Snake in the house

I like snakes, just not in the house.  This morning I was walking down the hall and right in front of Boy's room was a little Racer snake racing me down the hall.  It slithered into Boy's room.  I called the kids to come see the snake.  It then went under his baseboard so I figured we'd just leave it alone.  It was a little more than a foot long, what would be considered a hatchling.  Where there's one there's more...I hope.  Just not in the house. 

Since we didn't gather up the snake I knew it would be found somewhere else in the house.  A little while later I watched it go into my closet.  The kids came running but Boy started throwing stuff around to try to capture it.  Get out of my closet!  I would rather have the snake crawling around in my room than you messing up my stuff. 

So we left it alone.  The full grown Racers eat lizards, small rodents, small birds, frogs, salamanders, and small snakes. Juveniles will consume large insects.  I know there is a frog that likes to hang out in my bathroom.  Fine with me, it will eat bugs in there.  As long as the snake doesn't go into the kitchen to eat the parakeet that belongs to Girl, or the baby chicken that is in the trough in the living room, I don't care where it travels.  I would, however, like it out of the house sometime today so I don't accidentally step on it during the night.  

I went back into my room later this afternoon and there it was in the middle of my floor.  Finally, it's not along a wall or near stuff.  It was easy to catch.  I picked it up and put it outside in the cool soil, right next to the house.  It found a hole and slid right in.  I hope it eats to its heart's delight and becomes a full grown snake soon.  They are usually 3-4 feet in length when full grown.  

I wouldn't really consider my house to be filled with bugs, or at least so filled with bugs that a snake would want to live inside full time.  But after thinking about it, there are a lot of bugs that just seem to be walking through.  We have cricket season, frog season, millipede season, and probably some others that I left out. We also have mice although after last year killing 47 in the house we've had none inside so far this season.  Their time is coming I'm sure.  

So Racer snake, and any other snake that wants to hang around...except rattlesnakes, please...you are all more than welcome to be inside, outside, or wherever your food happens to be hiding.  Thanks for keeping us pest free.  

Of course, telling friends and family that they may spot a snake slithering around in the house is not something that I'm going to readily advertise...unless they are reading the blog.