Discovering a lizard or two in your home may be startling, and is certainly unwelcome, but rest assured—they are harmless. Still, it’s understandable that you want them out! Lizards in Florida are a fact of life, but you can easily remedy and/or avoid having them in your home. Wondering about the types of lizards in Florida? There are at least 29 species of lizards in Florida, many of which came from other places—either arriving accidentally or … [Read more...]
Backyard Snakes
Your heart is pounding, your forehead sweating, every muscle tensing and goose-bump rising; before you can think—before your brain can even conjure the word “snake”—your limbs have frozen in place. Your body is alerting you to what your eyes have seen. As you halt, you finally register a little Garter snake as it slides off through your garden. Thousands of years of vulnerable Homo sapiens struggling to evade snake predation have led to this … [Read more...]
What to Do if You Find a
Turtle in the Road
Turtles large and small, freshwater and terrestrial sometimes need to cross roads—a risky feat for these slow-moving creatures. What compels them to cross roads? They have as many reasons as we have for building roads. Males must search for females. Females must search for places to lay eggs. In times of drought, they must search for water. In fall, they must search for places to hibernate. As roads crisscross more and more turtle … [Read more...]
Snake Traps: What to Do to Capture a Snake
When a snake gets into your basement or other part of your home, snake traps may seem like the right solution. Unfortunately, not all “solutions” for getting rid of an unwanted snake are equally safe, humane, or appropriate. Glue traps, in particular, are especially inhumane, as we’ll explain below. Even if you don’t plan to use one, it is worth learning how cruel they are, so you can steer others clear of using them. Then, read on for how to … [Read more...]
Do Have Snakes in the Basement?
Basements are usually thought of as the least pleasant area of a house—for humans. But not so in the eyes of a snake, and that’s partly why you may have snakes in the basement. Impacted by habitat loss and attracted to suburban yards by the many prey animals feasting on pet food left outside, spilled birdseed, and unsecured trash, snakes naturally begin looking for nearby shelter, and often find ways into basements. Food and shelter found … [Read more...]
How to Get Rid of Snakes
Non-venomous snakes are generally not a danger to people or pets, but being startled by one living close to your house is rarely experienced as a pleasant surprise. If you want to get rid of snakes living around your home, this common sense guide explains how to eliminate the things that attract snakes and how to seal up potential entry points that snakes might use to get inside your home. First, though, it’s worth considering the useful role … [Read more...]