Ever walked out into your yard and found a snake hissing on your doorstep? If you live in a nice house in a region where snakes are common, chances are it probably did happen to you. If not, and you wish to prepare and learn how to keep snakes away from your home, read on.
There’s something really unsettling and a bit scary (for some very scary) about a snake slithering around your backyard. Not to mention if it manages to crawl into your home. In some cases, snakes can even lead to damages to your property. Check out this following infographic which shows which animals cause damage to house foundation.
However, we don’t want to harm an innocent snake who has no intention of doing harm to us. You need to keep in mind, these snakes are just looking for something to eat, or a warm place to stay. Be humane, and follow these tips.
Here are our 5 Handy Tips on How To Keep snakes Away From your Home
1. Call Animal Control or Chase it Away
This will depend on your ability to determine if a snake is venomous or not. As soon as you spot a snake slithering around your yard, if you suspect it’s venomous – immediately call Animal control. However, if you’re 100% sure it’s a non-venomous snake – then you can just chase it away. You can grab the hose and spray the snake until it crawls out of your garden.
2. Keep Your Garden Clean and Organized
As I mentioned, snakes will crawl into your garden either to find food or shelter. That’s why you need to keep your garden clean from food, and organized. If you have a dog, cat or any other pet outside – feed them inside. Any leftovers might attract rodents, and these in turn – will attract snakes. You better also pick up any fallen fruits, as these are other attractive food that rodents love. You should also keep your grass cut nicely because tall grass will provide shelter for snakes. The same goes for big piles of leaves or debris, which snakes love. Don’t give them a reason to slither into your garden for shelter.
3.
Having a nice campfire with friends or family in the garden is great. But don’t keep your woodpiles in the garden. It can become the perfect hiding place for snakes. Keep your wood on a rack or high above the ground.
As for mulch, it might make your garden look better, but it’s just another great snake shelter. On top of that, it usually becomes home for different sorts of invertebrates, which are food for some species of snakes. Better avoid having mulch in your garden.
4. Don’t Build a Birdhouse or a Bird Feeder
Birds are wonderful. I personally enjoy listening to their chirping sounds and watching them fly, but I leave that for outdoor getaways. I keep birdhouses out of my garden, as these can easily attract a corn or rat snake that easily climbs any tree. If I was you, I also wouldn’t place a Birds Feeder in my garden. Birds tend to knock food from these feeders, which can end up anywhere in your garden, and attract rodents.
5. Create a DIY Snake Repellent or Buy One
If all of the above doesn’t work, there are always stronger defense measures that will keep snakes away from your home. You can start with Ammonia, which snakes utterly hate. They can’t stand the smell of ammonia and won’t slither anywhere near it. You can soak a few rags with ammonia, put them in unsealed plastic bags, and place them strategically in the borders of your garden where the snakes usually crawl through. You can also use vinegar. Snakes will never crawl over vinegar.
If you prefer to buy a professional snake repellent – you can try Bonide’s Snake Stopper, which is basically a blend of ingredients designed to drive out any snake. Don’t worry – it’s not a snake bait or poison, and it won’t harm your pets.
In case you find a snake in your garden and want to dispose of it, remember to choose a humane snake removal service.
Well, I hope you learned a few useful tips on how to keep snakes away from your home.
