Your fridge is arguably the most essential appliance in your home. It makes it possible to keep fruits and vegetables fresh longer, stash cheeses and dairy, keep leftovers, and store frozen items. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the few appliances that never moves or gets cleaned behind, meaning that the dead zone between the walls and counter space can accumulate plenty of items and filth over the years. And what some homeowners may not realize is that it also provides the perfect hiding spot for pests and other animals—including reptiles. Read on to discover the number one sign a snake is hiding out behind your refrigerator.
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More often than not, kitchens tend to be one of the most inviting rooms in the home. After all, it’s the one room with all the food—and the first place you head when you need a midday snack or late-night bite. But humans aren’t the only ones who like to hang around the cooking area.
“Snakes love hiding in the kitchen for the same reason you do: It’s warm, it offers shelter, and there’s probably food there,” Sholom Rosenbloom, the owner of Rosenbloom Pest Control, tells Best Life. “This isn’t to say snakes like eating your food, per se, but rather that your pantry could attract mice and other small pests that are snakes’ actual favorite food.”
The layout of your kitchen creates an appealing living environment for reptiles, too. “Snakes also prefer non-lit areas,” he adds. “They might be attracted to your kitchen due to the prevalence of tight, dark places to hide, along with the warmth provided behind a refrigerator due to its compressor or other appliances.”
Your kitchen can be a busy place, between constantly preparing food, eating meals, and cleaning messes. But no matter how much time you spend there, it can still be easy to miss an animal as quiet and timid as a snake—unless you keep your eyes peeled for one major clue.
“Young snakes and other small snakes can be nearly impossible to locate in a kitchen,” says Rosenbloom. “But the number-one way to spot a snake in this part of the house is to keep an eye out for the most obvious signs: snake droppings or shredded skin.”
“Usually, the skins are a bit easier to spot in dusty areas behind appliances because they’re a paper-thin exoskeleton in snake form. But these are both bodily functions that snakes can’t help, so they’re the clearest indicator that a pest is hiding near your refrigerator.”
Even though it may be somewhat harder to identify, Rosenbloom says snake scat usually looks like a long brown or black streak that typically has a white urea cap on it.
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Physical evidence can be a dead giveaway that you’ve got a snake hiding out. But since it can sometimes be months between shedding, experts say you might be able to use your other senses to detect one in your kitchen first.
“If you hear strange noises from behind the fridge, a snake may try to make its way into the appliance for warmth,” Jennifer Mecham, a snake expert and writer with Reptiles Blog. “If you hear hissing, slithering, or strange bumps and movements, there’s a good chance there’s a snake back there!”
Keeping an eye out for anything amiss in your kitchen should be a year-round habit. But experts point out that reptiles are more desperate to get indoors from the elements in certain seasons.
“Snakes are most likely to infiltrate near your refrigerator during the colder months of the year, which can vary depending on where you live,” says Rosenbloom. “For most parts of the United States, it would be anywhere starting from September to December and ending around March or April.”
If you’re worried about a snake getting comfortable in your cooking area, Rosenbloom adds that taking care of any ongoing pest problems can be a major step towards keeping reptiles away. And if you think you’ve spotted one hiding behind your refrigerator, it’s probably best to reach out to a professional service to ensure it’s removed safely.
