AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – One west CSRA family turned in last night with not one, not two, but 18 snakes underneath their bed. So, NewsChannel 6 caught up with them to hear what happened and share what you should do if you find yourself in a similar situation.
A lot of people are scared of snakes, so they want and even expect them to be outside. But sometimes they end up inside your home and that is exactly what happened to one Augusta family.
“Before going to bed, I spotted what I thought was a piece of fuzz on the floor, went to reach for it and it moved,” Trish Wilcher described.
There was something nestled underneath Trish and Max Wilcher’s bed in their Tanglewood home Sunday night.
She added, “And then a second later another piece moved and I went to my husband, ‘we have snakes!'”
The Wilcher family quickly learned there were 17 babies and a mother snake, the baby snakes recently hatching, making themselves at home. So, Max Wilcher took a grabber tool and placed each one in a linen bag. The entire ordeal took them until around midnight.
“He brought them out there to the creek area and released them there,” Trish Wilcher said.
Their new home is now near Rae’s Creek.
Outside of finding a place to lay their eggs, there’s another reason why snakes may want to share your home. We spoke with Phinizy Center for Water Sciences Environmental Educator Camilla Sherman about what draws them indoors.
She explained, “If you have a mouse problem, the snakes are going to come and try to help you with that.”
Sherman said rodents are food for the creatures, so if you keep them out of your home, that’s another way to rid yourself of snakes too. But this time of year, you’re more likely to see them out and about.
“In the winter, when it’s cold, they slow down because their body is not able to produce heat like ours is,” she said. “So, in the summertime they’ve got plenty of heat. They are a lot more active, so you’re more likely to see them.”
The increase in snakes means you may come in contact with the reptile more, but Sherman added in Georgia, they are more than likely non-venomous.
Bites are slightly down, with Augusta University Medical Center’s Emergency Department reporting spikes during summer months.
“If you give them a way out, they’re going to take it. They’re not going to chase you,” Sherman said. She also told us that you can spot a venomous snake by the shape of its head, which is triangular shaped due to venom sacs and their thin, black, vertical pupils, like cat eyes.
Terminix Wildlife Branch Manager John Blythe shared with NewsChannel 6 that they have seen an increase in snake calls, taking five to ten per week.
The Wilchers said they called a wildlife catcher for extra help. They now know they had garter snakes in their home, but no additional snakes were found.
