How to Snake Proof Your Yard? – 10 Steps to Follow for Safety

How to Snake Proof Your Yard

If you don’t take snakes seriously, chances are you are on its “hit list”.

You might not take pain to remove rodents from your yard as you will when spotting a snake. And the reason is obvious. With fear and chances of getting killed by its venom, you cannot take any chance to be in its company.

If you are planning to make your yard snake-free, we recommend you opt for the professional and finest solution that is best for you. Recently, there have been many cases of snake bites and therefore you need to tighten the yard security.

Driving away snakes from your house or our premises should not be a big deal. The reasons are that there are very simple things that you can do and keep in practice for repelling snakes from your yard.

Snakes are like those unwelcoming guests that can show up on your doorstep unannounced at any time of the day.

Poisonous or non-poisonous, their presence alone in your yard/lawn is enough to freeze you from terror and force you to go under house arrest.

A snake will decide to dwell as a permanent resident on your property if the place meets all or some of its requirements.

I am sure no one wants these terror-causing, crawling creatures to form a liking for their territory. There are several steps that you can follow to make your abode as unwelcoming and unattractive for them as humanly possible.

So let’s find out those quality ways that give you direction on how to snake-proof your yard.

Here’s How to Snake Proof Your Yard The Right Way

Yard and the lawn of any house are more likely to face wild invader’s entry, particularly for the shady and cool area that offers enough hiding place as well. We will not go into the discussion about what are venomous snakes and which snakes are non-venomous.

If you are living in a house, especially with kids and pets around you would not welcome any kind of snake, right?

These simple remedies will not only prevent the unwelcoming reptile from stumbling upon your property but also force the existing ones to migrate to more favorable locations.

  • Maintain a Neat Yard

Yards and gardens looking like uninhabited wildlands, covered with tall and unruly grass, shrubs and bushes, are like dreamlands for snakes. The first and foremost thing is to mow your yard and keep the grass short. Also, remove unwanted growths and vegetation, piles of wood, leaves and clippings to take away possible sheltering spots from these slithering creatures.

  • Remove Snake-Friendly Hiding Spots

Snakes are like spies/covert ops agents. They love to lurk in such cracks and corners where you can’t see them. For instance, they prefer to sneak under rocks to hide from the heat and prying eyes. These sneaky places hold more attraction for them because they’re also hideouts for vermin, rodents and frogs upon which snakes happily feed on.

Other snake-friendly accommodations are rock walls and other such structures littered with cracks and holes. Fill in these cavities and other such holes in your yard to eliminate these snake attraction places.

If your lawn is uneven and features holes on the ground it’s about time that you fill them up. Fill the holes with mud or gravel tightly so that it does not offer any hiding space. Also, repair the floors and around areas if they have fissures or lost spots for insects hiding.

  • Discard the Bait

As mentioned above, insects, toads, pests and rodents are gourmet meals for snakes. Regularly treat your property, naturally or through a chemical process, to rid the territory of vermin and rodents that attract snakes and other reptiles towards your yard. The fewer the baits in your land, the lesser will be the likelihood of snakes getting attracted to your property.

Also, make sure that you place mice and rat baits beyond the reach of your pets and children, such as in furrows and off-the-ground places. Moreover, closely monitor the rat traps to destroy the catch as soon as humanly possible.

  • Eliminate Indirect Food Sources

Food scraps tempt rodents and snakes to regularly visit your property, thereby encouraging snakes to dwell there. You can eliminate this indirect siren call for snakes by properly disposing of food scraps in trashcans and waste bins. Tightly seal the lids on your garbage cans, whether they’re inside or outside the house, to discourage rodents. Besides, regularly remove the leftover seeds under your bird feeders to avoid luring mice and rats.

Either feed your pets indoors or clean up the place and dishes the second they finish eating. Keep pet food and bird seeds in plastic and metal containers with tight lids to reduce the temptation for rats and insects.

  • Protecting Birds & Poultry

If you have domestic fowls and birds around the house, make sure you cover chook pens and residents of your aviaries to prevent them from becoming preys. Unprotected birds and poultry are easy preys for snakes. Also, maintaining a clean and tidy pen will deter rodents from visiting your property.

  • Eliminate Excessive Moisture

Avoid overwatering your yard/ garden as excessive moisture attracts amphibians, rodents, birds and insects – a menu that snakes love to eat. Prevent water from pooling and fix leaky taps and water sources for the same reasons.

What you can do is that you can do for keeping your yard safe from snakes is to make sure. If you have water on the ground you need to keep it dry. Staying water on the ground promotes coolness and this sensation invites reptiles and insects to stay there. Therefore, keep your backyard dry and take proper steps for water drainage.

  • Snake Repellents

Snake repellents are a 100% guarantee against snakes and other unwanted visitors. Use snake repellent electronic device or chemical substance around your yard to ward off visits from snakes, other reptiles, rodents and insects. It is a misconception that these techniques are harmful to the environment and pets. Nowadays, companies prefer to manufacture environment and eco-friendly snake-repellers.

There are many types of snake repellents such as spray, granules, and solar snake repellents, followed by many home remedies that work the best. If you want to keep the solution all-natural, you should make sure the yard smells pungent for a snake so that they don’t stay there. Using smells such as cinnamon, garlic, onion, and lavender would prove to be helpful.

Also use the repellent that keeps away rodents including rats, small farm animals, slugs, snails, grasshopper mice, moles, fish, and frogs. The reason is simple, snakes follow rodents and if you keep them away snakes would leave your yard.

  • Install the Snake-Proof Fencing

Seal off your property on snakes by installing a snake-proof fence all around your yard and home. This fencing, usually made of plastic sheets, steel mesh or catch net, forms a Fort Knox around the land to make it impossible for the slithering creature to enter your property.

Fencing the yard with mesh is an ideal solution for making sure of the safety against snakes. You can also use an electric fence for better safety. The mesh will help you keep it 24/7 safe from snakes and rodents and that helps.

  • Keep the pipes secured

Keep the opening closed for making the yard free from snakes you need to keep an eye on the pipes, chimney, and other such parameters. Install them with mesh to make sure they are not in access by a snake.

  • Keep bushes and leave clutter away

Keep your yard well-organized and never a way for the leaves to become a heap of clutter. Trim the bushes and keep a check on their growth from time to time. It’s important not only for keeping snakes away but also plays a part in reducing the chances of reptiles hiding underneath the leaf clutter.

 

Conclusion

So that is how you can keep your yard snake-proof. No matter how hard you try to repel snakes and make your lawn snake-proof, if you don’t know the reason why snakes are following your place, all would be in vain. Carefully find out what invites snakes and where does it go after entering our lawn. Usually, snakes follow rodents and If you don’t have any reptiles, the snake would soon leave your place even if it ends up in the yard.

About the author

Clinton Newman

Clinton Newman is a herpetologist and part-time blogger who loves to study snakes and their behavior. He is always called by neighbors to help them catch or get rid of snakes in their houses. . He's a passionate traveler and does a lot of Hiking and Hunting Adventures. His favorite places are Forests, Deserts, and Mountains. Now, he's guiding other Hikers to hike safely through this blog by reviewing the top best picks gears for safety and also guiding on Snakes and ways to deal with them.