This is a long story, with two questions in the end. About two weeks ago, we uncovered the pool hoping to add the chemicals and to make it ready for swimming. We bought a new Polaris and all the necessary stuff. This is a large and deep in ground pool that was not open last year, so there are tones of algae, leaves, water bugs, baby frogs and a snake somewhere. The snake is the issue. I have no problems with snakes, however, I don't see it in the water all the time and don't know where it lives. Therefore, I can't remove it. I refuse to throw shock (we use Baquacil) or to turn on the pump and kill the snake. The first time we saw it, it was in the skimmer. It ran away before I could catch it. Then, we see it swimming around from time to time. However, it is not always swimming, it goes somewhere. The bottom of the pool is VERY dirty (our old Polaris broke before we closed the pool two years ago), so maybe the snake lives in the bottom, hidden in the dirty. I have spent many hours on Google, trying to figure out if the snake lives in the pool or if it goes in the pool to eat and swim. It has been very hot here and, if I were a snake, I would be in there myself, with all the free food. Today, I spent a long time moving things around in the shallow and deep end, to see if the snake would surface, but it didn't. I'm starting to believe that it is no longer there. To make a long story short, here are my questions: can a snake live at the bottom of a pool for days on end or is it enjoying the pool on occasion? If we throw Shock, will it kill the snake? My husband said that the snake has its days counted. Please help! Thanks for any assistance you can give me.
Where is the snake?
- Thread starter Nina's Mom
- Start date
Snakes can definitely swim...but I would guess that the chlorine would not be good for the health. It sounds like it might be a water snake rather than garden snake - probably not a real fluid swimmer. And I am pretty sure that water snakes do not actually live in the water.
The baby frogs will die. I have a couple of adult frogs that can stay in the pool for days.
You need to clear the pool and once you get started the snake will take the hint.
BTW, at my house any snake is a dead snake. My dogs have killed 2 coral snakes and a 8 ft rat snake...in the last 2 months
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The baby frogs will die. I have a couple of adult frogs that can stay in the pool for days.
You need to clear the pool and once you get started the snake will take the hint.
BTW, at my house any snake is a dead snake. My dogs have killed 2 coral snakes and a 8 ft rat snake...in the last 2 months
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Welcome to the forum.
You need to decide what is more important, getting your pool clear and enjoying it, or maintaining a swamp for the snake & frogs.
I'm sure the snake will realize that he is unwanted, and no longer return once you start a SLAM.
How to perform a SLAM
You will probably chase the snake away with all the activity of cleaning the pool anyway.
Be sure to have a read through the The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry for a great 'primer' for how to care for your pool.
You will need a good test kit, either a TF Test Kits TF-100 with XL option or a Taylor K-2006C. The TF-100 with XL option is the much better value, and uses the same Taylor reagents.
Keep clearing the pool of as much debris as possible.
Please add all your pool details to your signature to help us help you.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/115-read-before-you-post
Dom
EDIT: I just realized that you use Baquacil so my advice above would not pertain to your pool. Sorry for any confusion.
You need to decide what is more important, getting your pool clear and enjoying it, or maintaining a swamp for the snake & frogs.
I'm sure the snake will realize that he is unwanted, and no longer return once you start a SLAM.
How to perform a SLAM
You will probably chase the snake away with all the activity of cleaning the pool anyway.
Be sure to have a read through the The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry for a great 'primer' for how to care for your pool.
You will need a good test kit, either a TF Test Kits TF-100 with XL option or a Taylor K-2006C. The TF-100 with XL option is the much better value, and uses the same Taylor reagents.
Keep clearing the pool of as much debris as possible.
Please add all your pool details to your signature to help us help you.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/115-read-before-you-post
Dom
EDIT: I just realized that you use Baquacil so my advice above would not pertain to your pool. Sorry for any confusion.
Grew up with a pool up North, we had everything in it at one point or another, deeply wooded and critters found their way in. Like you we fished them out, if they didn't escape on their own. I don't believe the snake is living in the pool. The pool is a food source it knows its way in and out. Which it is usually difficult for a snake to get out, but yours has a definite exit door. It may be through the skimmer, even if you have it covered it may be able to get out through the hole on the lid of the skimmer box.
I find it hard to believe, impossible even that snake is living in the pipes, so your filter is safe to run. I really do think the snake knows that's a water source for drinking, regulating its temperature and food source for when it is hungry. Snakes don't eat like we do, so you are probably only seeing it when it needs to eat. In all honestly that water isn't ideal for the snake, it's full of bacteria and I can't imagine the baquacil is doing it any favors either. Wildlife is surviving in that water, but it's not a healthy existence.
I don't know if you stopped in here with an interest in the TFP Method or just stopped in looking for help with the snake and then once you know it's caught and removed you are proceeding with baquacil, I am asking because if you remove the snake yourself and take it away from the pool, the snake will know its route back. If that snake knows the route, others do as well. You can't stop Mother Nature. You could call a professional in, they will look for it and if it is in there they will remove it and take it away, but others will be able to find their way to it. The best choice you can make for all involved is to get that water back up and running, sanitized/healthy and that will be a greatest deterrent. From that point you can see when something is in there and needs fished out. All critters will hopefully seek water more suited to their needs.
I am a complete critter person. No I do not like snakes or rodents for that fact but I do not like to see anything suffer. If you are moving away from the baquacil, I would start the conversion. If you are not I would open however it is you do, get that filter running, start physically removing debris/ critters with the net and get that water circulating, in doing that it will be encouragement for critters to move on (when the chemistry changes). You can't just let that water continue to fester like that, it's not healthy for anyone. If you want peace of mind before you begin throw a couple flat floaters in there, they make small pool size body boards for kids. When it goes to sun itself it may do so on something floating, but I think that snake shows up to eat and regulate itself and then exits for more suitable living conditions. It probably doesn't like the health of that water any better than you do and it's a last resort stop.
With the shape your water is in right now, if something/someone falls in there you are in a very dangerous position of being able to assist it/them out. That is never a good position to be in. Clearing the water is absolutely what you need to do, for everyone and everything involved.
Keep us posted as you proceed through this however you decide to go.
Good Luck!
I find it hard to believe, impossible even that snake is living in the pipes, so your filter is safe to run. I really do think the snake knows that's a water source for drinking, regulating its temperature and food source for when it is hungry. Snakes don't eat like we do, so you are probably only seeing it when it needs to eat. In all honestly that water isn't ideal for the snake, it's full of bacteria and I can't imagine the baquacil is doing it any favors either. Wildlife is surviving in that water, but it's not a healthy existence.
I don't know if you stopped in here with an interest in the TFP Method or just stopped in looking for help with the snake and then once you know it's caught and removed you are proceeding with baquacil, I am asking because if you remove the snake yourself and take it away from the pool, the snake will know its route back. If that snake knows the route, others do as well. You can't stop Mother Nature. You could call a professional in, they will look for it and if it is in there they will remove it and take it away, but others will be able to find their way to it. The best choice you can make for all involved is to get that water back up and running, sanitized/healthy and that will be a greatest deterrent. From that point you can see when something is in there and needs fished out. All critters will hopefully seek water more suited to their needs.
I am a complete critter person. No I do not like snakes or rodents for that fact but I do not like to see anything suffer. If you are moving away from the baquacil, I would start the conversion. If you are not I would open however it is you do, get that filter running, start physically removing debris/ critters with the net and get that water circulating, in doing that it will be encouragement for critters to move on (when the chemistry changes). You can't just let that water continue to fester like that, it's not healthy for anyone. If you want peace of mind before you begin throw a couple flat floaters in there, they make small pool size body boards for kids. When it goes to sun itself it may do so on something floating, but I think that snake shows up to eat and regulate itself and then exits for more suitable living conditions. It probably doesn't like the health of that water any better than you do and it's a last resort stop.
With the shape your water is in right now, if something/someone falls in there you are in a very dangerous position of being able to assist it/them out. That is never a good position to be in. Clearing the water is absolutely what you need to do, for everyone and everything involved.
Keep us posted as you proceed through this however you decide to go.
Good Luck!
I agree the activity will run the snake off. Just use a leaf net and scoop out as much debris as you can from the bottom of the pool. You will need to decide if you are going to convert the pool from baquacil to chlorine, since there is a different process to use other than the slam method to accomplish the change. You can read about the conversion process here: Pool School - Convert Your Baqua Pool to Chlorine
Thanks, everyone! This morning, the snake was in the skimmer. I got the snake out and it ran under the deck.
So, it can get out if it wishes. Now we can finally open the pool without feeling guilty.
So, it can get out if it wishes. Now we can finally open the pool without feeling guilty.Glad to hear that. He may come back, but just do what you are doing to get that pool running, you won't get him caught in the filtering.
Now you have a task ahead of you from the sounds of it. It stinks to get started, but once you see the littlest of progress that gets the blood pumping to keep on keeping on.
Now you have a task ahead of you from the sounds of it. It stinks to get started, but once you see the littlest of progress that gets the blood pumping to keep on keeping on.
Glad you're finally getting started. A green swamp is just asking for mosquito troubles and this year's Zika carrying skeeters are being found in the south. Some cities will cite you for green pools I've heard?
