How To Easily & Safely Catch A Snake & The Best Tool To Use

by Texas Homesteader~ 

Many have asked about our non-venomous snake capture and relocation method. So today I’ll be sharing how we easily catch and relocate beneficial snakes.

Easily capture and relocate a snake, but do it safely. We've found the 47" snake grabber to be the best tool to relocate snakes safely. #TexasHomesteader

Snakes An Important Part Of The Ecosystem

Now before I begin, let me say that I realize not everyone sees snakes the same way we do. Some may be terrified of snakes and feel they all must die – friend or foe. If that’s you, I respect your feelings.

But for our home, I personally feel they’re an important part of our ecosystem. Especially living out in the country, they keep mice & rat populations in check.

A venomous snake must go of course. But around here, non-venomous snakes are simply relocated away from our home.

Texas Venomous Snakes

Here on our Texas Homestead we have only a few types of venomous snakes – typically they are:

Water Moccasin Snakes

Copperhead Snakes

Venomous Copperhead snake in Northeast Texas #TexasHomesteader

Thankfully we don’t see many of them around here.

I’m not sure if the cattle keep them run off or what. But although I know they’re still around, actually seeing a venomous snake here on the Homestead is not common.

Most Snakes Are Beneficial For Mouse & Rat Control

The snakes that we see most often here in NE Texas are rat snakes. But we don’t kill them, they’re non venomous and like most snakes are actually quite beneficial due to their mad skills of mouse/rat patrol.

I mean think about it:

We built our home in the middle of an abandoned cattle pasture almost two decades ago, yet have never had a mouse in the house.

That’s the benefit of a rat snake, y’all. And for me – as long as the snake stays outside where it belongs, I’d much prefer to deal with an occasional non-venomous snake than hordes of mice & rats.

But getting up close & personal with a snake – good or bad – can make me nervous! So we needed a way to be able to catch snakes safely. For us and for them.

The Best Way to Relocate Non-Venomous Snakes

While snakes do a fine job of keeping rodents away, every now & then one gets a little too close for comfort.

When that happens we easily relocate it. Because, you know, even though they’re beneficial there are a few places where I prefer the snakes stay away.

Safely relocating a non-venomous snake. #TexasHomesteader

Some Snakes Will Eat Chicken Eggs

Occasionally a rat snake will make its way into the chicken’s nesting boxes. Some people have said rat snakes were a danger to their chickens in the hen house.

Although I’m sure they could be a danger with tiny baby chicks, we’ve never had them bother our grown chickens in all the years we’ve raised hens.

However, given the opportunity they will certainly try to nab a quick egg supper! And scare the living daylights out of me too! 

Rat snake in nesting box eating chicken eggs. Easily capture and relocate a snake, but do it safely. We've found the 47" snake grabber to be the best tool to relocate snakes safely. #TexasHomesteader

Catching A Rat Snake In The Chicken Coop

I let the hens out of their large chicken yard to free-range. Then I’ll lock them back securely inside their chicken yard when they come back, then securely  into the coop where they roost for the night.

The last thing I do before locking it all down is inspect the nesting boxes for trespassers. Occasionally an opportunistic rat snake will sneak in for a quick grab-n-go egg supper.

Oh the snake won’t find any eggs in the nests – I collect them throughout the day.

But I leave a golf ball in the nesting boxes to teach young pullets where to lay. Since the eggs have already been collected the snake will sometimes mistake the golf ball for an egg. 

Rat snake in nesting box eating an egg. Easily capture and relocate a snake, but do it safely. We've found the 47" snake grabber to be the best tool to relocate snakes safely. #TexasHomesteader

I know the snake will, uh, ‘rid himself’ of the golf ball so he won’t actually be injured.

UPDATE: While a rat snake can and will rid itself of a golf ball if it hasn’t gotten too far down his throat, I’ve read that it can create a problem if it gets too far down and can possibly even kill the snake. So it’s not recommended to leave a loose golf ball in the nesting boxes, and I no longer do.

If you need to train your hens to a nesting box, perhaps securely attaching a golf ball to a piece of plywood so the snake can’t swallow it might be a better idea?

When I find a rat snake in the nesting boxes as I’m locking the hens up for the night I’ll call RancherMan from the chicken house and tell him to bring the snake grabbers. He’ll relocate the snake.

Sometimes Snakes Get A Little TOO Close To Home

Sometimes a snake gets a little too close to home. Then it really needs to be relocated!

Once a snake crawled right up on our front door. No, no, NO – that’s much too close for comfort!

Long black rat snake on top of a metal decoration on a wooden door. #TexasHomesteader

RancherMan used the snake grabbers to easily relocate this boy away from the house.

Let me tell ya, those snake grabbers have certainly paid for themselves over the years!

Where To Relocate A Non-Venomous Snake

We store our empty beehives in our barn. Mice & rats do damage to the beehives chewing and nesting in them.

There’s also sometimes damage done to our tractors stored in the barn. Rats & mice chew wires! But a rat snake will earn his keep by keeping those pesky vermin away! The very presence of a snake will deter rodents from the barn area.

The Inexpensive Snake Grabbers We Bought

We’ve had our snake grabbers for quite a few years and they’ve safely toted off untold number of snakes. 

The serrated gripping lever holds the snake firmly, but the blunt teeth help protect it from injury. 

Snake grabber serrated lever. Easily capture and relocate a snake, but do it safely. We've found the 47" snake grabber to be the best tool to relocate snakes safely. #TexasHomesteader

With the snake firmly gripped within the holding lever, we can walk it down our long driveway and to the barn to release it there. 

The snake simply crawls away – free to live out his life happily hunting mice & rats, which ends up benefiting us with reduced rodent populations to deal with.

Not All Snake Catchers Are The Same

I’ve had many people ask me about the snake grabbers we purchased. They come in different lengths and even varying quality.

Most of the cheaper snake catchers that I’ve seen are 24″ to 30-ish inches. To me that’s way too short for me!

(Note: Some links in this post will take you to other related articles for further information. But links preceded with * are affiliate links. If you click and buy something I could receive a tiny commission.)

Ours is a *47″ Snake Grabber and RancherMan likes the quality of the one we bought.

For one thing it features a heavy metal cable. That helps assure the snake grabber’s not going to break while he’s trying to transport an irritated snake away from the house.

Snake grabber handle.. Easily capture and relocate a snake, but do it safely. We've found the 47" snake grabber to be the best tool to relocate snakes safely. #TexasHomesteader

Plus the 47″ length is long enough to keep the snake far away as he carries it down the driveway to relocate it.

Where To Buy Snake Catchers / Grabbers

Here are two major online sources for the longer 47″ length snake grabbers:

Amazon: * 47’’ Snake Clamp Catcher

Walmart: *47″ Snake Catchers

Easily capture and relocate a snake, but do it safely. We've found the 47" snake grabber to be the best tool to relocate snakes safely. #TexasHomesteader

So if you’re interested in safely catching or even relocating the beneficial snakes, get one of these snake grabbers and have it ready!

~TxH~

This post categorized in  All our native Texas plant and wildlife posts. #TexasHomesteader 

Tagged in     Posts about dealing with snakes. #TexasHomesteader     

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4 thoughts on “How To Easily & Safely Catch A Snake & The Best Tool To Use

  1. Ken

    Well. Knock on wood. 33 years living here on this place in the southern part of your county I’ve never seen a poisonous snake. You’re more forgiving than I. Only once I’ve let one go. That was in my compost pile. But whatever floats your boat. I hate cats but that’s for the occasionally snake. Snakes give me the woolies!

    Reply
  2. ColleenB.~Tx.

    Me, grown up & raised on a farm, I’m a prairie kind of gal through & through but I am totally terrified of snakes.
    My daughter & husband have moved from city life to country life a few years ago. For my daughter, country life was totally new to her. I had mentioned to her to Always expect the unexpected.
    One day while she was home alone, she spotted a copperhead in the fenced in dog area from her kitchen window. She called a friend who lives a few miles away to come and kill the copperhead for her. Her friend came out with her ax, went over to where the snake was and with one big whack, she cut off the snake’s head.
    Will see a garden snake every once in awhile but I will still leave them well enough alone. I go my way & the snake goes merry along it’s way. Even a garden snake bite may still cause redness, swelling and discomfort.
    Thanks for the heads up on the snake grabber.

    Reply
  3. candace ford

    In the flatlands of western Oregon the only snakes we seem to have are small harmless ones I’ve always called garter snakes – no idea if that’s a real name or not. I grew up playing with them, my mother didn’t care for them so if one was where she didn’t want it I was called on to move the little creature. They are useful creatures but it seems that I see very few of them any more. Lots more slugs and snails GAAAK!!! There are rattlers in eastern Oregon – dry desert and mountain country. ICK!!!

    Reply

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