Rattlesnake(s) Under the Shipping Container

[ustmd]

Okay, I made a mistake.

We got a 40' shipping container two years ago for hay storage and it has worked great. In my eagerness, I made a big mistake: I put it directly on the ground.

As we are in rural (or sub-rural) Texas, I know many of you can see where this is going. I have at least one 3-4' rattlesnake in residence under the shipping container (he and I had an encounter today). The snake is moving in and out of the holes on the bottom railings for the forklift spears.

Blocking these holes up with some hardware cloth looks easy enough, but I don't want to seal the snake(s) underneath, as I am sure once it starved, it would get rather ripe.

Anyone have any suggestions for driving the snake(s) out?

 

[aczlan]

plug up 2 of the holes (on one side) with something that will keep air in, put a bug bomb in the third (then plug it) and leave the forth open.
Then you can fumigate the bugs and evict the snake at the same time.

Aaron Z

 

[Mousefield]

Guess I am lucky that we don't have any poisonous snakes on our island that is 12,076 square miles, just lots of bears and cougars. Just glad I don't have to deal with your situation. If it's more the smell of a dead snake could you plug the holes with some large rocks or cement blocks. Would the snake(s) not just dry up with out smelling? Perhaps you could flood the underneath of the container with water to drive them out. Wish you luck and stay safe.

 

[nickel plate]

Without photos I can only say to use a piece of 20' rebar with a greased rag acting as a piston, similar to cleaning a shotgun but have the shotgun on the other side waiting for the snake to emerge.

 

[zman007007]

I don"t know if its true, but I heard somewhere that snakes don"t like mothballs. who knows? zman

 

[Damifino]

I know years ago, my Brother and I would hunt rattlesnakes , in the colder months we would find gopher turtle holes and shove gas soaked rag in hole.

If there was a rattler in there, it would come out within a few minutes waiting to meet Mr 12 gauge.

 

[Willl]

How 'bout building some kind of one way door on those forklift pockets ?

 

[RobertBrown]

In Florida, our eastern diamond backs den in gopher holes (Gopher Tortise). The trick to getting the snake out is pouring a little gas down a tube in the back of the gopher hole. The snake comes right out. I don't know if it would be a good idea in this case but if you knew aproximately where he was and could coral him where he only had one exit, gas will do the trick if you are willing to take the gamble with a volitile liquid.
Youre going to have to block it off anyway to prevent this from happening again, just leave an exit and depending on how big your storage container is a cup or 2 of beach or gas poured through a small hole in the floor might do it. When you see him leave, shut the door.

 

[dstig1]

How 'bout building some kind of one way door on those forklift pockets ?

Now that sounds like a killer idea. Something you could tack on with magnets so it is quick and easy to place them, and then come back in a couple weeks and cover them up. Probably should be made of something that lets light in, so they know where to go out still. Wire mesh or plexi or something.

But frankly the smell of one dead snake can't be that bad or last that long...Maybe just seal it up?

 

[Sandlot]

If you can get your hands on the equipment, lift one end. Have a 12 gauge at the ready and blast them. #9 shot will work and not damage the bottom of the container unless you point right at it. That is the only way of making sure you don't have a nest of little ones. Once you have cleared underneath the container and sat it back down, you will need to pour a footing around the container. Rabbits and such will just dig holes under it and more snakes will move back in.