Snakes within Northern Virginia (Charlottesville, Woodbridge: houses, school, living in)

[rbro980]

Everyone Hello,

I need some true and honest feedback regarding the following...

My husband and I are really looking to relocate to Northern VA. We are considering the following towns: Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Charlottesville, Stafford, King George and Locust Grove...

I am really afraid of snakes...I know that they exist everywhere even in CT where I currently live...However, I've never had to really worry about a snake getting into my home.

But I've heard a number of times that it’s very common for snakes in Northern VA to be found in homes very frequently.

Is this true for the towns I have listed above?

Please provide honest and reliable feedback.

Thank you.

[ChristineVA]

The areas you posted are more rural so you will have more issues with snakes than a more developed area.

I live on 1/2 acre wooded lot in Woodbridge and every year we get a snake or two living in the backyard. I have a healthy disgust of them so I have actually gotten to the point that I don't go in the backyard. My dog goes after them though. They have never come in the house.

There have been two times that we have discovered black snakes on the driveway attempting to get into the garage but it has never happened. I will die if it does.

[Flamingo13]

In my almost 30 yrs. here I saw a garter snake once (outside, not in)

[marie5v]

Originally Posted by rbro980

Everyone Hello,

I need some true and honest feedback regarding the following...

My husband and I are really looking to relocate to Northern VA. We are considering the following towns: Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Charlottesville, Stafford, King George and Locust Grove...

I am really afraid of snakes...I know that they exist everywhere even in CT where I currently live...However, I've never had to really worry about a snake getting into my home.

But I've heard a number of times that it’s very common for snakes in Northern VA to be found in homes very frequently.

Is this true for the towns I have listed above?

Please provide honest and reliable feedback.

Thank you.

Absolutely not. First, I'm sure it's not completely relevant, but there are very few poisonous snakes in those parts of VA. The most common snake is the black snake - harmless. You will probably never see one if you don't want to.

I've been in VA for about 25 years and I've only found black snakes in my house once - a black snake had lain eggs somewhere in the basement and I found 2 of the babies in the laundry room. However, I knew there were a lot of snakes in my yard because I had created a snake habitat for them and was feeding the birds as well, which meant a lot of rodents. Before that and since then, I have never found a snake in my house or even seen one in my yard.

It should be very easy to ensure that you don't see snakes in your house or yard - just keep the area around the house clear of tall grass and other foliage, and don't feed birds or other animals outside (that brings rodents, and rodents bring black snakes). In fact, even if you don't do those things you probably won't see any, but in your case it would be best to take those precautions.

I actually think there are less snakes here than most places I've been. It's really not a concern.

[cb at sea]

Don't leave doors open...snakes can't get in if the door is closed!

I live in Fredericksburg. I have some black snakes around (we're in a wooded area), and once in a while, I'll see a teensy, green tree snake....both are harmless. The black snake will eat mice...they are more of a problem than a snake will ever be! Every so often, I'll see a common garter snake...again, it's harmless.

There are copperheads in the area, but I haven't seen one in over 22 years.

It's NOT common for snakes to be IN houses at all.

[bornindc]

I've never heard of snakes getting into houses in the Northern Virginia area although I'm sure it's happened. It's probably as likely to happen in Connecticut as in Virginia.

I believe this is more common in desert areas like the Southwest where the snakes try to find cool places to hang out. It doesn't get that hot here usually and there are far more other cool, shady or wet places to be than inside your house in Virginia. The snakes don't have as many options in Santa Fe or Tucson.

[rbro980]

Thanks everyone for you feedback ...This puts me more at ease...

Yes, in CT the copperhead and black snake are the most common...I never seen the copperhead but saw a black snakes a few times since there were woods and a pond near the home I grow up...but a snake never got into the house.

A field mouse got in the house a few times because winter was coming and it was looking for shelter but they picked the wrong house because my father use to get rid of them quick because he know he had to deal with my mother if he didn't...

Thanks again everyone...

[Lucky★]

I’ve lived in my current house for a couple of years and hadn’t seen any snakes until about a week ago. I was using grocery bags for yard cleanup and had an extra bag that I took inside the house. I shut the door and a small snake fell out of the bag. At least I think that’s what happened. Sorry to say I freaked out and killed it right away. It was probably a ringneck snake.

I looked it up on the Fairfax County website and was surprised to see that we also have rattlesnakes (in addition to the copperheads that I’d already read about)-

Reptiles - Wildlife*- Fairfax County, Virginia

[sullyguy]

Snakes are useful and stealthy - as mentioned above by another poster, some folks build "snake habitats" to try to attract them (this IS something I've been meaning to do but never got around to) - essentially some piled flat rocks, I believe. Snakes (and other predators - nee feral killer cats) do an excellent job of rodent control.

Anyway, I've lived in Sully Station for at least 20 years and have only seen one snake in my yard, a pencil-thin beautiful-brown grass snake maybe a little more than a foot long. That type probably eats crickets, etc. It wasn't appreciative and bit me when I picked him up but, except for a possible infection, those bites are pretty much harmless ("pin pricks"-style pain - no worse). While walking about 20 years ago on a local jogging path in the woods I saw a young copperhead basking in the sun - it was gray with the distinctive markings - at the time I didn't realize it was a copperhead however just let it alone as I bent over and admired it. And, finally, last school year there was a dead black rat snake on the sidewalk on Poplar Tree Road between Westfields and Stone (all the same road - just name changes).

That's it as far as snake sightings in more than 20 years here.

When I was a young kid (8-ish) my brother used to raise black rat snakes (AND the mice to feed them!) - beautiful shiny black snakes with white bellies, fairly docile, too.

In the deep distant past I was walking behind a (Maryland) housing development with a woman fairly-recently arrived from Taiwan. She was deathly afraid of snakes (and probably still is to this day) and totally freaked when we saw a large black rat snake sunning itself on a pile of red-clay debris. Nothing I could say would get her to continue the walk nor ever walk there again. Relevant aside - Taiwanese snakes tend to be poisonous - really poisonous - guess kids there are taught to fear them, period, and taught strongly.

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Having said all that, the only way to handle a phobia such as the OP's is to handle the phobia. My personal fear is of spiders but I've gotten to the point where I can stare down a jumping/wolf spider or walk through a (Humongous with Great Big Fangs!) garden spider web with only a few chills running up and down my spine...and the spiders in my uber-suburban garage include verified black widows with bites somewhat worse than the vast majority of snakes.

[Hamlet14]

I live on 10 acres of rural land. Forest, hill and brush, with two creeks. I have NEVER seen a snake in the house, nor do I know how one would ever get in. I SEE about two a year, out in brush. I keep the grass/brush cut close all aound the house, about 3 out of the 10 acres. Snakes do not like to be out in the open. When I see them, it is when they are crossing between brush areas or are in the woods.

Bottom line: you should not have to worry. I HATE snakes, and have an irrational fear of them as well. But if you keep your yard clear, and especially if you have dogs or cats, I don't think you a have a thing to worry about.