How to identify a snake hole: 7 signs a snake is still living there and what you should do next

You're out in the garden, moving a pot or pulling a weed, and you notice a neat, rounded hole in the soil. No dirt pile around it, no obvious tracks, just a clean opening disappearing into the ground. The first instinct for most people is to wonder what made it and, more urgently, whether anything is still inside.
Here's the thing: snakes can't actually dig their own holes. They're opportunistic, and they take over burrows built by other animals, voles, shrews, chipmunks, crawfish, even tortoises. So what you're looking at is almost certainly a repurposed tunnel. The real question isn't who dug it. It's whether something with scales has since moved in. And that requires knowing what to look for, because the hole itself won't tell you much.

Snake holes typically range from the size of a small coin up to about two inches in diameter. They tend to have smoother edges than rodent holes, because the snake's body smooths the entrance as it moves in and out, while rodent holes tend to look more jagged and have more debris scattered around them.

But ground holes aren't the only place snakes set up home. If no suitable burrows are available, they'll take advantage of gaps between rock walls, spaces between concrete steps, foundation cracks, and other tight spots around structures. So if you don't find a neat hole in the lawn but you're still seeing signs, start checking around the edges of your house, garden walls, and any piled-up timber or stones.

This is the most reliable indicator. Snakes shed their skin several times a year as part of their growth process. Finding shed skin near a hole strongly suggests a snake has been in the area recently. Experts specifically recommend looking for snakeskin in and around suspected holes to confirm that it's a snake and not a mole or vole using the burrow. The skin might be intact or in fragments, pale and papery, and is often found draped over nearby vegetation or half-tucked into the entrance.

Snakes leave tracks even without feet — thin, curving lines in the dirt are a dead giveaway that something has been frequenting a burrow. These are easiest to spot after rain or in dusty, loose soil. You won't see paw prints. You'll see smooth, wavy lines leading in or out of the hole, like a series of shallow S-curves pressed into the surface. If you see them heading directly toward a hole, that's a strong sign the burrow is in use.

Snake feces typically appear as thick, pasty, dark brown smears with a white chalky deposit at one end. There may also be small bones and fur within the droppings, remnants of whatever the snake has been eating. They're easy to miss if you're not looking, but checking the ground around a suspected hole is worth doing. Finding droppings close to an entrance is a reliable sign of regular activity, not just a one-off visit.

This one's simple but surprisingly useful. If there are spiderwebs or debris covering the entrance of a hole, it's most likely empty. If the entrance is clear and clean, there may well be a snake nearby and using it. Spiders build across openings quickly when an entrance hasn't been disturbed. A clear, open hole with smooth edges and no web across it is a reasonable indicator that something is still coming and going regularly.

This one takes a little observation over time, but it's worth noting. Snakes typically choose a yard because food and water are nearby. If your property has an ample supply of rodents, frogs, birds, and insects, it's likely part of the appeal. So if you've noticed a sudden, unexplained drop in rodent sightings around a part of your garden, less evidence of gnawing, fewer droppings from mice, that's sometimes a sign that a predator has moved in. Not definitive on its own, but worth factoring in.

Observing a suspected hole during early mornings or late afternoons, when snakes are more likely to bask in the sun near their shelters, can help identify whether a burrow is active. If you can set up a camera pointed at the entrance for a day or two, even better. You'll get confirmation without having to get close, and you'll likely get a clear enough image to identify the species, which matters more than most people realize, because the vast majority of garden snakes are completely harmless.

Because snakes often take over existing burrows rather than digging their own, the openings tend to hold their shape longer than random ground disruptions caused by weather or small rodents. If you mark a hole and return after a few days of rain and the entrance is still clear, still smooth, and still free of debris, something is likely maintaining it by passing through regularly. A hole that fills in, collapses, or gets overgrown with plant material fairly quickly is probably abandoned.

First, never reach your hand inside a hole in your yard. It doesn't matter how small the opening is or how confident you feel. If you've spotted several of the signs above and you're concerned, the safest move is to call a wildlife removal service or a pest control professional who can identify the species and advise accordingly.

If the hole appears genuinely empty and you want to keep it that way, you can fill it in with soil or cover it, just make sure you've confirmed nothing is inside before you do. And then address what attracted the snake in the first place: tall grass, wood piles, standing water, and an abundance of rodents are the main draws. Remove those, and you make your garden a much less appealing address.