Snakes Sometimes reptiles, usually snakes, will find their way into or near your home. In most cases, the animal is just passing through and will disappear in a short amount of time. Sometimes they decide to stick around a while, and they can even "den" or "nest" on your property. If you are experiencing a problem with snakes, the best advice is to just leave them alone. Consider this: snakes eat mice, rats, moles, and other pests. They are a free source of rodent control for your home or property. Snakes are an important part of our local ecosystem. The Ohio Division of Wildlife does not allow wildlife rehabilitators to take in uninjured nuisance animals from homeowners.  ODNR licenses and permits exterminators and nuisance wildlife removal agents to perform this task.  However, Ohio rules and policies force these operators to euthanize and kill ALL nuisance wildlife that they remove from human habitation.  If you call a nuisance trapper, they will kill the animal as it is state law.   The only legal option that does not result in death of the wildlife is to remove it yourself and take measures to prevent their return. If you absolutely cannot let the snake remain where it is at, you should capture the animal and release it in the nearest suitable uninhabited area (within two miles) from the site found. The best method of dealing with a snake problem is prevention. Many items around your home may potentially attract unwanted animals, and removing these items will deter snakes and their prey from wanting to stay. Junk piles, dead grass, mulch and compost heaps, wood piles, heavy brush, rock walls, creek beds, low bushes around a home, and many other sources of shelter make a nice cozy place for snakes and their prey to hide. If you have a snake in your home, the animal can usually be coaxed towards an exit by GENTLY using a broom. If this proves inadequate, the animal can be picked up using a golf club, hook, garden tool, or noose made out of a thick rope or other strong material. The snake can be placed in a pillowcase or cloth bag, sturdy plastic container or box with air holes, garbage can, etc. Take the snake to the closest undeveloped area away from other nearby residences. If the snake is suspected of being a venomous species, call for professional assistance before attempting to handle the animal yourself. While poisonous snakebites are extremely rare and unlikely, they are possible. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CATCH THE ANIMAL IF YOU SUSPECT IT MAY BE POISONOUS. A "dangerous" snapping turtle is a threat to local pets and children.  Will you come relocate it? Snapping turtles, while menacing and intimidating in appearance, are fairly harmless as they are quite slow and unable to catch a person.  It is illegal, immoral, and unethical to move turtles from their home to a new location.   Snapping turtles in immediate vicinity of people can be placed or coaxed to the nearest closest water source which they emerged from.   It is not acceptable to "eradicate" or "relocate" snapping turtles to another area.  Please teach children and pets to respect wildlife and view from a distance, and not to disturb wild animals. A turtle is laying eggs in my yard.  What should I do? It is not uncommon for nesting female turtles to decide your lawn is a very nice appealing place to have a family.  No action or measures need to be taken.  Please enjoy nature from a distance and allow the turtle to proceed.  The female will dig a nest, then deposit her eggs, and cover the nest and leave.   You do not need to protect or move the nest, and it is discouraged to enclose the area in any manner as you may trap the hatchlings when they emerge.    Please be aware of surroundings when mowing and performing lawn care around the area and monitor for hatchlings to emerge.  It is typically a couple of months to hatching.  When this occurs, again do not interfere and allow the hatchlings to disperse on their own.  A turtle needs moved or relocated.  We don't want it here.  Where should we put the turtle? It is illegal, immoral, and unethical to move turtles from their home to a new location.  While you may think the turtle is out of place where it was found, in fact most turtles live their lives in a very small range.  It is not acceptable to move or relocate turtles to another area "for their protection".   If you find a turtle in a place which you feel is obviously a danger, only move the turtle out of the immediate danger, but do not relocate to another area.    Please use caution when mowing and caring for your lawn and watch for wildlife.  I turtle found it's way into my yard.  Where should we put the turtle? It is illegal, immoral, and unethical to move turtles from their home to a new location.  While you may think the turtle is out of place where it was found, in fact most turtles live their lives in a very small range.   It is not acceptable to move or relocate turtles to another area "for their protection".   If you find a turtle in a place which you feel is obviously a danger, only move the turtle out of the immediate danger, but do not relocate to another area.  Please use caution when mowing and caring for your lawn and watch for wildlife. Seriously... if you move the turtle from an "unsafe" area, it will be in far more danger crossing all the roads and hazards to get back to where it wants to be.