What to Do if You Find a Baby Snake
Baby snakes are on their own from the moment they hatch or are born. Snakes don’t care for their young, so a small snake by itself is completely normal. In most cases, the best thing you can do is leave it alone. It will move on.
Most baby snakes in Virginia are harmless, but young copperheads are venomous from birth. Never handle a snake unless you’re sure what it is. Use the guidance below to identify it from a distance and decide whether it needs help.
Is It Normal to Find a Baby Snake Alone?
Yes. Baby snakes get no care from their parents. Some snakes, like rat snakes and racers, lay eggs that hatch from mid-summer to early fall. Others, like copperheads, garter snakes, and water snakes, give birth to live young in late summer and fall. Copperheads are born from mid-August to early October.
That’s why late summer and fall are when people find the most baby snakes. Young snakes are out looking for food and a safe place to spend the winter.
Is It a Baby Copperhead?
Virginia has about 30 kinds of snakes, and only three are venomous: the copperhead, the timber rattlesnake, and the cottonmouth. Cottonmouths live only in far southeastern Virginia. In our area, the copperhead is the venomous snake people find most often.
A baby copperhead:
Is about 8 inches long and about as thick as a pencil.
Is tan, pinkish, or light brown with darker hourglass-shaped bands. The bands are wide on the sides and narrow across the back.
Has a bright yellow or greenish-yellow tail tip, which fades as it grows.
Several harmless snakes are often mistaken for baby copperheads, including young eastern rat snakes, northern black racers, northern water snakes, and eastern milk snakes. Young rat snakes and racers have gray or brown blotches that later fade. A water snake’s bands are wide across the back and narrow on the sides, the reverse of a copperhead’s.
If you’re not sure, treat the snake as venomous. Keep your distance and send us a photo taken from at least several feet away.
Does This Baby Snake Need Help?
The Snake Is Probably Okay If...
Leave the snake alone if:
It is moving normally and flicking its tongue.
It has no visible wounds or bleeding.
It moves away or hides when approached.
It hasn’t been caught by a cat or dog.
Cloudy, bluish eyes and dull skin are normal right before a snake sheds. A young hognose snake may hiss, flatten its neck, or even roll over and play dead. That’s normal defensive behavior, too.
The Snake Needs Help If...
Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator 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 or string trimmer.
It has a wound, bleeding, or a kink in its body, or it can’t move normally.
It is covered with flies, fly eggs, or maggots.
If the snake is injured or stuck, contact Roanoke Wildlife Rescue. We help all native Virginia snakes, including venomous species. Don’t try to free or handle the snake yourself.
What NOT to Do if You Find a Baby Snake
To keep yourself and the snake safe, never:
Pick up or handle a snake. Even harmless snakes may bite when frightened.
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.
Touch a copperhead that looks dead. It can still bite.
Let children or pets near the snake.
Keep a wild snake as a pet.
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 Baby Snake Is in Your Yard
Leave it alone. It will move on. Keep children and pets away and give the snake space. Baby snakes are small and secretive, and most 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 a copperhead 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. 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 a copperhead 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. Small puncture wounds can be hard to see and can become infected. Keep the pet away from the snake.
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 copperhead 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.
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. Larger snakes 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.
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 or rigid fencing instead of plastic garden netting. Store unused netting in a sealed bag or box.
Don’t use glue traps, especially outdoors. They catch snakes, birds, and other wildlife.
Mothballs, sulfur, and commercial snake repellents haven’t been shown to keep snakes away.
What to Do While You Wait for Help
If a wildlife rehabilitator asks you to contain a non-venomous baby snake while you arrange care:
Place the snake in a cloth pillowcase and tie it in a knot, then put the pillowcase in 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, place 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.
Keep children and pets away.
Don’t give the snake food or water.
Write down exactly where you found it.
Wash your hands with soap and water afterward.
Never try to contain a venomous snake. Keep people and pets away, watch it from a safe distance if you can, and call us.
Do Not Keep or Attempt to Raise a Baby Snake
Baby snakes are fully independent from the moment they hatch or are born. They don’t need people to feed them or raise them, and they do best when left in the wild.
Wild snakes have specific needs for food, temperature, and hibernation, and they can become stressed and stop eating in captivity. If a baby snake is injured or stuck, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Otherwise, let it go on its way.
About Baby Snakes
Depending on the species, snakes either lay eggs or give birth to live young. Egg-laying snakes, such as rat snakes, milk snakes, and green snakes, lay their eggs in late spring or early summer in warm, damp places like mulch, rotting logs, or leaf piles. All three of Virginia’s venomous snakes, as well as water snakes and garter snakes, give birth to live young.
What Do Baby Snakes Look Like?
Most baby snakes look like small versions of the adults, but some look quite different. Young black racers and rat snakes are gray or tan with dark blotches, and turn darker as they grow. Baby copperheads look like adults except for their bright yellow tail tip.
How Do Baby Snakes Grow?
Young snakes shed their skin every couple of months as they grow. Before a shed, their eyes turn cloudy blue and their colors look dull. They eat small prey, such as insects, worms, slugs, small frogs, and young mice, depending on the species.
Why Snakes Matter
Snakes help control rodents and garden pests and are an important part of the food web. Many baby snakes don’t survive their first year, so the ones that do play an important role in keeping snake populations healthy.
Found a grown snake that’s hurt or stuck? See what to do if you find an injured snake.
Frequently Asked Questions About Baby Snakes
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A baby copperhead is about 8 inches long, tan to pinkish with darker hourglass-shaped bands that are wide on the sides and narrow across the back. It has a bright yellow or greenish-yellow tail tip. Baby copperheads are venomous from birth, so keep your distance and send us a photo if you’re not sure.
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Most look like small versions of the adults. Some don’t: young black racers and rat snakes are gray or tan with dark blotches and darken as they grow. Before shedding, a baby snake’s eyes may look cloudy blue. If you’d like help identifying a snake, send us a photo taken from a safe distance.
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Yes. Baby copperheads are venomous from birth and should be treated with the same caution as adults. Copperhead bites are rarely fatal but are very painful and need medical care. If someone is bitten, call 911 or go to the emergency room.
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Yes. The best thing to do is leave it alone, and it will move on. Keep children and pets away and give it space. Baby snakes are on their own from birth and are usually just passing through.
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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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Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator right away, even if the snake looks fine. Puncture wounds can be hard to see and can become infected. Keep the pet away from the snake and don’t handle it unless you’re sure it isn’t venomous.
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In Virginia, it’s illegal to kill a snake unless it poses an immediate threat to someone’s health or safety. Most snakes, even venomous ones, will move on if left alone. If a snake is in a spot where it can’t stay, contact us for advice.
Get Help for a Baby Snake
If you find a baby 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, including venomous species.
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.
Call or text us at 540-330-6119. We’re available daily from 10 AM to 7 PM.