Can a snake get in?

[SilverGate]

KYAirstream "Found a snake" in the Aistream trailer this evening and is wondering, "Anyone have any suggestions? [as to how it got in].

[LawChick]

So many ways! Go in the tongue- following the mice that use that hollow thing as their highway into the belly pan and then through any number of cracks, holes, etc., to come up into the house.
I had our 1992 pretty tight. Airstream always cuts a 2 inch hole for stuff that's 1 inch. I filled every place plumbing came in with spray foam - so much so that it leaked out of a belly pan seam once. I opened and looked at every square inch in the trailer that I could possibly get access to without removing the belly.

Still, the best way to prevent them, I think now, is to keep mice out. We use Decon in places our dog can never reach. We bang around a lot- routinely open cabinets, etc., and make the place feel unsafe for rodents and reptiles. We don't let our trailer sit in high grass, etc. and don't go long periods without using it. Never leave a sewer hose open - never. Dump & close the valve.

And yet - I know they CAN get in, probably, despite my best efforts. But I do everything I can to make it a place they do not want to be. There are mothballs in our underbelly. Still. I don't stick my hand in dark cabinets, storage, etc., without a flashlight & a good look. I don't trust this particular Stream yet, because there are areas in it I can't figure out how to snake proof.

Cats are good. Mice don't come in if they smell where a cat has been. A mongoose would be better!

Basically, nowadays, I've lived in one of our Airstreams or the other enough that I try not to think of it - much.

Fall is a bad time. Mice want to come in, and the snakes want the mice. Yuck. Hope I never find one in our trailer. I probably would be DONE with it.

[LawChick]

Oh, forgot to say, under the steps, "stuff" can get in the underbelly. Also sometimes around utility boxes depending on the model. Some models, when the door is open and you're hooked up to electricity, there's a way inside. I get under the trailer and look! If there's a seam gap or anything, I close it.

[SilverGate]

Originally Posted by LawChick

So many ways! Go in the tongue- following the mice that use that hollow thing as their highway into the belly pan and then through any number of cracks, holes, etc., to come up into the house...

I know they CAN get in, probably, despite my best efforts. But I do everything I can to make it a place they do not want to be. There are mothballs in our underbelly. Still. I don't stick my hand in dark cabinets, storage, etc., without a flashlight & a good look. I don't trust this particular Stream yet, because there are areas in it I can't figure out how to snake proof...

Fall is a bad time. Mice want to come in, and the snakes want the mice. Yuck. Hope I never find one in our trailer. I probably would be DONE with it.

Yes, snakes can come in through the tongue. See AirForums thread:

Have you looked under your tongue?

and some seem to come and go magically... just ask Harry:

Harry Potter At The Reptile House

[SilverGate]

See how we keep the mice and snakes out:

Post #266, "SilverGate's Safari is Home at Last!"

(By covering the open ends of the A-frame rails under the tongue.)

[KYAirstream]

Originally Posted by LawChick

Oh, forgot to say, under the steps, "stuff" can get in the underbelly. Also sometimes around utility boxes depending on the model. Some models, when the door is open and you're hooked up to electricity, there's a way inside. I get under the trailer and look! If there's a seam gap or anything, I close it.

Thanks for the tips everyone. I've taken time to seal openings with aluminum wool and aluminum door screen. What about the step though? Any suggestions for it while keeping it operational?

[thewolffman]

If it makes you feel better why not put a couple of mouse traps out with some peanut butter as bait. You can also build this simple snake trap to rid your trailer of any if they are in fact inside the trailer.

Here is a video of how to build one:

How to make a snake trap - YouTube

You could put a couple outside as well to get them captured BEFORE they enter the trailer.

[weirdstuff]

Originally Posted by 62overlander

I have seen this thread for weeks now and avoided reading it. I could not resist this morning.

Snakes, rodents? snakes? rodents? In my trailer I want rodents? Snakes?

I too, should never have read this thread. Absolutely disgusting and disturbing.

Do I have the same issues with my Interstate? Or is it mainly due to design of the trailers? ugh

I don't worry about them getting in my car, so do I really need to worry about them getting in my Interstate? It's just a big car!!

[bukib]

As a longtime collector of snakes may I offer a somewhat professional opinion. Most important, by using this technique you will handle two problems at the same time...mice and snakes.

Get a kingsnake (banded or speckled) either outside or from a reptile vendor.

Keep it in a cage and take it with you on every trip. At night release it and go to bed.

The kingsnake eats mice readily. But its most desired diet consists of other snakes.

Harmless, handleable and very efficient.

[SilverGate]

Originally Posted by weirdstuff

I too, should never have read this thread. Absolutely disgusting and disturbing.

Do I have the same issues with my Interstate? Or is it mainly due to design of the trailers? ugh

Well, BBC reported that a 4-ft snake was found enjoying the warm engine of a van, "Snake found under van bonnet at London garage".

But not to worry, when the engine cools, it will probably find warmer places to go...

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by SilverGate

Well, BBC reported that a 4-ft snake was found enjoying the warm engine of a van, "Snake found under van bonnet at London garage".

But not to worry, when the engine cools, it will probably find warmer places to go...

The only time I ever found a snake under the hood of a vehicle (in southwest Oklahoma), it was rather messily killed by getting caught in the alternator belt when the engine started. All I found was the carcass, not a live snake. Cleanup was not fun, though!

[Lumatic]

I have heard Hoop Snakes can be deadly. According to Pecos Bill they will grab their tail in their mouth and roll like a hoop. Then they slither into your black water drain and attack when you are sxitting.


Hoop snake

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


The hoop snake is a legendary creature of the United States, Canada and Australia.[1] The hoop snake appears in the Pecos Bill stories; although it is his description of hoop snakes with which most people are most familiar, stories of the creature pre-date those fictional tales considerably. Several sightings of the hoop snake have been alleged along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border in the St. Croix River valley and in Wake County in North Carolina and in Kamloops, British Columbia.
According to folklore, the distinguishing feature of a hoop snake is that it can grasp its tail in its jaws and roll after its prey like a wheel,[2][1] thus looking somewhat like the ouroboros of Greek mythology, or Tsuchinoko (a legendary fat snake that can roll like a wheel) in Japan. In one version of the myth, the snake straightens out at the last second, skewering its victim with its venomous tail. The only escape is to hide behind a tree, which receives the deadly blow instead and promptly dies from the poison.[3]
The hoop snake is mentioned in a letter from 1784 (published in Tour in the U.S.A., Vol. I, p. 263-65. London):[4]
“As other serpents crawl upon their bellies, so can this; but he has another method of moving peculiar to his own species, which he always adopts when he is in eager pursuit of his prey; he throws himself into a circle, running rapidly around, advancing like a hoop, with his tail arising and pointed forward in the circle, by which he is always in the ready position of striking.It is observed that they only make use of this method in attacking; for when they flee from their enemy they go upon their bellies, like other serpents. From the above circumstance, peculiar to themselves, they have also derived the appellation of hoop snakes.
”Sightings are still occasionally reported, even though the existence of the hoop snake has never been accepted by the scientific community. Naturalist Raymond Ditmars placed $10,000 in trust at a New York bank for the first person to provide evidence of a hoop snake.[5] Some have suggested that is a distorted description of the sidewinder of the American southwest, or of mud snakes, which will occasionally lie in a loose hoop shape.[3][6] It is also possible that the hoop snake is an embellishment of actual instances of snakes swallowing their own tails. Photographic examples of this are readily found on the Internet today.

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by weirdstuff

I too, should never have read this thread. Absolutely disgusting and disturbing.

Do I have the same issues with my Interstate? Or is it mainly due to design of the trailers? ugh

I don't worry about them getting in my car, so do I really need to worry about them getting in my Interstate? It's just a big car!!

I think you need to start worrying about them getting into your car and your Interstate. .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0uyHgz6-NI

Forget The Plane! Woman Finds King Snake In Car While Driving On 14 Freeway « CBS Los Angeles

Ken

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Ag&Au

I think you need to start worrying about them getting into your car and your Interstate. .

Forget The Plane! Woman Finds King Snake In Car While Driving On 14 Freeway « CBS Los Angeles

Ken

Windshield Vipers!

[SilverGate]

AirForum's thread, "Poisonous Snake Encounters AND Avoidance"

And YouTube links:

How-To Keep Snakes Out Of A Camper