Snake Removal
If there is a snake in your garage, pool equipment, flower bed or house, back away, keep children and pets inside, and watch where it goes from a safe distance. Do not try to catch it, kill it or move it. Michael Gerbino of Cypress Critters & Pests removes snakes from homes and businesses in Cypress, Spring, Tomball, The Woodlands, Klein and north Houston, then finds out what drew it in. Call Michael at 713-775-8799 and tell him where the snake is right now.
What should I do the moment I see a snake?
The first few minutes matter more than anything else. Most snake bites happen when someone tries to handle, chase or kill a snake. A snake left alone almost always tries to get away from you. Your only job is to stay out of reach and keep track of it.
| Do | Do not |
|---|---|
| Step back to at least the length of a garden hose away | Reach for it, pin it or pick it up, even with a tool |
| Bring children and pets inside and close the door | Let a dog investigate or corner it |
| Watch from a distance to see where it hides | Lift boxes, boards or pool covers to look for it |
| Close an inside door or set a towel along the gap if it is in a room you can shut | Try to sweep it outside with a broom |
| Take a photo from a safe distance if you can do it without moving closer | Assume it is harmless because it looks small or calm |
| Call and describe where it is and where it went | Try to kill it with a shovel or a gun |
Some snakes around Houston-area homes are venomous and some are not. Texas Parks and Wildlife lists copperheads, cottonmouths, timber rattlesnakes and coral snakes in the eastern part of the state. Up close, snakes can be hard to tell apart, and Michael does not ask homeowners to figure that out. Treat every snake as if it could be dangerous and let him handle it. If someone is bitten, call 911 right away.
Why do snakes end up in garages, pool equipment and flower beds?
Snakes go where the food and the cover are. Around here the food is usually rats, mice, frogs and lizards, and the cover is anything cool, dark and undisturbed. That is why the same places come up again and again.
- Garages: a worn door seal or a gap at the bottom corner lets mice in, and the snake follows them. Clutter along the walls gives it a place to hide.
- Pool equipment pads: the pump, filter and plumbing stay warm, and frogs gather around the water. The equipment housing makes a sheltered pocket.
- Flower beds and mulch: thick mulch, ground cover and landscape timbers hold moisture and hide small prey.
- Under decks, sheds and pier-and-beam skirting: open space under a structure is shade and shelter, and it is also where rodents nest.
- Woodpiles, rock borders and stacked lumber: plenty of gaps and very little foot traffic.
- Inside the house: usually through a gap under an exterior door, a dryer vent, an A/C line chase or a gap in a crawl-space vent.
How do I keep snakes away from the house?
You cannot make a yard snake-proof, but you can make it a poor place to live. Keep grass short near the house, pull mulch back from the foundation, store firewood off the ground and away from walls, and clear stacked materials from along the fence. The biggest single change is getting rid of the rodents, because a yard without rats and mice gives a snake little reason to stay. Snakes follow rodents, which is why snake jobs and rat and mouse control so often go together.
Removing one snake does not change any of that. If the garage still has a gap under the door and the attic still has rats, the next snake finds the same way in. That is why Michael pairs removal with animal exclusion: he finds the openings rodents and snakes are using, seals them with metal and hardware cloth, and closes off the space under decks and sheds so there is no easy shelter left.
Snake in sight right now? Call 713-775-8799 and stay where you can see it from a distance.
How Michael handles it
- Find and remove the snake. Michael uses proper tools and keeps everyone back while he works.
- Look for the reason it came. He checks for rodent signs, the cover the snake was using and the gap it came through.
- Seal the way in. Door seals, vent screens, A/C line chases and skirting gaps get closed with materials built to last.
- Close off shelter. Spaces under decks and sheds can be closed with buried mesh so snakes and the animals they hunt cannot move in.
- Talk through the yard. He points out the woodpiles, mulch and clutter that make the property attractive, so you can change what you want to.
Snake calls often lead to other work. Rodents in the attic are the usual reason a snake shows up, and the same low spaces that hide snakes also draw skunks and opossums. If you are hearing animals over the ceiling, see raccoon removal and squirrel removal. Businesses with warehouses and loading docks can ask about commercial wildlife and pest control. Everything Michael handles is on the wild animal control services page.
Where Michael does this work
Michael removes snakes across the northwest side of the Houston area. Each town has its own page:
- Snake removal in Cypress
- Snake removal in Spring
- Snake removal in Tomball
- Snake removal in The Woodlands
- Snake removal in Klein
- Snake removal in Houston
What goes into the quote?
A single snake in plain view is a different job from a garage with rodents, open seals and a cluttered back wall. Michael quotes after he has seen where the snake is and how it got there. What moves the number is whether the work stops at removal or goes on to sealing entry points, closing off space under a deck or shed, and dealing with rodents that drew the snake in. Call Michael at 713-775-8799 and he will tell you plainly what the property needs. You can also reach him through the contact page.
Questions people ask about snake removal
Is the snake in my garage venomous or not?
Do not try to find out up close. Some snakes in this area are venomous and some are not, and they can look alike, especially in poor light or partly hidden. Treat any snake as if it could be dangerous. Keep at least a garden hose length away, keep children and pets inside, and let Michael identify and remove it. A photo taken from a safe distance helps him prepare.
Should I kill a snake I find in my yard?
No. Texas Parks and Wildlife asks people not to kill a snake, even a venomous one. Trying to kill it puts you within striking distance, and that is when most bites happen. A snake that is left alone will usually try to leave. Many snakes also eat the rats and mice you do not want either. Back away, keep watch from a distance, and call for removal if it is near the house.
What do I do if the snake hides before you arrive?
Note where you last saw it and which way it moved, then leave that area alone. Do not move boxes or lift covers to look for it. If it went into a room, close the door and roll a towel along the gap underneath. Snakes usually stay in one hiding spot for a while, and knowing where it went gives Michael a good place to start.
Why do I keep finding snakes near my pool equipment?
The pump and filter area stays warm, holds moisture and draws frogs and lizards, which is food. The housing and plumbing also make a sheltered pocket that people rarely disturb. Keeping the pad clear of leaves and stored items, trimming plants back from it and closing gaps under the equipment cover all make it less inviting.
Do snake repellents or mothballs keep snakes away?
They are not a fix. Mothballs and granular products do not change the reasons a snake comes to a yard, which are food and shelter. What works is taking those away: getting rid of rodents, clearing cover near the house and sealing the gaps that let snakes and the animals they hunt into garages, sheds and crawl spaces.
Can a snake get into the house through the attic?
Some snakes climb well, and they can follow rats up brick, siding or tree limbs into an attic. It is less common than a snake in the garage, but it happens when there is a rodent problem overhead. If you are hearing rats in the attic and have also seen a snake, Michael will look at both, because sealing the roofline stops both.
Does removing one snake mean the problem is solved?
Not always. If the yard still has rodents, thick cover and open gaps under doors and decks, another snake can move in. Removal handles the snake you can see. Sealing entry points, closing off space under structures and dealing with rodents is what makes the property less likely to draw the next one.
Contact Us Anytime
Michael handles raccoons, opossums, squirrels, rats and snakes day or night. He inspects the whole house to find every way in, catches the animals alive, and seals the openings so they cannot come back. He also repairs the damage they leave behind.
Call or Text Michael
(713) 775-8799
Cypress Critters & Pests
Cypress Critters & Pests is owner-operated by Michael Gerbino: humane wildlife exclusion, live trapping and pest control around Cypress, Spring, Tomball, The Woodlands, Klein and Houston.
