals of snake infestation you may watch for in your surroundings.

Sighting a snake: If you see a snake, you know you have at least one. Because snakes mostly seek shelter during the winter and try to rest during periods of severe heat, you are pretty likely to encounter a snake.

Presence of snakeskin: Snakes shed their skin between 4 to 12 times a year. Therefore, if snakes frequent your yard, you will most likely come across their skin.

Snake droppings: It is not always easy to distinguish snake dropping from that of other animals. However, experts claim it resembles bird excrement, although it may also contain hair and bones from their victim. It may also be tubular or have a pinched, irregular surface.

Slither traces: While investigating a dusty area or crawlspace, you may find tracks indicating where a snake has passed. One way to identify this traces is by using the flour technique.

Typically, you should sprinkle flour or another powder-like substance near a heat lamp, a tiny dish of water, or the refrigerator to attract the snake and then wait to see if any slithery markings are left on their trap.

Snake odor: Many snakes have a unique scent. If you discover a peculiar smell in a crawlspace or other place that wasn’t there previously, it might be a sign of a problem. However, snakes mostly produce a recognizable odor only when they are threatened.

For instance, garter snakes and rattlesnakes emit an intensely musky and strong scent that is pretty hard to ignore.

Related: Where do Snakes Hide in a House?

What Attracts Snakes To Your Home?

Snakes may enter homes in quest of prey or nesting places, or they may enter by mistake. Snakes like wet, cold, and dark environments thus reside in your home’s lowest floors, such as basements, crawlspaces, utility rooms, laundry rooms, pipes, trusses, attics, and drop ceilings.

Depending on their size, they may be able to slither under gaps. If they have regular access to food, they will construct long-term nests.

How to Get Rid of Snake Nesting Areas?

If you’ve noticed signs of snakes in your yard and are afraid that they’ve found their way inside your home, you’ll need to act immediately; the last thing you would want is a group of snakes nesting in your property.

To prevent a snake infestation, homeowners may use caulk to cover cracks in buildings, store woodpiles off the ground, clean garbage from yards regularly, and install snake-proof fences.

However, if you already have a snake on your property, the best thing to do is to seek the services of an expert. This is because it is not always easy to distinguish which type of snake you are dealing with.  While most snakes are not venomous, some can be extremely dangerous, and a bite can even be fatal.

A specialist can identify the type of snake and securely remove it from the premises and reintroduce it to its native environment. They will know what to look for and have the tools to trap and remove these critters from your house.

Related: What Smells do Snakes Hate?

Conclusion

While it is possible to detect a snake on your property, it is important to remember that most snakes avoid human contact. Therefore, a majority of them pose no immediate danger to you. Also, snakes are very good at camouflaging; thus, detecting one is not always easy.

So, unless you live in a snake-infested region, you might never see them. Also, most snakes are not aggressive and will not pursue or chase people. Snakes prefer not to interact with humans, and it is likely as frightening for them as it is for you.

However, if you do notice a snake on your property, the best way to get rid of it is to seek the services of a pest control professional.