6 Tips to Keep Snakes Out of Your Yard and House
These are the best tips for keeping snakes out of your yard and out of your house. If you already have snakes in your home we recommended you call a professional.
1. Remove Food Supplies
All snakes are predators, meaning they hunt and eat other animals. If you eliminate their food source, you will have taken a huge first step and making your home and yard much less desirable. Removing a snake’s food source is the single most significant change you can make to keep snakes away!
2. Remove All Hiding Spots
If you have debris lying around, clean it up. Snakes use boards, tin sheets, yard debris as a hiding place. If you have a close-to-the-ground deck, use a metal screen to prevent snakes from using this as a large hideout.
3. Seal Any Holes Into Your Home or Crawl Space
Seal these holes with wire mesh or great stuff foam. Snakes use the same tiny holes rodents use to access your home and crawl space. If they can access your crawl space, they can likely access your home.
4. Change Your Landscape
If you have overgrown areas are unmaintained ponds, these are often the perfect habitat for snakes and their prey. Ponds may need special attention to ensure they are not excellent snake habitat.
5. Encourage Natural Predators
Encourage variety and biodiversity in your backyard if possible, and the situation will likely correct itself. Blue Jays and crows will not tolerate snakes near them, or they are young. They will often attack snakes. Feeding birds, however, can attract rodents which can create more problems. If you have local hawks, consider yourself lucky! They are big snake hunters!
6. Domestic Predators
Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, Pigs, and Guineas will all make quick work of snakes. The chickens, ducks, turkeys, and guineas also benefit from removing other pests like ticks and slugs.
Please don’t buy or adopt a cat to keep outside to remove snakes. One chicken will do a much better job and not destroy other wildlife. Also, most cats only have a passing interest in playing with the snake. Chickens and other fowl will eat the snakes.