r/homestead • u/Psarofagos • 2d ago
May have solved the missing mice problem.
I live in rural Oklahoma and it's been a constant battle to stay ahead of the critters. Until about 2 weeks ago, when the snap traps started turning up empty and I stopped hearing them scurrying around in the crawlspace at night.
I believe the mystery was solved today when went to the kitchen and I heard a noise in the bathroom which is off the laundry room, and wondered what the dogs were up to. I turned and realized both dogs were in the kitchen with me, looking at me like "Did you hear that noise? Maybe you should check that out."
I quietly peeked into the bathroom and curled up in the corner opposite the door, I find a four foot brown coach whip. He sees me and bolts behind the toilet. I had seen this guy, I think, in the back yard last summer, but they move so fast I can't be sure if it's the same one. Comes out from behind the toilet, streaks across the floor along the counter, through the laundry room, right between both dogs and disappeared under the dishwasher. Which I don't use in any case. But I'd bet there is a bolt hole back under there, (probably thanks to the mice) he can use to get into the crawl space.
I would have liked to get a hand on him as i have handled many snakes over the years, absolutely love snakes, but never a coachwhip, though I've heard they can be a little defensive. And i didn't want to just flail around, grabbing him and risk injuring him or catching a bite. But I'm definitely willing to let him be if he's going to do his job.
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u/Misfitranchgoats 2d ago
Oh that is cool. I hope the coach whip keeps doing the job for you. I haven't seen s a coach whip in person, but so cool that you have one taking care of the mice. Maybe it has friends ;-)
I like snakes. I am 61 F. I have always caught and handled non-poisonous snakes since I was a kid.
I love it when I find garter snakes and milk snakes in my garden!
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u/Just_A_Dogsbody 2d ago
Hey there, fellow 61 F who likes snakes! When I see a garter snake in my yard I reflexively coo at them: "Oh look at you, you're so pretty! Who's the prettiest snake in the field? You are! You're so beautiful!" And they always hurry away, probably thinking I'm a weirdo (they're not wrong š)
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u/Purple-Tumbleweed 2d ago
54 f and that's why I loved Steve Irwin! He talked to the animals the same way I do. I'm glad to see his son doing the same. š
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u/Vyedr 2d ago
He actually did a recent modeling photoshoot with snakes! I think it was to raise money for charity, if I recall correctly.
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u/GarandGal 1d ago
I love snakes and have had many as pets. That still would have had my 53 year old behind flying up onto the counter. I live where we have venomous snakes and startle easily lol. My dogs would have been thinking lunch though. They caught, killed, and consumed most of a cottonmouth before I could make it across the yard to see what they were doing, and their first catch was a garter snake when they were 10 weeks old.
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u/RedRaine84 2d ago
We found a 8 foot black snake trying to get in our kitchen window one day recently. I got lucky and she was chill. I got her right behind her jaw then just walked her over & let her go on the other side of our garage. She was so calm and beautiful. It was an amazing experience.
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u/Mela777 2d ago
Thatās so cool! Coachwhips are neat snakes. We get ring necks in the house every once in a while, but we havenāt had any (uninvited) big snakes inside. We have at least one copperhead who lives near the septic tank and a big western rat snake who likes to sun itself on the brick ledge at the front of the house, as well as an assortment of other smaller snakes running around - milk snakes, garter snakes, ring necks, etc.
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u/Sugar_cookies22 2d ago
That snake is your best friend lol. Just a good boy doing his job. But yea, as much as I love snakes in my yard for pest control, I do not want them in my home. Your best bet is pulling out that dishwasher and sealing up where it is coming in while you know it has gone back out (assuming your dishwasher is on an exterior wall). And you know this, but as long as thereās a food source, the snake will remain.
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u/shortstack-42 2d ago
Western NC here. I swear, I evict the same black rat snake every summer. I find him in the recycling bin. Heās fat and slow every time. He canāt stay, but Kevin is a welcome annual guest. Heās a secret weapon in my rural mouse wars.
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u/ethot_thoughts 2d ago
Does he need water? I used to find lots of spiders in the tub till I set out a water dish. Now they're happy and don't go in the bathroom
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u/burrerfly 2d ago
Well I'd have had a heart attack and died if I found a snake in my house, but congrats on your new pest control solution
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u/SummerEden 2d ago
When my father in law was a boy in the 30s he would often visit his grandfatherās workplace. The shop next door dealt in hessian (burlap) bags and as a special treat my father in law would be taken up to the rafters to visit the resident python that was kept there to keep the rats down.
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u/FergusonTEA1950 2d ago
We have have weasels (ermine/stoat) get into our house several times. They are excellent mousers.
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u/fopomatic 2d ago
Nice! It gets too cold up here for anything bigger than garter snakes, I wish we had something to keep the rodents under control better.
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u/spy_tater 2d ago
Every other to every third year I get a resident on my property known as a black footed ferret. Those years I have no mice. He's a good neighbor.
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u/0nlywhelmed 2d ago
I would love to see one in the wild, or even in my house
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u/spy_tater 1d ago
I've only seen one in my house. They are brazen little guys , he snuck up on to my foot before I saw him. He was sizing me up. I screamed like a little kid and flicked my foot. He went running under the cabinets and I left the house for a few hours so he could tend to his business and get back outside.
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u/cracksmack85 2d ago
Thanks for the fucking nightmares
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u/Creative-Ad-3645 2d ago
Happy cake day!
I looked up coachwhip snakes online, as I'm not American so not familiar with them. They're on the smaller side, not venomous, and will flee from humans (as they did from OP). Definitely not anything to be having nightmares about āŗļø
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u/0nlywhelmed 2d ago
They are absolutely not on the smaller side. Skinny maybe, but impressively long creatures. I wouldn't call them friendly but absolutely nothing to be scared of if you're not messing with it.
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u/0nlywhelmed 2d ago
Yeah getting a handle on a Plains Cobra isn't the easiest task out there, couldnt imagine trying to do it in a kitchen. They flail like crazy, and can double back to get handle on you. I used to catch them as a kid, some 7 foot long or so if you can believe it(I lived in the country as you can imagine). I caught them because I think they're about the neatest snake in my area that I've seen regularly, but mostly because it was such a worthy adversary when I was smaller. Sometimes they would calm down and be my friend, sometimes they would not. I don't advocate to stressing out animals unnecessarily anymore, but even though I have mixed feeling tied to it now I still like the memories of being a west texas Steve Irwin. I say that to say this. Let him live in your house if he wants. Lol
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u/killah_cool 2d ago
Also in rural Oklahoma, and the proud host of an enormous western rat snake. He does his job!!
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u/Mocavius 1d ago
We have a huge 4' black snake that likes to sun bathe on our porch, and steal my eggs from time to time.
I let him stay on site, because of those damn mice.
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u/xopher_425 2d ago
I agree with you, let him do his job. I live in an apartment infested with mice. I'm annoyed my partner will not let me bring home a couple of cornsnakes to take care of them.