Texas A&M sent out the customary warning that warmer weather means “snakes are moving.” With it only being February, we asked local snake expert Blaine Eaton for his thoughts. Oddly enough, Eaton explains that snakes can come out of hibernation even if it is warm for only a day or week.
“We have warm days like last Saturday was 91 degrees,” Eaton said. “Warm days like that just confuse them. They think ‘oh, it’s spring….time to come out.’ Even if it’s just for a day, they’ll come out of hibernation and then go back in when the cold weather comes back. ”
In general, it doesn’t have to be “hot” per say, just warm to get them moving.
“If temps are above the 70s, they are likely to be moving,” Eaton said. “But around March when the temp gets up to 80’s during the day you’ll be much more likely to see snakes.”
So where do snakes hibernate?
“Snakes don’t dig, so they invade other animals’ burrows like a rabbit burrow or an armadillo burrow. They’ve even been known to share and hibernate with rabbits, armadillos, or turtles. They can also just lay underneath a mobile home with skirting. That keeps them warm enough to hibernate through the winter.”
Though Mr. Eaton has retired from doing the big displays and educational lectures that he did for so many years across South Texas, he would like the public to know that he is still available for snake removals. Mr. Blaine Eaton can be reached at 210-508-2358.