Over the weekend, several snakes were spotted in the Charlotte area on balconies, in birdhouses and inside homes. The good news was many of them were harmless rat snakes.
A local snake expert said the reptiles, also known as black snakes, are vital to the ecosystem. So if you spot one in the yard or even the house, you should spare its life.
"If we didn't have snakes like this around, we’d have lots and lots of problems in the food chain," said Sean Amidon, owner of Cold Blooded Encounters.
Rat snakes are quite helpful when they eat rodents that live in your home, but one Gaston County woman found them in her birdhouse over the weekend.
"They eat eggs," said Amidon.
Rat snakes are non-venomous, usually non-aggressive and their docile demeanor come in handy when teaching kids that not all snakes are scary.
"They're just a great animal," said Amidon.
So why are seeing so many right now?
"It's that time of year when snakes start coming out of hibernation, looking for some food and looking for some breeding," Amidon said.
If you come face-to-face with a rat snake, Amidon said it's crucial to play it cool.
"Get a broom or something and and just kind of chase out the door. It doesn’t want to be in your house, it wants to be out in the wild where it can find food," said Amidon.
Amidon said there really is no mistaking a rat snake for a copperhead; a simple Google search can confirm that.