How to capture black garden snake

[ashbrooker]

I've 4-5ft long black garden snake in my garage. It has been hiding in-between exterior and interior walls. It rarely comes out from hideout. How do I lure him or capture him? Please HELP.

[jwolfe152]

i may be wrong about this but if you have a minnow trap(the mesh traps that look like they have funnels on both ends) you could position the trap so when the snake comes out from the wall he slithers into the trap and it should be difficult to get itself out until you open and release the snake a few miles away. the snake may be something to keep around, obviously it has found something it likes about the garage (eg food, warmth, or protection) and if its food it may be an abundance of rodents so with the snake removed you might see more rodents or an increase in population. like i said i may be wrong here or misinforming you so don't just act on what i said till a few more people reply with more advice.

[ashbrooker]

Thanks for the response. I am going to try to buy it from Walmart. I do know that it is harmless and helpful in getting rid of rodents etc, but my wife is really freaked out (even though she hasn't seen it). I tried glue traps but the snake is big & strong enough for the traps. I just want to bring him out, capture it and safely release somewhere far.

[guidofatherof5]

4 to 5 foot is a mighty big garter snake. How sure are you it's a garter snake? What part(State) of the country do you live in?
Glue traps can be a death sentence for most garter snakes.
If it's busting out of a glue trap it's no garter snake.

Is this your snake?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_rat_snake

[ashbrooker]

4 to 5 foot is a mighty big garter snake. How sure are you it's a garter snake? What part(State) of the country do you live in?
Glue traps can be a death sentence for most garter snakes.

Virginia.

[guidofatherof5]

Check out this website and see if your snake is there.

Snakes of Virginia

[indigoman]

Most likely a black rat snake, we have a lot of them here in Va.

[d_virginiana]

Definitely a black rat snake. lol Might want to consider leaving him where he is. They don't tend to hang out in one spot unless there's food there.

If you get a typical red bulb from a hardware store (like 40-60 watts) and shine it on the floor of the garage at night maybe beside a water dish and something he can hide under, there's a good chance he'll be there if you check for a couple nights.

[kueluck]

Black rats are GREAT snakes to have around and are very docile. Just approach slowly, pick 'em up and move him out. I've found tons of them, up to 6 ft long and have never been bitten. They also will feed on chicken eggs so you may be able to lure it out with that and make a legless friend to boot. Now if it's a black racer, well that's a different story. They'll bite the crap outta ya.

[chris-uk]

but my wife is really freaked out (even though she hasn't seen it)

Is your wife more freaked out by the rats and mice that this rat snake will be feeding on? Seriously, if it was me I'd tell the wife I'd caught and released it far away, and if she does ever spot it I'd say I was told that if there's food nearby it's possible that another will move in.