Snake Trapping & Removal
Serving Atlanta Metro | Columbus | Augusta | Savannah
Nothing ruins your time outdoors like finding a snake slithering through your garden, especially if you aren’t sure whether or not it’s dangerous. Dealing with snakes can be stressful and potentially harmful depending on the species, but don’t worry — you don’t have to put your health and safety at risk. Active Pest Control proudly offers fast and efficient snake removal services in Georgia.
From removing individual snakes to long-term snake exclusion, Active Pest Control is here to help. Call us now for expert snake trapping and removal service in Georgia.
Common Snakes in Georgia
With relatively warm year-round weather in Georgia, snakes are a common problem here no matter the season. These are the species you’re most likely to find in your backyard:
Non-Venomous Snakes
- Banded water snake: Has a stout body with distinctive dark crossbands on a background color that can range from brown to reddish, and its belly is marked with black and white or yellowish patterns.
- Brown snake: Small and slender, usually brown or gray with a lighter, often pinkish belly, and a series of dark spots or streaks running down its back.
- Common garter snake: Thin and has three yellow or white stripes running lengthwise down its body, which can range in color from green to brown. Most have a pattern of dark spots between the stripes.
- Common water snake: Thick body with a background color of gray to brown, marked with dark crossbands or blotches, and its belly is often white, yellow, or gray with dark crescent-shaped spots.
- Eastern rat snake (black rat snake): Large, slender snake with a shiny black body and a lighter belly. They are expert climbers commonly found in attics, crawlspaces, and wall voids hunting for rodents.
- Pine snake: Large, robust snake with a cream to light gray base color, covered with black, brown, or reddish blotches that become more pronounced towards the tail, and a distinctly pointed snout.
Venomous Snakes
- Canebrake rattlesnake: Heavy, thick body with a base color of pinkish-tan to gray, overlaid with dark chevron-shaped crossbands and a distinctive rusty stripe running down its back.
- Copperhead: Recognized by its tan or light brown body overlaid with dark brown, hourglass-shaped crossbands. This is the most frequently encountered venomous snake in Georgia.
- Cottonmouth: Often found in environments near water, easily mistaken for the harmless banded water snake.
Banded Water Snake vs. Venomous Cottonmouth: How to Tell the Difference
Harmless Banded Water Snakes and venomous Cottonmouths (Water Moccasins) share similar dark patterns and aquatic habitats, making them easy to confuse. Use these key visual traits to identify them safely from a distance:
Feature | Cottonmouth (Venomous) | Banded Water Snake (Non-Venomous) |
Swimming Profile | Floats high with entire body visible | Swims mostly submerged with only head exposed |
Head Shape | Blocky, triangular head with a distinct neck | Slender, oval head tapering smoothly into body |
Pupils | Vertical, cat-like slits | Completely round |
Defensive Stance | Coils and gapes to show white mouth interior | Retreats quickly into the water |
Need an Estimate for Snake Control?
Our Snake Removal Process
Effective long-term snake removal is a multi-step process, from removing the active wildlife in your home to proactive exclusion to prevent future issues. Here is how our technicians approach snake problems in homes in Georgia:
- Property Inspection: We inspect areas with snake activity for hiding places, entry points, and potential food sources.
- Snake Trapping and Removal: We use professional methods to properly trap and remove snakes from your property.
- Identify Potential Entry Points: We look for gaps and openings that may allow snakes to enter your home or business.
- Exclusion and Prevention Recommendations: We recommend sealing entry points and reducing conditions that attract snakes.
- Service Documentation and Prevention Tips: We document the service and provide tips to help prevent future snake problems.
Georgia Snake Trapping & Removal FAQs
Most of the snakes in Georgia are fairly harmless to humans. However, you shouldn’t try to approach or handle a snake unless you’re experienced with them. While most snakes in our area try to avoid human contact, they are still wild animals that can cause harm. Almost any snake may strike if it feels threatened.
Venomous species such as Copperheads, Canebrake Rattlesnakes, and Cottonmouths do present real dangers in Georgia. Their bites require immediate medical attention.
Many pest control companies offer snake removal as a service. In Georgia, Eastern Rat Snakes are the most common species found inside walls, attics, and crawlspaces due to their exceptional climbing abilities and pursuit of rodents.
At Active Pest Control, our licensed specialists are trained to locate, safely trap, and remove climbing snakes from hard-to-reach structure voids.
Snake repellents, such as mothballs, sulfur, and ammonia, are common DIY methods people use to deter snakes. While these repellents may have some effect, they are rarely effective on their own.
Snakes often become accustomed to these substances, and their effectiveness diminishes over time. For more reliable results, it’s best to combine repellents with other preventative measures or professional services.
Snakes love gardens because there’s lots of vegetation to rest and hide under, and plenty of potential food sources. If you’ve been having recurring issues with snakes in yours, you might want to consider how you can manage those factors in tandem with your gardening goals.
- Eliminate Food Sources: Reduce the rodents and insects that snakes prey on.
- Remove Shelter: Clear away piles of rocks, wood, and other debris where snakes might hide. Keep grass and vegetation trimmed to reduce cover.
- Install Barriers: Consider adding snake-proof fencing, ensuring it is buried a few inches into the ground to prevent snakes from burrowing underneath.
A snake infestation may be difficult to spot because snakes like to spend much of their time hiding. However, the longer a snake remains, the more likely it is that you may notice evidence of its presence.
Common signs include:
- Shed Snake Skins: Finding a dry, crumpled skin in a crawl space, garage, attic rafters, or along foundation lines indicates an active snake—particularly climbing species like rat snakes—utilizing your structure.
- Snake Droppings: Snake feces may sometimes be found in areas where snakes have been active. They can contain a darker portion along with a lighter, chalky material called urate.
- Unusual Odors: Some snakes can release a strong, unpleasant odor when stressed or threatened. An unusual musky smell in an enclosed area may warrant further investigation.
- Snake Sightings: Seeing a snake repeatedly around the same portion of your property can indicate that the area provides food, shelter, or another resource the snake is using.
- Rodent Activity: Mice and rats attract snakes into wall voids and attics. Because climbing species follow rodent scents up brick walls, siding, and overhanging branches, controlling rodents is essential for indoor snake prevention.
Call Active Pest Control Today for Snake Removal and Trapping in Georgia
When you spot a snake within your yard, your home, or your business space, and you want it gone ASAP, make sure you work with a company you can rely on. At Active Pest Control, we’ve been helping Georgia homeowners solve snake problems with fast and effective removal and long-term exclusion.
If you’re ready for a solution that really works, contact Active Pest Control today and schedule your free home insepction.
