What to Do if You Find an Injured or Sick Snake
Found a snake that’s hurt, stuck on a glue trap, or tangled in garden netting? We help all native Virginia snakes, including venomous species. If a snake is healthy, the best thing you can do is leave it alone. It will move on.
Does This Snake Need Help?
Most snakes you see are healthy and just passing through. Watch the snake from a safe distance before deciding what to do, and never handle a snake unless you’re sure it isn’t venomous.
The Snake Needs Help If...
It is stuck on a glue trap.
It is tangled in garden netting, bird netting, or fishing line.
It has been caught, carried, or bitten by a cat or dog, even if you can’t see a wound.
It was hit by a mower, string trimmer, or car.
It has a wound, bleeding, or a kink in its body, or can’t move normally.
It has a fishhook in its mouth or body.
It is covered with flies, fly eggs, or maggots.
The Snake May Not Need Rescue If...
It is moving normally and flicking its tongue.
It is lying still in the sun. Snakes bask to warm up, and this is normal.
It is in your yard, garden, or garage and has no visible injuries. It’s probably just passing through.
Its eyes look cloudy blue and its skin looks dull. That means it’s getting ready to shed.
It hisses, flattens its head, vibrates its tail, or plays dead. These are normal defensive behaviors.
If the snake is healthy, keep people and pets away and leave it alone. It will move on.
Is It Venomous?
Virginia has about 30 kinds of snakes, and only three are venomous. In our area, those are the copperhead and the timber rattlesnake. The third, the cottonmouth, lives only in far southeastern Virginia.
Copperhead: Usually 2 to 3 feet long, with a thick body, a copper or tan head, and dark hourglass-shaped bands that are wide on the sides and narrow across the back. Young copperheads have a bright yellow tail tip.
Timber rattlesnake: A heavy-bodied snake with dark, V-shaped bands, a black tail, and a rattle at the end of the tail.
Many harmless snakes are mistaken for these, especially northern water snakes, eastern rat snakes, northern black racers, and eastern hognose snakes. Some harmless snakes also vibrate their tails when frightened, which can sound like a rattle in dry leaves.
Other ways to tell venomous snakes apart, like pupil shape, require getting too close. If you’re not sure, treat the snake as venomous. Stay at least several feet away and send us a photo.
What NOT to Do if You Find an Injured or Sick Snake
To keep yourself and the snake safe, never:
Pick up or handle a snake unless you’re certain it isn’t venomous. Even harmless snakes may bite when frightened or hurt.
Kill the snake. In Virginia, it’s illegal to kill a snake unless it poses an immediate threat to someone’s safety.
Pull a snake off a glue trap or out of netting.
Try to remove a fishhook or swallowed line yourself.
Touch a venomous snake that looks dead. It can still bite.
Corner a snake. Snakes can strike up to about half their body length.
Let children or pets near the snake.
Rely on mothballs or snake repellents. They haven’t been shown to work.
Wash your hands with soap and water after touching a snake or anything it was in.
Steps to Take
If a Healthy Snake Is in Your Yard
Leave it alone. It will move on. Keep children and pets away and give it space. Most snakes are just passing through and will be gone within a few hours.
If It’s Stuck on a Glue Trap
Glue traps are one of the most common reasons snakes come into our care. Don’t try to pull the snake off the trap. Its skin and scales tear easily.
If you’re sure it isn’t venomous: Wearing gloves, lightly sprinkle cornmeal or flour over any exposed glue so the snake doesn’t get more stuck. Place the snake and trap together in a box with air holes and a secure lid, and call us right away.
If it might be venomous or you’re not sure: Don’t touch it or the trap. A trapped venomous snake can still bite. Keep people and pets away and call us.
If It’s Caught in Garden Netting
Netting is another common cause of serious injuries. Snakes caught in netting are often badly dehydrated, and the mesh can cut deeply into their skin as they struggle. Don’t try to untangle the snake or pull it free.
If you’re sure it isn’t venomous: Use scissors to cut the netting several inches away from the snake, leaving the snake inside the section you cut. Place it in a box with air holes and a secure lid, and call us right away.
If it might be venomous or you’re not sure: Don’t cut the netting. Keep people and pets away and call us.
If a Cat or Dog Caught the Snake
Contact us right away, even if you can’t see a wound. Puncture wounds can be hard to see and can become infected. Keep the pet away from the snake.
If It Was Hit by a Mower, Trimmer, or Car
Contact us right away. Snakes can sometimes recover from injuries that look serious. If it’s on a road, don’t put yourself at risk to move it. To prevent mower injuries, walk your yard before mowing and leave a few minutes for snakes to move away.
If a Snake Is Inside Your Home or Garage
Keep pets and children out of the room and close interior doors. If it’s near an exterior door, open the door and give it time to leave. If you’re sure it isn’t venomous, you can gently guide it into a bucket or box laid on its side using a broom. If it might be venomous, keep an eye on it from a safe distance and call us.
If Someone Is Bitten
If a venomous or unknown snake bites someone, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away. Keep the person calm and still. Don’t cut the wound, try to suck out venom, or use ice or a tourniquet. You can also call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
How to Safely Contain a Non-Venomous Snake
Only contain a snake if you’re sure it isn’t venomous and a licensed wildlife rehabilitator has told you to.
Wear thick gloves and long sleeves.
Gently guide the snake into a bucket or box laid on its side using a broom or other long-handled tool.
Or place the snake in a cloth pillowcase and tie it in a knot, then put the pillowcase in a box.
Use a box with air holes and a secure lid. Snakes can squeeze through very small gaps.
For a snake on a glue trap or in netting, put the snake and the trap or netting in the box together.
Keep the box at room temperature in a quiet, dark place, out of direct sun and never in a hot car.
Never try to contain a venomous snake. Keep people and pets away, watch it from a safe distance if you can, and call us.
What to Do While You Wait for Help
If a licensed wildlife rehabilitator has asked you to keep the snake until help is arranged:
Keep children and pets away.
Keep the container closed, at room temperature, and in a quiet, dark place.
Don’t offer food or water.
Don’t try to remove glue, netting, line, or hooks.
Write down exactly where you found the snake.
Wash your hands with soap and water after handling the container.
Follow the rehabilitator’s instructions.
If a venomous snake is involved, keep watching it from a safe distance if you can so you can tell us where it went.
Living With Snakes
The best thing you can do for a snake is leave it alone. It will move on. Snakes are shy and want to avoid people. Most bites happen when someone tries to catch, move, or kill a snake.
Why Snakes Are Good Neighbors
Snakes are natural pest control. Rat snakes, black racers, and copperheads eat mice and rats, and smaller snakes eat slugs, insects, and other garden pests. Snakes are also food for hawks, owls, foxes, and other wildlife.
Please Don’t Kill or Relocate Snakes
In Virginia, it’s illegal to kill a snake unless it poses an immediate threat to someone’s safety. Moving a snake far away isn’t a good solution either. Snakes know their home areas, and a snake taken somewhere new may have trouble finding food, shelter, and a safe place to spend the winter.
How to Make Your Yard Less Inviting
Remove brush piles, wood piles, and clutter near your house.
Keep grass short near the house, patios, and play areas.
Clean up spilled birdseed and don’t leave pet food outside. Both attract the rodents snakes eat.
Seal gaps of ¼ inch or larger around your foundation, doors, vents, and utility lines.
Use fine insect mesh, metal grating, or rigid fencing instead of plastic garden netting. Check any netting you use daily, and store unused netting in a sealed bag or box.
Don’t use glue traps, especially outdoors. They catch snakes, birds, and other wildlife and cause slow, painful deaths.
Mothballs, sulfur, and commercial snake repellents haven’t been shown to keep snakes away.
About Adult Snakes
Snakes are cold-blooded, so they bask in the sun to warm up and move into shade when it’s hot. They find food mostly by smell, using their forked tongue to collect scents. Adult snakes shed their skin once or twice a year.
Where Do Snakes Go in Winter?
In late fall, snakes move into rock crevices, old stumps, burrows, and other protected spots to spend the winter. Some, including copperheads, often spend the winter with other snakes. You may see snakes on warm days in early spring and late fall as they move to and from these sites.
Can an Injured Snake Survive?
Often, yes. With treatment, many snakes recover from glue trap injuries, netting cuts, and other wounds. Damaged skin often heals with care and a healthy shed. The sooner a snake gets help, the better its chances.
Why Snakes Matter
Snakes help control rodents and garden pests and are an important part of the food web. Each one plays a role in keeping its neighborhood in balance.
Found a young one? See what to do if you find a baby snake.
Frequently Asked Questions About Adult Snakes
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Often, yes. With treatment, many snakes recover from glue trap injuries, netting cuts, and other wounds, and damaged skin often heals with a healthy shed. The sooner a snake gets help, the better its chances.
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Keep people and pets away, and don’t try to treat it or free it yourself. Take a photo from a safe distance and contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Only contain the snake if you’re sure it isn’t venomous and a rehabilitator has told you to.
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Don’t pull it off. If you’re sure it isn’t venomous, wear gloves, sprinkle cornmeal or flour over any exposed glue, and put the snake and trap together in a box with air holes and a lid. If it might be venomous, don’t touch it. Either way, call us right away.
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Don’t try to untangle it or pull it free. If you’re sure it isn’t venomous, cut the netting several inches away from the snake, keeping the snake inside the section you cut, and put it in a box with a lid. If it might be venomous, don’t cut the netting. Either way, call us right away.
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In our area, the only venomous snakes are the copperhead and the timber rattlesnake. Copperheads have hourglass-shaped bands that are wide on the sides and narrow across the back. Timber rattlesnakes have dark V-shaped bands, a black tail, and a rattle. If you’re not sure, treat it as venomous and send us a photo from a safe distance.
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Leave it alone. It will move on. To make your yard less inviting, clear brush and wood piles, keep grass short near the house, clean up spilled birdseed and pet food, and seal gaps around your foundation. Snake repellents and mothballs haven’t been shown to work.
Get Help for an Injured or Sick Snake
If you find a snake that is stuck on a glue trap, caught in netting, injured, or was caught by a cat or dog, contact Roanoke Wildlife Rescue for guidance. We help all native Virginia snakes.
If the snake is healthy, the best thing to do is leave it alone. It will move on. Never handle a snake unless you’re sure it isn’t venomous, and send us a photo from a safe distance if you’re not sure.
Call or text us at 540-330-6119. We’re available daily from 10 AM to 7 PM.