'Naf is Enough!

I've had my share of animals in and around the house. There were abandoned eggs, ducklings, opossum, dead birds, very active birds, rodents, bunnies, mockingbirds, all sorts of birds around and inside the house. I even attracted critters in my office. And I can live with all of those.

But this is one that I don't want to ever come back! St. Francis, please don't send it back, thankyouverymuch.

As I was leaving the house yesterday afternoon, when I clicked the remote to close the garage, it wouldn't close and the opener light just flickered. Annoyed at first that the new opener might be broken, I tried it again, and the same thing happened. Then I realized a small bucket was blocking the sensors. But how did it move one foot? I got out of the car and saw that two carton mouse traps were also in the way...

Backtrack to this morning, I remembered that when I was in the laundry room, which leads to garage, I heard a sound like a mouse running, in the attic or wall. It stopped after a few seconds, and since I couldn't hear it when I opened the garage, I concluded it was probably coming from the roof, and I could hear it from the dryer vents.

Back to the story... The mouse traps, that were placed there 10 days ago by pest control company in two corners, were now next to each other. And between them was this:

A snake with its head stuck on the glue inside the box!

Now, I've seen snakes before in the yard and tree, but not big like this one. And not this colorful. I was not going to touch it!

Was there a mouse in the trap and the snake went after it and then crawled to the other side of the garage, or did the mouse move the trap first - I don't know. It probably got into the garage through small drain holes near the corners of the garage door.

I first called the pest control guys, but they are closed on Saturdays. My neighbor across the street was in the yard, but since he seemed busy with digging I didn't want to bother him. Then I called 311, but the call could not go through (later I find out it's only in the city limits, which Wells Branch apparently is not). Next I called 411, hoping to talk to someone who would connect me with someone who deals with this kind of wild life. But I realized I had to first give some meaningful answers to the automated system, and I didn't know what to ask for.

Finally, I called 911. Dispatcher: "Do you need police, ambulance, or fire department for your emergency?" Me: "Well, it's not really an emergency, but I couldn't get through 311, and I have this snake in my garage and I don't know what to do with it." She then asked me what kind of a snake it was, which I didn't know, asked for my name and address and said they'll send someone from Travis sheriff's department shortly.

I stood there for 5-10 minutes, not wanting to leave the scene as the suspect might get away. When the deputy came, he first touched it with his foot, and the snake seemed to be stiff. He concluded that it's dead, and asked for something to put it into and then into the trash can. But when he then poked it with a stick, it moved! He walky-talkied his dispatcher: "we have a live one!"

The thing started contorting its body with its head still glued inside the box and started rattling its tail. It was a rattle-snake! The deputy got a bigger paper bag from his car, and, as some poorly trained snake handler, maneuvered the beast and the box into the bag. It was making a lot of noise inside! Hm, ok, that thing is not going into by garbage can! He asked me if there was a field nearby (?!), which there was behind the houses on the other side of the street, but I said I don't think he should dumped it there.

Off he went, with the snake in double-bags, and I don't really want to know what happened to it. I just don't want it, or any of its cousins, near my house again. Ever!