Snakes and TTs

[rbpru]

Living in Northern Indiana snakes are not much of a problem. However, my DW was reading about snakes getting into many unusual places including RVs.

We are taking a trip out west where snake live and play, so I was wondering if you folks in snake country take any extra precautions.

It sounds silly but you never know unless you ask.

[Bama_bluejay]

This has been the worst year that I can remember for snake stories in our area. I don't care how big or what kind, I don't want them in my sight. We've had 4 black snakes taking over our yard. I have chills ever time I go outside. Yesterday my niece's husband was picking up brush from a storm and realized something was under his foot, he was standing on the head of a copperhead. Now they are worried for the 3 kids to go outside.

[Bumpyroad]

I stopped at a campground around san antonio IIRC that had a sign posted that if you were walking around at night, to be careful since the snakes liked to curl up on the blacktop sidewalks that had absorbed a bunch of heat during the day. message heard. 🙂
bumpy

[rfryer]

In 50 years of hunting, camping and working in AZ I’ve lost all count of the rattlers I’ve run across. But you’re as likely to get hit by a tornado as get one in your RV, so I wouldn’t concern myself with that. As far as snakes go, don’t put your hands or feet anywhere that you can’t see. When it’s hot, they’ll be in brush or the shade of rocks. If it cools at night they may come out in the open for the warmth, especially on pavement or blacktop. So you have a clue what to watch for.

Don’t leave shoes or boots outside overnight. You won’t get snakes in them, but you might get the stray scorpion or tarantula. If you do leave them out, shake them out before you put them on. That used to be routine even inside a house when I first came here decades ago. Other than that, unless you go tramping across the desert you probably won’t ever see a snake, most people don’t.

[USARMYCW]

I don't think I would dry camp around Sweetwater TX. I'd even be careful in RV parks. :E

In Korea I kidded a Major about snow snakes and even went so far as to put a piece of waterhose in his sleeping bag. Needless to say, he tore the sleeping bag to shreds coming out of it. The sleeping bags were made with feathers in those days and I can say that feathers were flying. 🙂

[azrving]

gbopp wrote:
Snakes in the RV concern me. If my DW found one inside, we would have to drop the insurance, take it out in a field and burn it to the chassis. Then the chassis would be taken somewhere and be melted.

Then I would have to buy a new RV.

Seems like a lot of hassle for a snake. :B

You got that right! My wife can spot a paint drip at 100 yards. Before we even left home last year she was sitting on the couch and spotted a spider. As I started look the TT over I was amazing what a cheesy job they did on se3aling it up. It was a Jayco and I considered it well built. I knew that if we had a mouse, a scorpion, a snake or anything else get in that TT it would be all over. It would be sold and my butt would be stuck in the snow.

[fla-gypsy]

I found a snake skin in my battery box recently. It can happen. Safety protocol would indicate to never place your hands where you cannot see them or the snake.

[Heavy_Metal_Doc]

I'm not sure it matters what part of the country you are in. Barring climates way to cold for them, snakes don't just crawl into places for the heck of it, they go where the food is - or where it smells like food MIGHT be.
My property is on the Mason Dixon line (not some tropical / desert place) and within the last week I came face to face with 2 big black snakes right near where the TT it usually parked (at the dealer now). One under the lawnmower and another on the shed door handle. With trees / downed logs, tall grass / weeds, rocks, and outbuildings all with mice / voles and such around - We have snakes aplenty. One crawled out of the chimney inside the house this week - wife snapped a pic and sent it to me showing his head peaking out of the flue cover.
I'm not saying they will get into just about anything, just that they follow the food (mice). We are newbies to the TT world and I will be trying seal up as many potential entry points as possible to keep ALL critters out.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

Of COURSE you had to start this thread just as we are leaving for the SW!!! But we do live in FL so we have seen snakes before. No RV is big enough for a snake or spider!! I would jump out while it was going down the road!!!!

[pa_traveler]

Blacksnakes climb up porches for bird nests up by the gutters.

[rbpru]

Gbopp,
Your DW and mine must share the same snake fear gene.

Bugs, rodents, mammal, even lizards and alligator are no problem, but a snake the size of an earth worm is immediately deemed to be of the cotton mouth water rattler species.

[oughtsix]

gbopp wrote:
Snakes in the RV concern me. If my DW found one inside, we would have to drop the insurance, take it out in a field and burn it to the chassis. Then the chassis would be taken somewhere and be melted.

Then I would have to buy a new RV.

Seems like a lot of hassle for a snake. :B

Huh! It sounds like you would be getting off easy! All you would have to do is just sink $50K into a new RV and.... problem solved? Your wife must be much more level headed than most! 😉

[Bumpyroad]

they frequently climb up my chimney and go into my attic. some of their shed skins are mighty big.
bumpy

[gbopp]

Snakes in the RV concern me. If my DW found one inside, we would have to drop the insurance, take it out in a field and burn it to the chassis. Then the chassis would be taken somewhere and be melted.

Then I would have to buy a new RV.

Seems like a lot of hassle for a snake. :B

[mockturtle]

Years ago my husband and I had our MH parked at a large RV resort in AZ for the winter and the maintenance crew found a nest of baby rattlesnakes under our RV and showed them to us in a styrofoam cup. They were cute but we were told they are even more venomous than the adult rattler. There were also some on the golf course occasionally but we never had one in our RV. Frankly, snakes are the least of my concerns when camping.