A Bat, A Snake, and A Dog

I have bats behind the second story shutters on my house. I can't have them legally removed due to them being considered endangered or something. So, I've had to live with guano on the ground endangering my family's health.

Anyway, this morning, my son calls me and tells me to come outside. There's a 3.5 ft. snake trying to get behind one of the shutters to get the bats. The snake actually bites of a pretty good size sliver of shutter and eats it to be able to get behind it (they're wood shutters). So, I call our city's animal control. They send the city police (apparently animal control only works Monday - Friday). The police get here and my dog goes to greet them (not barking, only sniffing their shoes) and they immediately freak and tell me to control my dog, lol. I guess they don't want dogs sniffing their shoes, so, I put him in the house.

I take them around to the shutter in question and show them the snake (half in half out). They're afraid of snakes so they call the animal control person on duty who tells them that, if the snake is on the second story, then they can't get it because they're not allowed to climb.

So, then, I ask my son to get our 30 ft ladder and ask the police to let me borrow their snake stick. I'm going to do it myself at this point. That's when they tell me that I can't borrow their stick because they can't condone me climbing my own ladder on my own property using only their stick to get a snake that they're too chickensh*t to get themselves.

Worthless! I'm just glad they didn't shoot my shoe sniffing dog.

a reply to: Iamonlyhuman

Hum, what kind of snake? If it is not a dangerous snake and you don't want the bats, leave the snake alone and let it eat bat!

a reply to: SeaWorthy

Yeah, thought about that and decided it was questionable. The snake's body had diamonds on it but it's head didn't really look triangular. Remember we're on the ground looking up and couldn't really tell so I decided it was better to be safe than sorry.

As a note, I find a few nonpoisonous snakes in my yard and usually just move them to the woods because they're useful for mosquito control, but the poisonous ones I usually get someone to kill (I can't do it).

The other thing that gets me is how in the heck did he get up there to begin with? The first floor of the house is brick and then the second story is siding (thus the reason for the gap that the bats use for getting behind the shutters on the second story). A snake can't climb brick or siding can he?

a reply to: Iamonlyhuman

Maybe just call an exterminator for the snake and put up some nice bat houses to keep the little guys out of your own house?

originally posted by: Iamonlyhuman
The other thing that gets me is how in the heck did he get up there to begin with? The first floor of the house is brick and then the second story is siding (thus the reason for the gap that the bats use for getting behind the shutters on the second story). A snake can't climb brick or siding can he?

Guess so! The only one I had up in the attic was probably dropped by a bird.

a reply to: Iamonlyhuman

You'd be surprised the things a snake can hang onto. One thing I did find they are helpless against (for some reason)...is a bathtub. Neighbor lady down the road called me one time, freaking out, because she had a snake in her bathroom. Asked if I'd come get it out. I go over there and there's a bullsnake behind the toilet in the bathroom. (She's standing on her kitchen table in the kitchen having kittens over the ordeal). I go try to grab the snake but it gets away. It was kind of an awkward place to get into. The snake takes off up the side of the back of the tub. When I went to grab it, it struck at me so I pulled back and it slid into the tub. I watched in amazement as that snake tried everything in it's power to get out of that tub. Couldn't do it.

Now, if I were you, I'd leave those bats alone. They're some of the best insect control you can get! In fact, we're thinking of building a bat house here to hopefully attract some bats. Oh, and the guano...some of the best fertilizer there is! Put it in your garden and watch your garden go crazy. As for Mr. snake, I'd leave him alone too. Snakes are awesome rodent control.

ETA...your cops sound worthless BTW. I'm surprised they didn't tell you it was against their union rules because they needed to go get a donut.

a reply to: Iamonlyhuman

Regarding your cops; knowing me, I probably would have told them to remind me not to call them when there was any trouble brewing and just call them when it's time to come clean up the bodies!

a reply to: Iamonlyhuman

Your title made me think of the typical menu that my uncle told me they served when he was in Korea, except they had monkey, too. I hope you get your pest problem solved.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Iamonlyhuman

Regarding your cops; knowing me, I probably would have told them to remind me not to call them when there was any trouble brewing and just call them when it's time to come clean up the bodies!

Lol, funny you should say that. If not for me stopping him, my son was going to do the same thing!

Needless to say, he doesn't need to be making those kind of enemies.

a reply to: Iamonlyhuman

I can't help you with your lousy animal control workers, but I have a suggestion if it's possible.
Install a bat house on a nearby tree away from the home.
Check any lower shutters on the home and see how easily they are removed. I've seen simple wood shutters that are screwed on so maybe yours won't be difficult.
Get some gloves, a filtered mask and wait for the bats to leave at dusk so you can then remove the shutters. Taking away their home while they're away might encourage them to start using the bat house.
Wait a week or more and put the shudders back on. You can de-guano and paint them in the process.

a reply to: TheLieWeLive

Great idea, I've been thinking I need to do something like this anyway because one of the shutters is in really bad shape - not structurally but the paint has corroded off.

My neighbor suggested waiting til they leave for the night and stuffing bird netting behind them but I don't know if I like that idea because inevitably some of the bats will try to go in and will get tangled up in it. Also, I don't know if the snake is still in there and stuffing my hands in there doesn't seem like a good idea! lol