How To Discourage Snakes From Your Garden And Home

I cannot count the times people have asked me how to discourage snakes from entering their premises. My initial, or rather instinctive, repsonse is why?
Ok, so I am biased towards snakes, and I understand that not everyone shares my passion for our slithery friends.
Let me first start by stating that my passion for snakes is not as simple as it may appear. My passion lies with the environment, ecosystems,nature and life itself. I chose snakes simply because they are the most feared and misunderstood creatures that despite our prejudices play a vital role in our ecosystems and the cycle of life.

Writing this page goes against everything I believe in. I can only hope that by reading this you may realise that nature and all its elements should be embraced and encouraged rather than discouraged.

There are several "snake repellent" products available on the market today that claim to discourage snakes from entering your premises. Don't be misled, nor waste your money. These products do not work and are merely sales gimmicks.
There are no products available that will prevent snakes from entering your property indefinitely. We have been asked to test some of these products using our snakes as test subjects. We used several different species and on each occasion the test results were negative with regards to the product.
In addition to this most of the products offered contain several other harmful chemicals that may in the long run affect not only you and your family, but also a host of other lifeforms that are beneficial to any garden.
Let's say, for arguements sake, that these products were indeed effective...The amount needed to effectively protect your premises would be astronomical and above all time consuming. It is also important to note that these products are not everlasting, and as with any "insecticide", the procedure needs to be repeated at regular intervals.
Bear in mind that these products are not cheap, so if you want to go that route, be prepared to take out a second mortgage on your property.

Before we can even begin to discuss how to discourage snakes, we must first understand why snakes are attracted to our homes in the first place. The answer to this lies with us and our habits. We are responsible for creating favourable conditions for snakes.
How, you may ask?
It's only natural for most people to want to beautify their homes. We do this by having beautiful gardens with lovely tall trees, bushes and shrubs. We build water features and ponds to attract birds and frogs to our gardens. Some even have aviaries with their favourite birds. We do all this without fully realising that we are in fact creating a micro ecosystem within the boundaries of our properties.
Another important factor that needs mentioning is the amount of garbage and waste that each household is responsible for. This in itself attracts rats and mice. I have yet to meet someone who has never seen a rodent within the confines of their property.
By simply being human we are creating favourable conditions for a host of living organisms other than ourselves. This is great, although most of us do so unknowingly.
If you look at this from a snake's point of view we have created an environment with lots of potential prey items with few potential predators, with lots of hiding places that provide both warmth and shelter. Not a bad place to live in.

Now, once we understand what attracts snakes to our properties it becomes clear what actions to take in order to discourage snakes.

Areas of your home that are most likely to attract snakes.

* Compost heaps. If you're a keen gardener then you will more likely than not have a compost heap somewhere on the property. These are ideal places for snakes to lay their eggs. They provide both warmth and humidity ideal for incubation. These also provide a regular food supply in the form of rats and mice.
*Wood piles are also a favourite haunt of snakes. Once again they provide ideal shelter and food supply.
*Building rubble,garden refuse, and junk heaps also provide snakes and their prey with refuge.
*Derelict outhouses are ideal breeding sites for rodents and therefore ideal for predators such as snakes and owls.
* Day to day household refuse also provides ideal breeding and feeding grounds for rodents and therefore their predators.
* Unkempt gardens and overgrown yards.
* Aviaries and bird cages.
* Ponds and artificial wetlands.

By eliminating all of the above you will discourage snakes from entering your property.
It is also important to note that the very roofs that shelter us from the elements offer the same shelter to a variety of other lifeforms. No matter what steps you may take to discourage snakes, it does not mean that you will never encounter one on your property.

Snakes are bio-indicators of a healthy environment. If you are a keen gardener and happen to see a snake in your yard, give yourself a pat on the back, it means you're doing a great job.

Rather than living in a sterile lifeless environment it makes more sense to do some basic snake research and learn to live with the creatures that share our planet.

If, after reading this, you have decided you would prefer to encourage wildlife, such as birds, small mammals, and frogs, into your garden you should investigate The Frog Garden for ideas on how to do so.

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