It is not uncommon for a snake to show up on someone’s property. If you have a farm, a barn, or a garden, it is more likely for a snake to find its way over to your property. The majority of common snakes in the American Northeast are not venomous. They cannot fatally harm humans or big animals. But they can eat chickens and chicken eggs.
Even the non-venomous snake’s bite can hurt you a lot and can also cause infections at times. So, it is better for people to find a way to get rid of snakes.
Snakes on a Property
If one shows up on your property, you should contact animal control or a pest control company for their assistance.
Contacting animal control is the best way to ensure the safety of your family and pets. If you strike the snake, it will become aggressive and attack you. So, it is better to let the professionals handle the situation.
What Do Snake Eggs Look Like?
Since snakes are quite good at hiding, you may not even know that some of them are living on your property. But if you keep a close watch, you can spot their eggs. If you don’t know what snake eggs look like, you can mistake them for bird eggs. So, it is important for you to know what do snake eggs look like in case you spot them.
Snake eggs are quite different from bird eggs. But in the United States, snakes lay eggs that resemble bird eggs in shape, so it is important to know the difference.
The Texture
The majority of eggs look the same at first glance. But they all have certain characteristics that make them different from each other. Bird eggs, including chicken eggs, have a hard exterior shell. But snake eggs have a slightly soft exterior. If the eggs you have spotted are soft, then you can be certain that they are snake eggs.
Since snake eggs are soft from the outside, they cannot survive a fall. If they are handled rashly, they will break within seconds. So, if you are examining snake eggs, be gentle if you don’t want to harm the embryo.
Shape
Snake eggs are oval in shape. But unlike chicken eggs that have a point on one side, snake eggs are more symmetrical. The shape also has to do with the softness of the eggs. Since they are soft from the outside, they don’t have a pointed side. But they still have a clear oval shape.
Color
Color is another feature that makes snake eggs look like bird eggs. The common colors of snake eggs are white, off-white, and beige. If you see eggs in these colors, don’t think of them as bird eggs before performing all the necessary checks. You can easily check the outer shell to find out whether you have found snake eggs or not.
Position
While chicken and other bird eggs are laid separately and can easily be picked up, snake eggs are laid close together and are stuck to each other. If you want to pick up an egg, you will have to exert a bit of force. But don’t exert too much force or you might harm the egg.
Embryo
There is a test you can perform to confirm whether the eggs you have found are snake eggs or not. You can pick up an egg, bring it in a very dark room, and then hold it under a bright light. If the embryo inside the egg is round or ball-shaped, then it is a snake egg.
Experts can also figure out which species of snakes the egg belongs to just by examining the embryo under a light. But once you have confirmed that the eggs in your yard are snake eggs, you can contact animal control and let them handle the rest.
Do All Snakes Lay Eggs?
There are more than 3,500 different species of snakes. They all have characteristics that make them different from each other. One of the dividing factors is that not all of them lay eggs. Seventy percent of all snake species lay eggs, while the remaining 30% give birth. The eggs of snakes are also quite different from each other.
But if you are in the United States, the eggs of snakes will look more or less the same everywhere. Whether you have found eggs or offspring of snakes, it is best not to harm them.
What to Do When You Find Snake Eggs
If you found eggs on your property and checked them to make sure they are snake eggs, you can call animal control for help. But in some states, animal control does not handle snakes. In such a situation, the best option is to call a pest control company. Make sure that the company you are hiring has experience handling snakes.
You can ask the company to remove the eggs from your property. But sometimes, snakes keep coming back to a location. The reason behind that is because of people not taking care of their yard or garden.
How to Make Your Property Unattractive to Snakes
By following a few simple suggestions, you can make your property unattractive to snakes. It is the best way to make sure a snake does not lay eggs on your property. Once you are able to take preventive measures, you might be able to keep not just snakes, but all reptiles away from your land.
- Tend to Your Lawn
Keep the grass on your lawn short. If you let the grass grow long, your lawn will become the best hiding place for snakes. It will also become cooler and snakes love cool environments.
- Don’t Set up Bird Feeders in Summer
Birds have enough food during the growing season. When people set up bird feeders in their lawns, they not only attract birds, but also rodents. The rodents, in turn, attract snakes. During the winter months, snakes are hibernating, so you don’t have to worry about attracting any.
- Keep Your Property Clean
If there are piles of wood or debris on your property, it will attract snakes. Such things are ideal for snakes to hide under or keep their body temperature in control. But when every area around your house is clean, snakes will have no place to hide.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know what do snake eggs look like and how to take care of them, you can protect your family and your pets easily. You should also take steps to make your property as unfriendly to snakes as possible. In the end, it doesn’t matter where you are located, if you are aware of what action to take in case of a problem, you can immediately get rid of snakes or snake eggs before they hatch.
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