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Skyline Roof Cleaning Virginia · Guest

RE: Cleaning Out Gutters

Skyline Roof Cleaning Virginia · Guest

BTW: Have seen snakes in rain gutters here in VA.

RCIA Founder

That's a great idea to use the ammonia to drive them away Al.

Out cleaning roofs and gutters here in Tampa, we see plenty of Alligators, but this was a really Big one.

I know the area it was found at well. We clean plenty of roofs in that subdivision.

Skyline Roof Cleaning Virginia · Guest

Unbelievable! LOL - Lady says his tail was wiping out landscaping.

I hope the trapper gets paid well.

This is what we see a lot of here:

Black rat snakes. You'll find them in overhanging trees, rain gutters, etc. They get up to 8 ft.

RCIA Founder

Wow Al, that's a nasty looking Snake! I just don't have the fascination some have for snakes and reptiles. In fact, I hate to run into them, out cleaning roofs or gutters here in the Tampa Florida area.

Dogs and cats are no problem. Of course, many Dogs will raise Holy Hell when they see me. Think about it, I am a person they have never seen, up in a place they have never seen a person, spraying some stuff they have never smelled before. If you are a Dog and don't bark at me, something is wrong.

Skyline Roof Cleaning Virginia · Guest

Yeah, I'll bet it freaks the dog out out, for sure. It's a good thing they can't climb ladders. smile

These black rat snakes will make a hero out of you, though. They aren't venomous; they constrict to kill their prey. The sheer size of them will have the lady of the house thanking her lucky stars you are there to send him on his way.

I usually move them to the back of the property. They'll keep the mice population down.

If you ever need to get one of these and they're inside the dwelling, and you don't want to grab him behind the head, just get yourself a 6' long 1 1/2" in ID PVC pipe. Put wax paper on one end, then duct tape that end over top of the wax paper.

Lay the pipe against the wall or whever the snake is traveling, in front of him.

He'll go right into that pipe. You can coax him from the side with a broom, to go in there, but he'll go in there. It's a dark cave to him and he wants to get away from you. Then pick up the pipe and dump him into a trash can that you'll use to transport him, or take the pipe to the back of the yard and dump him.

Works like a charm.

RCIA Founder

I would simply take him out to the backyard, where he can catch Mice.

Rats, and big ones too, are a real problem, here in Tampa.

I had a bunch get into my home, they ate clean through the soffits I think ?

Traps were useless, so I used poison, made my house stink like crazy.

I guess the poison makes them thirsty, they drink, then die ?

I was kind of worried the poisoned Rats would bite through my water pipes blankstare

Skyline Roof Cleaning Virginia · Guest

Man, you guys have everything down there. I'll send some of these rat snakes down there - they'll fix em!

I know what you mean about the poison knocking em off and their carcass getting revenge from within the wall or attic, etc. I've had the same but with mice up here. That was when I first moved in. The people before must have been killing the rat snakes. I leave em unless they get in the house, then I just take em outdoors.

Ha! Always good talking with you, Chris. From roofs to rats to gators and tegus.

RCIA Founder

I guess this is old news, but we have had walking Catfish here in Florida for many years. Unlike the invasive Lizards, who can be very dangerous, these fish don't hurt anyone.

We have cleaned roofs and gutters in the community where this video was shot.

I wonder how long the Catfish can live out of water, and what happens if they walk, and find no water!

Many of the subdivisions here in the Tampa area were built on swamp land. The developers drain the land, and create man made lakes.

I guess the Catfish are like us, and desire a new home, so they walk from lake to lake. I guess the animal lover in me hopes this Catfish found a new clean lake to live in before the hot Tampa Florida Sun cooked him, or his air supply ran out.

I have seen pictures of still alive Catfish in Asian Fish Markets, waiting to be cleaned and eaten. It must suck to be a Fish yawn

RCIA Founder

These invasive Fish are here in Tampa. They are called Snakeheads. They were put into Florida waters by Asian Immigrants, and they are thriving here.

They are one of THE Best eating and easiest to clean Fish you can imagine, and they fight like hell too. Their appearance makes people scared of them, for good reason. They have Teeth!

Tampa is full of deed restricted communities just like the one in this video from South Florida, 200 miles away. Notice all the tile roofs needing cleaning, right on the man made lakes ?

On a lake, the high humidity here is even higher, making the roofs grow algae and mildew faster.

We clean a lot of big tile roofs in the North Tampa community of Cory Lake Isles that has a ton of large, man made lakes. Many of the lakes up there are stocked with Bass.

I am an avid fisherman, and always carry both fresh and saltwater tackle and rods with me, in my roof cleaning trucks.

Here in Tampa, the beaten path is for beaten fisherman! It is hard to grasp the concept that there is world class fishing, in many of our customers backyards and docks!

We try and delight all of our customers anyway, no matter what. And a delighted customer will never say we can't fish there either.

No one really likes Invasive Species, but the Florida Snakeheads are here to stay. Cows and Pigs are not native to the USA, but what would we do w/o them, chase Buffalo ?

They are fun to catch, easy to clean, and wonderful to eat!