Snake removal

Most snakes in north Georgia are harmless, and many earn their keep eating rodents. But copperheads are common here, and when one is by the back door or in the garage nobody wants to guess which kind it is. I remove the snake, then look at why it was there, which is usually food (rodents) or cover close to the house.

Signs of snakes

• A snake seen in the house, garage, basement or crawlspace
• Shed skins along the foundation, in the crawlspace or the attic
• Snakes around woodpiles, rock walls, thick ground cover or a pond edge
• A rodent problem nearby, since snakes follow their food

How I handle it

1. Remove the snake

   Safely, with the right tools, whatever the species.

2. Find how it got in

   Gaps under garage doors, open crawlspace vents and holes in the foundation are the usual routes.

3. Make the property less inviting

   I point out the cover and food that are drawing snakes close, like woodpiles against the house, dense shrubs at the foundation, or a rodent problem.

What customers say

★★★★★ 4.9 on Google · 80 reviews

• ★★★★★

  Brandon came to our home in Atlanta for a rat problem with which we were dealing. He diagnosed a sealing issue on part of the house - rebuilt after having had a tree fall on it, years back. We found at least one culprit - and the copperheads on our lawn - presumably there for a rodent feast - have disappeared! Brandon is honest, thorough and conscientious. He backs up his work, and has a professional and up front approach.

  MTerese · September 2026 · Google review

• ★★★★★

  Brandon came out to capture an adult copperhead. He is a very respectful professional gentleman. Highly recommend this company!

  Tammy C. · July 2026 · Google review

• ★★★★★

  Brandon was great! Gave us helpful tips to deter snakes! Call him! He's your guy for snakes! Thanks SO VERY MUCH! 😊

  Missy B. · June 2026 · Google review

Reviews are copied word for word from Google. Older ones mention Total Animal Control, the company’s former name. Read all 80 reviews on Google

Which venomous snakes actually live in our part of Georgia?

Georgia DNR lists seven venomous snakes in the state: the copperhead, northern cottonmouth, Florida cottonmouth, eastern coral snake, eastern diamond-backed rattlesnake, pigmy rattlesnake and timber rattlesnake. That is seven out of 47 native species. The other 40 are harmless to people.

The list is statewide, and most of it does not apply to Bartow, Cobb, Cherokee, Paulding, Floyd and Fulton. DNR's fact sheets place the copperhead throughout most of Georgia except the southeastern corner, and the timber rattlesnake throughout the entire state except a few spots in the far southwest. Those are the two venomous snakes I plan for on every call in our counties.

DNR's water moccasin brochure states plainly that the cottonmouth does not occur naturally in most of northern Georgia. The same agency also notes that at least one venomous species can be found in every Georgia county, so I never assume a snake is harmless until I have it identified up close.

How common are copperheads around homes here?

Of Georgia's seven venomous snakes, DNR says the copperhead is the only one that usually thrives in suburban areas. Its fact sheet calls it the most commonly encountered venomous snake in the state, one that can turn up even in cities. That matches the calls I get in subdivisions as well as on rural land.

A copperhead is a thick-bodied snake with rough, keeled scales. The body is some shade of tan or brown with darker hourglass shapes, widest on the sides and narrowest along the middle of the back. The head is angular, clearly wider than the neck, and golden or coppery. Adults usually run 24 to 30 inches.

DNR notes that copperheads from the mountainous north of the state tend to be darker and more richly colored than those farther south. They favor forest, especially mixed hardwoods, and like rocks and rock piles. They rely on camouflage and on sitting still, which is why people so often find one only when they nearly step on it.

What about timber rattlesnakes?

Timber rattlesnakes are large, heavy-bodied pit vipers with a solid black tail, which is where the local name velvet tail comes from. DNR describes them as shy snakes that avoid development and people as much as they can, and says they prefer wooded, undisturbed ground, especially mixed pine and hardwood forest.

The detail that matters most for property owners is this one. DNR's fact sheet says timber rattlesnakes are often found near old homesites and barns, because those places offer cover and draw the animals they eat. On a rural property with outbuildings, a timber rattlesnake is a realistic possibility, not a rumor.

They feed almost entirely on warm-blooded prey, mostly mice, rats, chipmunks and squirrels. DNR credits them with a real benefit: by eating white-footed mice, a single snake can take in up to 1,000 ticks a year along with its meals.

Is the snake in my pond or Lake Allatoona a water moccasin?

Almost certainly not. Georgia DNR's water moccasin brochure says the cottonmouth does not occur naturally in most of northern Georgia, and it names Lake Allatoona and Lake Lanier as major reservoirs that sit outside the species' range.

What people see in and around water here are watersnakes. DNR notes that five species of large, harmless watersnakes are native to Georgia, and that watersnakes as a group are found in every county. The brochure was written specifically because so many of them are killed on the assumption that any snake in the water is a moccasin.

Watersnakes typically bask on limbs hanging over the water, while cottonmouths bask on land, logs or stumps near the surface. DNR says stories of moccasins dropping from branches into boats are most likely cases of mistaken identity. DNR also notes that cottonmouths cannot be positively identified by the color of the inside of the mouth alone, so the gaping display is not a safe test either.

Which harmless snakes get mistaken for venomous ones?

DNR names several repeat offenders. The eastern hognose snake and the scarlet kingsnake are confused with rattlesnakes and coral snakes, and watersnakes are confused with water moccasins. DNR's copperhead fact sheet adds two more that matter around north Georgia homes: the corn snake and the northern watersnake, both of which get confused with copperheads.

According to DNR, a corn snake is longer and more slender than a copperhead, with smooth, shiny scales, an elongated head and square blotches outlined in black, often with more red, orange and yellow. A northern watersnake is two-toned brown like a copperhead, but its blotches are squarer and wider on top than on the sides, the reverse of the copperhead's hourglass, and it lives almost exclusively in and along water.

Then there are the snakes that mostly go unnoticed. DNR lists ringneck, worm, red-bellied, brown, earth and crowned snakes as small, secretive species that rarely get seen and do not bite. Larger visitors such as rat snakes, corn snakes and racers come into yards to hunt mice, rats, birds and eggs.

Why is it so hard to identify a snake from across the yard?

The popular rules of thumb do not hold up well. DNR points out that pit vipers often have broad, triangular heads, but many harmless snakes flatten their heads when threatened, so their heads can look triangular too. Some harmless species also carry color patterns that resemble venomous ones.

Behavior is just as misleading. A copperhead without a rattle will still shake its tail hard enough to buzz in dry leaves, according to DNR, and a rattlesnake does not always rattle first. The reliable features, such as the heat-sensing pit between the eye and nostril or the shape of the pupil, are things you only see from close range.

That is the trap. The closer you get to confirm what it is, the closer you are to striking range. DNR's own advice is to try to identify a snake from a distance and to use caution around any snake you have not identified, even though it is most likely harmless. When the identification matters, I make it, not the homeowner.

What does Georgia's protection of non-venomous snakes mean in practice?

Georgia DNR states that all non-venomous snakes are protected by state law, and its water moccasin brochure describes the killing of non-venomous snakes as illegal under state law. Because 40 of the state's 47 species are non-venomous, the protection covers the vast majority of snakes anyone will meet in a yard.

The practical problem is that the law turns on identification, and identification at a distance is unreliable. A shovel swung at a northern watersnake or a rat snake by someone who believed it was a copperhead is exactly the situation DNR's brochure was written to prevent.

Two native snakes, the eastern indigo snake and the southern hognose snake, are state-listed as threatened, and DNR notes the indigo is also federally protected. For a clearly identified venomous snake that poses a danger to people or pets, DNR directs homeowners to a private wildlife removal specialist. That is the work I do.

Why do snakes come up near the house?

Snakes go where their needs are met, and UGA Extension sums those needs up as food, water and cover. A house can offer all three. Rodents drawn to pet food or bird food left outside are prey for rat snakes, copperheads and timber rattlesnakes alike.

Smaller prey counts too. UGA notes that insects, frogs and lizards draw snakes in, and that controlling moisture reduces frogs. DNR's copperhead fact sheet lists frogs, lizards and small mice as typical prey, plus cicadas as they emerge on summer nights.

Cover is the other half. UGA advises that snakes like damp, cool, dark spots, and DNR notes that they shelter in brush and firewood piles. In dry weather, UGA adds, snakes also have to find water, so water sources around a property matter too.

When are snakes most active in north Georgia?

Activity picks up as spring warms. DNR's state herpetologist reports that this is when most snake calls come in, and the CDC notes that snakes are most active at dawn and dusk and in warm weather.

Late summer and fall bring a second wave. UGA Extension says county agents get a lot of snake calls in late summer and fall. DNR reports that copperheads are born in late summer or early fall and timber rattlesnakes in late August or September, so newborn snakes are moving around then too.

In cool weather, both copperheads and timber rattlesnakes enter a period of dormancy in rock piles, crevices, hollow logs, stump holes or woodpiles. DNR notes they may emerge briefly to bask on warm, sunny days, so a mild winter afternoon is not a guarantee that no snake is out.

What should I do the moment I see a snake?

Step back and give it room. DNR advises against handling any snake and notes that most bites happen when a snake is cornered, captured or defending itself. The DNR water moccasin brochure goes further: the vast majority of bites come from people trying to capture, harass or kill the snake.

Get children and pets out of the area and keep them away. If you can do it from a safe distance, take a photo; the CDC recommends this after a bite to help identification, and it helps me just as much before one.

Then watch where it goes, if you can do so safely. A snake that disappears under a deck or into a crawlspace vent is much easier for me to find if someone saw the exact spot. If it is out in the open and moving away from the house, it is doing what you want it to.

What should I do if someone is bitten?

Get emergency medical care right away. The CDC advises seeking emergency attention as soon as possible so that antivenom can be started if it is needed, and warns against driving yourself because a bite can make you dizzy or cause you to pass out. Call 911 or have someone else drive.

While waiting, the CDC recommends keeping calm, sitting or lying down with the bite in a neutral, comfortable position, and removing rings and watches before swelling starts. Wash the bite with soap and water, cover it with a clean, dry dressing, and mark the leading edge of swelling on the skin with the time written beside it.

The Georgia Poison Center runs a 24-hour helpline at 1-800-222-1222, answered by poison information specialists, registered nurses, pharmacists and physicians. It is worth having that number in your phone. Do not wait for symptoms to appear before getting help; the CDC is explicit about that.

What should I never do after a snakebite?

The CDC's list of what not to do is short and worth memorizing:

• Do not pick up the snake or try to trap it.
• Do not handle a venomous snake even if it is dead, including a cut-off head.
• Do not apply a tourniquet, electric shock or folk remedies.
• Do not cut or slash the wound.
• Do not try to suck out the venom.
• Do not apply ice or soak the wound in water.
• Do not drink alcohol or take pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen.

Why don't I rely on repellents?

UGA Extension states that snake repellents have been shown to be unreliable, and that even where they appear to work, they have to be reapplied regularly. That is a poor trade for a homeowner who wants a permanent answer.

The bigger issue is that a repellent leaves the reasons a snake came in the first place untouched. If mice are living in the garage and there is a gap under the door, the snake has a reason to come back and a way in. Fixing those two things is where my time goes.

How can I make my yard less attractive to snakes?

The guidance from DNR and UGA lines up closely. Remove brush, log piles and other cover that attracts the mice, lizards and other animals snakes eat. Mow tall grass and weeds. Clear clutter from the yard, open garages, porches and open storage buildings.

Around the house itself, UGA recommends removing shrubs and other things that sit close to the ground, and changing damp, cool, dark spots where you can. Do not leave pet food or bird food sitting out, keep food storage areas clean, and keep food and trash sealed.

Firewood deserves its own mention, since DNR names firewood piles as a common shelter. Moving the stack away from the house and up off the ground removes a hiding place right next to the door. None of this makes a yard snake-free, but it makes the area around the house much less useful to them.

How do snakes get into crawlspaces, basements and garages?

Through openings at ground level, for the most part. DNR's advice for keeping snakes out of buildings is to seal entry points and control rodents, since rodents are the food source. UGA Extension recommends sealing holes around and under the house.

On an inspection I look at the places snakes and rodents share: the gap under a garage door, crawlspace vents with damaged or missing screens, foundation cracks, and openings where pipes and lines go through the wall. Some snakes are climbers, as UGA notes, so I do not stop at ground level.

Timing helps. UGA points out that fall is a good time to exclude snakes, because that is when they may be looking for warmer spots or a place to spend the winter. Sealing a crawlspace before that search starts is easier than finding a snake in it afterward.

What does a shed skin tell me?

A shed skin tells you a snake spent enough time in that spot to shed there. UGA Extension notes that climbing snakes sometimes get into houses and that their shed skins are sometimes found in attics. Crawlspaces, basements and garages are other common places to find one.

A skin is not a reliable way to judge how many snakes there are, and I do not treat it as an identification. What it gives me is a starting point: where the snake was, which tells me where to look for the gap it used and the food that brought it in.

If you find one, leave it where it is or take a photo of it in place before you move it. The location is more useful to me than the skin itself.

How can I work in the yard more safely?

The CDC's prevention advice for people who work outdoors applies just as well to yard work in north Georgia. Wear boots and long pants, and wear leather gloves when handling brush and debris.

Avoid tall grass and leaf piles when you can, and do not climb on rocks or wood piles where a snake may be hiding. Remember that snakes tend to be most active at dawn and dusk and in warm weather.

Reach only where you can see. Moving firewood, pulling weeds along a rock wall or clearing a flowerbed by feel is how hands end up next to a copperhead that was relying on its camouflage.

What happens when I come out for a snake call?

If the snake is still in sight or someone knows where it went, I start there. I remove it with the right tools for the situation and handle every snake as though it could be venomous until I have identified it up close. Once I know the species, I can tell you what it was and what that means.

Then I work out why it was there. I walk the foundation, the garage and the crawlspace looking for entry points, and I look at the yard for the cover and food that pulled it close. Rodent activity near the house gets particular attention, because it is so often the real cause.

Before I leave, you will know what I found, which gaps need sealing, and which changes to the yard will do the most. If sealing work is needed, I explain what it involves and why.

What affects the cost of snake work?

A single snake in an open garage is a different job from a snake somewhere in a large crawlspace. Where the snake is, how easy that space is to work in, and whether it can still be located all affect the time involved.

The larger factor is usually what comes after removal. A house with one obvious gap under a door is quick to fix, while an older crawlspace with several damaged vents and foundation openings takes more material and labor. A rodent problem that is drawing snakes in adds its own work.

Urgency can also play a part, since a venomous snake inside the living space is not something to schedule for next week. I explain what the job involves before any work starts, so there are no surprises.

Common questions

Where I do this work

Snake Removal across Bartow County, Cobb County, Cherokee County, Paulding County, Floyd County and Fulton County, Georgia.