Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know without a picture it will probably be difficult but here goes.

I live in the extreme south eat corner of Iowa(You cross the river and you are in MO or you cross the other river and you are in IL.) Our bathroom is urrently undergoing renovations so there is no cieling just the rafters and then the underside of the roof. In the corner of the rafters there was a coil hanging. It was a deep black with small red/brown spekling on it. My husband put on gloves and grabbed the coil. We could see the side and the under part of the head moving along the rafter. The underside of the head was a clean white and the head being a shape similar to our Colombian boa but much smaller.

Anyway, as we watched this snake go along the rafters and head into the attic we realized that wasn't the snake he had a hold of(thought they looked the same from what we saw.) The one that went into the attic was at least 5' as the back wall is about 6' long. The snake he had ended up going down into the wall. Now we haven't seen then since that time but no one has been able to tell me what they were. I have heard everything from water mochosin to king snake. Any help would be appreciated.

I am sorry that should say south east not south eat.

Sounds like you have some black rat snakes there. Check out this site for info on Iowa snakes.
Herps of Iowa

I agree. Black ratsnakes. ~~Greg~~

A good rule of thumb on snakes is that one with a white chin and black or dark patterned back foind climbing on or around a house is very likely a harmless (and abundant) black rat snake. They love to climb.

yep, sounds like a black ratsnake

ignore it and it will eventually go away (after it eats its fill or rodents). it's completely harmless.

If you do happen to catch it, place it in a pillow case, tie the top shut, and take it someplace away from residential areas and release it.

If you get bit while catching it, wash the bite with soap and warm water.
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The Reticulated Rattler

1.0.0 Great Plains Ratsnake
1.0.0 Corn, Lavender Aztec het for Amel
0.1.0 Black Ratsnake
0.0.1 Texas Rat (tame)
1.0.0 Broad Banded Water Snake, Hypo
1.0.0 Black Bassador Retriever
2.1.0 Godchildren, 1 Evil, 2 possible hets

Those are typical Black Ratsnakes you described, and are one of the best climbers on the planet!. Like the other's mentioned, they are totally harmless.

best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Thank you all very much. If we had caught them we would have moved them into the woods behind our house. It really didn't bother me that there were snakes in the house so much as I didn't know what kind. With a 14 month old that made me a bit nervous. And it didn't help that I think they may have been breeding. Lol.

Again thank you very much.

Randi

You're welcome!

I certainly see your concern with them being in the house,....but when any food source(birds,rodents) runs out, they will leave the area.

Also another thing that will make you feel a bit better is,...if they WERE breeding, the female will go off and lay the eggs in a moist medium somewhere outside, she would NEVER lay them in a drier environment such as the house.

best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

In addition to what Doug said, I'd personally be more concerned about mice and rats harming your 14-month old child than the snakes. It's a pretty darn good thing the snakes are around to help take care of such pesky mammals!

Well that is a good thing. At least I don't have to worry about having to relocate a whole mess of little ones with a really upset momma. Lol. Thank you all for your help. And now that you mention it, I havn't seen a rodent around for several months, other then the overly abundent rabbits in the yard.

Randi

that snake is your best mouse/rat trap.

I really wish more people were as understanding about the situation as you are. So many people freak out and want the snakes killed on the spot.
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The Reticulated Rattler

1.0.0 Great Plains Ratsnake
1.0.0 Corn, Lavender Aztec het for Amel
0.1.0 Black Ratsnake
0.0.1 Texas Rat (tame)
1.0.0 Broad Banded Water Snake, Hypo
1.0.0 Black Bassador Retriever
2.1.0 Godchildren, 1 Evil, 2 possible hets

I can understand both points really. If you had small children and didn't know anything about snakes you would be afriad for the kids, however, We own snakes of our own and as long as they aren't venomous they don't really bother me. Now if it was a venomous snake we found, I wouldn't kill it but it would take a much longer trip then across the street to the woods. Lol.

Randi

Well,...again, just like he already mentioned, I only wish more people had the respect for animals that you do. Because the word "animals" doesn't mean just the cute, cuddly kind with fluffy fur, and big brown eyes.

I'm sure that MANY of these so-called animal "advocates" would chop a harmless snake in two with a shovel at the drop of a hat, yet fight tooth and nail for anything else...............true irony!

best regards, ~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I agree. I think some people tend to forget that matter. I hope that when we have a larger collection(and more knowledge on different species as I only deal with boids currently) to be able to go to schools and such to help do my part to educate people about them. I think most people just aren't aware of what these creatures do for humans and that saddens me.

Randi
P.S. I like that snake you posted. What kind is it?

Yes, teaching people about them is a great idea!

Thanks for the compliment on the previous snake. It's an exceptionally nice looking Yellow Ratsnake I caught on the east coast of central Florida in my backyard back in '05.

best regards, ~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Boy you are just full of pictures of wonderful snakes aren't you! I have looked and I can't seem to find any information on obtaining a lisence or permit. I am pretty sure you need one to educate useing live animals(and I am pretty sure I need one in order to keep the snake I have now lol). Any information on this would be much appreciated.

Randi

.
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I hate to say absolutely, for sure, without seeing it, but there are no venomous snakes in the U.S. that are likely to climb up into the rafters.

Cottonmouth? No way. They never climb except a little when very young, and one 5 feet long would be as big around as your upper arm. Lot's of people in the South will tell you any snake you point to is a cottonmouth. Most have never actually seen one.

Copperhead? SOME chance it might climb, but 5 feet would be a record by almost a foot and 2 feet longer than a typical, large adult,

King snakes also do very little climbing.

Most likely some sort of rat snake.
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

I once did a phone ID for a friend, and --based mostly on the fact that the snake had fallen from the rafters-- I told him that it was most likely a Gray Rat Snake (which are abundant in that area.)

He took some pictures of the snake, then scooped it into a bucket and released it in some nearby woods. When the pictures were developed, he sent them to me... and it was a Copperhead!

That taught em two things: generalities are not absolutes, and trying to ID a snake over the phone can be difficult at best.

Copperheads are actually pretty good climbers. In the late spring and early summer they spend a lot of time feeding on emerging cicadas and often follow them several feet up a tree.