Keeping Snakes out of my Garden

RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By molossus (1) Contact I really would love to see what research all these people are looking at, but lime, mothballs, sulfur, and diesel DO NOT keep snakes away. If you have snakes in your yard and don't want them there, get rid of the rodents and cover they find in your yard. If you have horses and there's feed all over the place, it doesn't take too much brainpower to figure out why rodents are there, and in turn why snakes are there. Use metal containers whenever you can, keep your property free of debris, and keep the place clean. As for killing the snakes, here are the stats. 86% are men. 64% of those are trying to be tough guys and take care it it themselves. Venomous snake bites can be avoided by simply calling someone with training to deal with them. If you grew up in the country and saw 20 of them growing up, you're still not an expert. Why should you listen to me on this over the guy at home depot who recommended lime? Because if you google "field herpetology" my site is the third one down. I know my way around a snake, and find hundreds each year. If you have any questions about how to get them off your property, please email me. bryan at fieldherper.com Posted on 01/13/2010 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By coupe1942 (1) Contact Moth balls are really cheap at the local Dollar Store or Dollar General. I purchased a huge bag of lime at Lowes for about $7 bucks. It was in the brick and martar area and not the garden area. The garden folk didn't have a clue as to selling lime, but I found it in the brick and martar section. I plan to get a bag of sulfa and mix it as I spread the stuff about the outside fence line. Our housing area has had a few dogs bitten by rattle snakes within the past few weeks, so this is a prevenative measure only. Not sure if it will work, but doing nothing is not any better an option for me at present. We have the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup near my city of Abilene, Tx., and their website mentioned the lime as a possible preventative. I never saw a rattle snake crossing home plate at a ball game, so the seven bucks didn't seem like a total waste of money to at least try. :-) I have a feeling that people who post that they never saw a snake again after their various treatments, probably wouldn't have seen the first one either, under normal conditions or circumstances. They tend to not like being about people any more than they have to. They may well have been there all along, but not so that the typical human would spot them easily. Any rate, hope the remedy works ok. Got to go get some mothballs at the Dollar Store and crush them into the mix. The ones I looked at last at the Dollar Store mentioned they didn't have the pungent odor as was once commonplace. The snake in the picture may have been enlarged with the lense a bit or even photo shopped, but I have indeed seen some big ones in my part of Texas. Just not as big as this one though. It was supposedly caught in Brownsville, Tx, and weighed in at 97 lbs., but i have no idea of the validity of the picture or information about it. If I came upon one of these fellows, me, I'd die of a heart attack well before such a snake bit me. I'd have also filled my britches a bit, as well. Apparently, the cost of getting the rattlesnake vaccine is much cheaper than paying the vet to care for the animal, once bitten. Sticker shock on the care after being bitten is said to be pretty steep. Posted on 06/20/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Poser (1) Contact I was burning some yard waste saturday and when I pulled a dry old branch out of the edge of the yard by the woods there was a copper head, anyway he curled around the branch so I shook him off in a 5 gallon bucket and covered him up. I have 5 children all under 10 and two dogs on runners right by where I found him. after reading everything here and talking to snakes r us I've decided to take him to work with me tomorrow and turn him loose in the bosses office! *I'm kidding I'll let him go in the woods at lunch while I'm out 4 wheeling. If it wasnt for the kids the dogs and the cats spending so much time outside I'd just toss him back in the woods behind the house. Anyway no reason to kill him he's caught I'll just help him find a home in another neck of the woods! ;) Posted on 05/18/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By susanth65 (1) Contact We moved in to the country in a very rocky mountainous region. there were snakes and mice all around plus some nasty spiders and scorpions. we immediately put lime around the house after spraying with bug spray then placed moth balls throughout the yard and along the edge of the house. we went a whole year with no snakes or other unwanted guests. our neighbor is and has terrible time with mice and scorpions in their home and have even hired professionals, and they are VERY clean people as are we. so i am a huge fan of a combination of lime powder and moth balls. we have seen it work year after year we apply it 2 times a year in the spring and again in the fall. even my neighbor has decided to lime around their home as well. I understand we need all these living for the environment but they have plenty of wooded areas i do not want them in my home or yard. oh we did not crush the moth balls just spread them through the yard and all around the base of the foundation, now we did place them thick and heavy around the base of the house. and it does smell pretty pungent for about three days then it subsides but we feel well worth the odor to stay critter free. Posted on 05/15/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By (Guest Post) Should you crush the moth balls before putting them in your yard? Posted on 12/29/2008 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Meems (Guest Post) I live in the mountains of KY near the Daniel Boone forest preserve. I have all kinds of snakes in my area. I am not afraid of snakes however, I am not stupid! I overcame my fear (this is not for everyone) by asking for and receiving a red tailed Boa as a gift! I was bound and determined to overcome my terror. Feather (Boa) was a very gentle animal. I learned and so did my children. Country type deterrents? Moth balls are good and work, but outside only. To keep dogs and cats away from moth balls and safe, I use a 'hot' cream that some use for arthritis... dribble 'hot' stuff near the moth balls. Children should be kept away from both items. Hope this helps.The ruler is 48" long. This is a harmless Cow snake. Was found curled up in my bedroom door way. Dogs must have brought it in. What a way to start the day! lolol emom 101 @ prtcnet. org Posted on 10/02/2008 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By snake hater (Guest Post) We saw a snake in our house and it ate my hamster. So, we put mothballs out and then we went to the local pharmacy and got cinnamon capsules. We threw them up by the house and haven't seen a snake less than about 100 yards from the house since. Posted on 08/07/2008 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Allison (Guest Post) I live in Florida and there are numerous snakes that I have gotten used to. However, I have found three pigmy rattlesnakes in my yard in under a year. One was under my mailbox. The last one was on my screen porch this morning. I have two small dogs and 3 boys. I was looking for a quick fix and have no idea if it will work. I mixed pepper of all kinds, garlic, onion powder, and numerous other spices together and sprinkled all over my yard. Until I can get to the store, I am trying that for a start. I am looking at all the ideas here and taking them with me to the store. Thanks so much! Posted on 07/31/2008 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By KAYE (Guest Post) My brother puts hemp rope around his yard. He lives in an area that has rattlesnakes and he has kids and animals. He put the rope around the bottom of the fence and has yet to have a problem. Posted on 05/27/2008 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Jean Marchant (Guest Post) I just found a 12-15 inch Garter snakes in my yard. It had three black lines down it's back and yellow in color. WHat can I do to get rid of these Posted on 05/19/2008 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Florida Girl (Guest Post) We have Goats and ever since we got them we have not had any snake problems. When we first moved to our property we saw several rattlesnakes and believe me they are dead.My Husband told me that we should not have to many problems anymore since we have goats and a pig. What is it that keeps the snakes away?maryann op @ Bell south . net Remove the spaces in email to respond. Posted on 03/09/2008 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Saffer (Guest Post) Undoubtedly, the best way to eradicate snakes from your property is by using meerkats. Works like a dream. You just need enough snakes so you can keep them going. Or feed them eggs, insects, lizards, spiders etc. Posted on 01/08/2008 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Libby (Guest Post) Well we had a snake bite our dog. He has two puncture wounds on his ankle and now we're having to treat him w/ antibiotics and special ointments. I don't want snakes in my yard, as I fear they will kill my pets. In addition, the puncture wounds appear large, as if it might be a big snake. Posted on 01/03/2008 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By SnakesAreUs.com (Guest Post) The following information was taken from SnakesAreUs.com which is based in Georgia. I hope this helps everyone. Visit the website for much more information. A Snake Free Yard ---> Are you living with snakes? Almost everyone has snakes on their property and for some reason does not want them there. Southeastern Reptile Rescue understands that not everyone is like us and does not appreciate a black rat snake sharing the garage. Because of this, we are here to give you information on how to snake proof your home without killing the snakes. You must first understand that we at Southeastern Reptile Rescue do not believe in evolution. We believe in Almighty God who created all life and has a purpose and plan for everything. We are not trying to get everyone to love snakes as we do. We know that is impossible. We do however wish to give people understanding and discount the many myths surrounding snakes and show that some snakes are not bad to have around. Snakes do a wonderful job of keeping the rodent population in check. And, there are some of God's other creatures that keep the reptiles population in check. Man already does enough damage to the environment through polution and habitat destruction. Let's not make it worse by destroying the creatures that we built our houses on top of. REMEMBER - They were here first! Sotheastern Reptile Rescue also offers Snake Removal Services. We are Licensed by the state of Georgia for Snake Removal. For more information go to our website at www.snakesareus.com Guide to a Snake Free Yard Basic things you can do to lessen snake encounters on your property 1. Clean, clean and clean some more. A snake will always look for a place to hide. Snakes are normally not found out in the middle of a clean and open yard, but rather in brush piles, under houses, leaves and other debris. Eliminate areas where snakes may want to hide. 2. A snake on your property is not there because it appreciates the view. Snakes live to eat and eat to live. If there is no food, a snake will soon leave and go to where the food is. 3. Get rid of possible food sources for snakes. Bird feeders attract more than birds. They also attract snakes. The snakes are not there for the seed but rather the birds, squirrels and mice that fallen bird seed attract. Do not leave garbage or any other items lying around for long periods of time that may begin to attract mice and rats. 4. Chemical controls. Southeastern Reptile Rescue does not endorse snake repellant or any other chemicals. We do this not because they are harmful to snakes but because we have never found any that actually work. Diet, body temperature and other biological aspects of snakes complicate the potrential for developing such snake controls. Some retaillers sell snake repellant in their garden sections. If it actually did what it claimed, we would have a link right here for you to buy it from us so we could benefit as well. Jason, of Southeastern Reptile Rescue has personally spoken with the president of a local company who specializes in snake removal and pushes the sale of its $200. plus snake treatment using the snake repellant. Jason was told by this president that he himself does not believe that the repellant actually works and that it is more for the customers peace of mind than anything else. We disagree. We believe it is more for a piece of the customers wallet. If having snake repellant sprinkled around your house allows you to sleep better at night, then buy it. But, we will not sell it to you. After all, people's fear of snakes is psychologically based, I guess the cure should be also. Various home remedies have been sggested for repelling snakes and several have been tested to determine if they repel black rat snakes. Treatments included moth balls, sulfur, gourd vines, a tacky bird repellant, lime, cayenne pepper spray, sisal rope, coal tar, creseote, artificial skunk scent and musk from a king snake (king snakes eat other snakes). None of these remedies prevented the snakes from crossing them. So what does all this mean? - We cannot totaly prevent snakes from entering our property but we can lessen the chance of them choosing to stay. Instead of living in fear, we must learn to co-exist with snakes instead of always trying to kill them. Posted on 10/15/2007 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Ray (Guest Post) Snakes are terrifying and anything to get rid of them is fine by me. Moth balls work the best if you don't want to squash them with a shovel! I have caught one in a sticky mouse trap...believe it or not. They are just creepy and should one day become extinct! Posted on 08/27/2007 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Tasha (Guest Post) I live in Delaware and I just saw a snake in my yard yesterday. I was so scared and I got a neighbor to kill it. The snake was a silver color and I an curious to know what type of snake it was. I went and got some moth balls and I need to be reassured that it will work! What a scary thing! Posted on 08/14/2007 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By V (Guest Post) I have a beautiful Garden and can't enjoy it because of snakes also. I am petrified at the sight of one, Even though all I have seen so far is what they told me is garden snakes, my mind can't seem to grasp the idea that they are harmless, So I have also tried the moth balls and is waiting to see some results If I don't I guess its back to the city for me. Posted on 07/14/2007 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Julia (Guest Post) Some species of snakes, are venomous (or "poisonous," as many people say) and must be removed when they get too close to humans or domestic animals. the Copperhead, the Canebrake (or Timber) Rattlesnake, the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, the Pygmy Rattlesnake, the Water Moccasin (or "Cottonmouth"), and the Eastern Coral Snake. We called a professional to remove a copperhead that was living in a shed. For anyone trying to remove a venomous snake it's a good idea to get a professional instead of a bite. Posted on 07/07/2007 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Carlie (Guest Post) I use moth balls to keep the snakes out of my yard they hate it immediately they react to it.Put it out and get out of the way because if they are there they will start getting out of the way quick.It's expensive to keep putting it out because if it rains you have to reapply.I'm not sure how it reacts in a vegetable garden may be toxic to vegetables not good to animals as well. I apply this with rubber gloves. leave an exit for snakes to get out because if you totally surround an area all you will be doing is locking them in your yard. Posted on 06/18/2007 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By sandyhatessnakes (1) Contact To all you snake lovers who advise to keep them in your garden because they are good....etc, etc. Snakes are sneaky, frightful, creepy, slimy and prevent humans from enjoying their garden. Cats eat rodents, therefore snakes are not needed or appreciated. I heard that a line of lime around the perimeter works. Posted on 05/24/2007 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Lisa (Guest Post) How can I keep rat snakes away from my house? I live near a state park. Posted on 04/29/2007 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Rox (Guest Post) Will Mothballs or sulfur hurt the yard animals or the horses? I really need to keep the snakes out of my garden. Editor's Note: Mothballs are toxic. They can cause harm to animals livers. Sulfur can also be poisonous in large amounts. Posted on 03/28/2007 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Debbie (Guest Post) We have seen several sized copperhead snakes in our back yard. Does anyone know what we can put out that is not harmful to our dogs? Posted on 09/19/2006 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Amy (Guest Post) I had a huge rattle snake in my garage. I sprinkled chlorine tablets, crushed, all over. I heard it like a chemical burn for snakes, I haven't seen the snake since! Posted on 07/21/2006 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By sylviecyn (19) Contact If they're gartner (often called "garden snakes") you should keep them. They are beneficial pest removers. Cats tend to like them for a snack and that can keep the population down. Other snakes, while scary to some of us also keep down the rodent popuulation. If they are poisonous snakes, you can call your local humane society or ASPCA. I think they'll help you out by removing the poisonous snakes for you and releasing them into more remote, wilderness areas. Posted on 04/07/2006 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Linda (Guest Post) I just read on another site that sulfur alone does not repel snakes. Yes I have a snake problem too on the farm where the hay is kept. Can anyone disprove this and if sulfur alone does work, is it harmful to horses, goats and large dogs if some gets on the hay or washes on the hay from the rain? Posted on 04/06/2006 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Snakeluver (Guest Post) Hey give the snakes a break! They actually help u believe it or not. They get rid of the rodents in ur garden which actually eat your plants. Posted on 11/25/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By cindy (Guest Post) my cousin had a bed of cotton mouths in the pine straw around her bushes. how do we get them out of there. two have already come at her. a baby and a very large one. the large one is dead . the small one got a way Posted on 09/17/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse Copperheads By Tara (Guest Post) I have an 11 month old and a 4 year old dog and just discovered a copperhead outside our front door last night. We think, due to the excessive rain we have had, that the snakes are coming up to higher ground and that is why one showed up in our yard. I was told to try moth balls as well, but am concerned for the curiousity of my child and pet. Is it safer to try to kill the snake, which may take a while to find, or to try the moth ball route? Thanks for the help ! Posted on 07/20/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Judy (Guest Post) My husband used a shovel on the cotton mouth in his closet. He tried to be nice, but it wouldn't give up. We patched the old mouse hole it came though... Posted on 09/23/2004 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By ThriftyFun (3033) Profile Blog! Contact Here's a link to an article we just posted... http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf520522.tip.html Posted on 08/20/2004 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Jeff (Guest Post) I live in South Florida and after a Coral snake bit my Boston Terrier in the mouth and killed him. I was told to use moth Balls. I know moth balls work to keep cats off your (just washed car) but since I tried the moth balls it seems to work. But the sulfur also sounds good and I am going to try that one. Posted on 08/20/2004 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By (Guest Post) if you live where you can have barnyard animals. I have heard that guinea fowl will kill snakes. Give it a try. Posted on 07/03/2004 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By patti7701 (1) Contact Hi! I live in Florida near a swamp and have tried a very old remedy that works well for keeping snakes away, moth balls. Snakes hate it! Sprinkle around the perimeter of your yard or the area you want to keep snake free. Keep out of reach from pets and children Posted on 07/03/2004 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Jill (Guest Post) We live on a farm and have several outdoor cats! They eat a lot of snakes. You might consider getting rid of the old fireplace too if thats an option. Hope this helps! Posted on 07/02/2004 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Linda (Guest Post) As long as the snakes are not poisonous, they are helpful critters. They eat rodents and also king snakes eat baby rattlers. When I found a king snake I named him Elvis! Posted on 07/02/2004 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Keeping Snakes out of my Garden By Dee (Guest Post) Sulfur from a garden center will keep snakes away. However, if they are garter snakes they are probably benefiting the garden area..less bugs, rodents etc. they do not stay where there is no food, so consider that before you get rid of them, you may end up with a bigger problem with mice etc...... if they are poisonous..then by all means, use powdered sulfur. as for killing them...I have no idea, but I did see my father use a cast iron skillet once LOL it worked too! Posted on 07/02/2004 | Report Spam or Abuse

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