Get Rid of Snakes

Snakes are common in many parts of the world, and if you have a big yard that's home to a variety of plants and insects, chances are you encounter them from time to time. The presence of snakes indicates an ecosystem is healthy, but having them in your yard can be unsettling and even dangerous. Learn how to remove snakes from your home or yard and prevent them from returning.

Steps

Removing Snakes Indoors

1. Call animal control* or hire a wildlife trapper if you fear the snake may be venomous. Snakes with venomous bites, even baby snakes, should be handled by professionals. Try to determine whether the snake you want to remove may be dangerous. (See How to Identify a Venomous Snake for a list of the most common dangerous snakes.) If you aren't sure what kind of snake it is, err on the safe side and call animal control.
   • Try to enclose the snake in one room. If you see it in the laundry room, for example, shut the door and wedge a towel underneath it to prevent the snake from escaping.
   • Keep children and pets away from the area until animal control has come to capture the snake.
   • If you're uncomfortable handling the snake, even if you don't believe it to be venomous, there's no reason you should deal with it yourself. Call animal control to trap it and take it away.
2. Remove a nonvenomous snake from your home yourself. The vast majority of snakes encountered by people in their homes and yards are nonvenomous. They rarely bite, and if they do, the bite won't inject poison into your body. If you feel comfortable taking care of the snake on your own, try this common removal method:
   • Use a broom to corral the snake onto a plastic sheet, a piece of plywood or another flat surface.
   • Place a trashcan or other bin over the snake.
   • Slide your hand under the surface the snake is sitting on and place your other hand on the base of the trashcan.
   • Flip the can so that the snake lands inside, and cover it with a lid.
   • Take the snake to the woods or another area away from your house.
3. Let the snake outside. If you find a snake in your garage or in a room leading to the outside, shut the inside doors and crack the door leading outside so the snake can crawl out.
4. Catch the snake with a glue trap. If you suspect there may be a snake in your attic, garage, basement or elsewhere in your house, lay out glue traps along the walls in these areas. Snakes crawl over the traps and get stuck.
   • Many areas have deemed glue traps inhumane, as animals can seriously hurt themselves or suffocate trying to escape.
   • Check the traps every day to see if you've caught a snake. If you wait too long, the snake will die of starvation and begin to smell.
   • When you catch a snake, place the trap in a bucket and take it outside or to an area where you'd like to release it. Pour vegetable oil over the snake to loosen it from the trap and allow it to crawl away.

Removing Snakes Outdoors

1. Use an impermanent removal method. If you see a nonvenomous snake hanging out near your house and you'd like it to go somewhere else, sometimes all it needs is a little nudge to be on its way. Garter snakes and other snakes that you know not to be dangerous are fine candidates for this removal method.
   • Spray it with water. Use a garden hose to lightly spray the snake until it moves away from your house to the back of your yard.
   • Use a pool skimmer. Small nonvenomous snakes can be plucked from the patio or grass with a pool skimmer. Try not to grip them too tightly, so you don't damage their ribs. Take them to the back of your yard or to a nearby wooded area and set them free.
2. Set snake traps. Outdoor snake traps are usually plastic boxes baited with a substance that lures snakes inside. The shape of the box prevents them from getting out. Set them around your property in areas where you've seen snakes spending time. When you trap a snake, drive it to a wooded area and set it free.

Preventing Re-Infestation

1. Trim back vegetation. Snakes like to spend time in tall grass and bushes, so trimming these areas regularly will make your yard seem less enticing. Take these measures to make sure your yard isn't full of potential snake dens:
   • Mow your lawn regularly. Tall grass and weeds is the perfect hiding place for snakes. They can move around freely without the risk of a predator, such as an owl or a hawk, noticing them.
   • Store lumber and woodpiles at least {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} off the ground, and keep compost and mulch piles away from your house.
   • Consider removing bushes and other tall vegetation that seems to be a regular habitat for snakes.
2. Remove snakes' food sources. Snakes eat mice, crickets and other insects. If you take measures to keep the populations of these other creatures low, snakes will look elsewhere for food.
   • Keep your yard free of birdseed, berries and nuts that have fallen from trees, and stray bits of waste from the compost pile. These are all food sources for mice and insects.
   • Consider going further to remove mice and insects from your property by setting traps or using other removal methods. See How to Get Rid of Mice and How to Get Rid of Crickets for more ideas.
3. Seal your house. Prevent snakes from entering your home by checking its foundation for cracks and holes. Make sure the doors and windows are sealed, too. Place screens on your chimney, vents, and other places where snakes might be able to get in.
4. Try snake repellant. There are many snake repellents on the market, in addition to home remedies people employ to repel snakes, but snake removal experts seem to agree that none of them work. If you'd like to try a snake repellant, consider the following options:
   • A solution made from fox urine. Snake repellant made from the urine of a fox, its predator, can be sprayed around your property to deter snakes from spending time there.
   • Rags soaked in ammonia. This repellant is said to deter many types of animals. Place ammonia-soaked rags in areas where you've seen snakes spending time.
   • Human hair. Try sprinkling it around your garden or in other areas where you don't want to see snakes.

Tips

• If you find a nonvenomous snake in your yard, consider letting it be. Most snakes are harmless, and they contribute to your yard's environment by controlling other pest populations, such as crickets and rodents. Many gardeners are happy to have a snake or two patrolling the premises and protecting flowers and vegetables from other creatures.

Warnings

• Never handle a snake unless you are sure it is not dangerous.
• If you are bitten by a venomous snake, make sure someone knows what snake it is. This will greatly help your treatment as you can be given the correct antivenom for the bite. This does not always matter in Britain as the adder is the only venomous snake in Britain.
• Non-venomous snake bites will bleed far more than venomous snake bites because their saliva contains a substance which stops their blood from clotting and they often bite multiple times.
• Be aware in many counties, animal control only handles domestic animals and will not assist you with snakes. You may have to hire a wildlife trapper or pest control and pay for snake removal in these cases.
• Do NOT leave any animal in a glue trap. Check them frequently to make sure the animal does not suffer. Many countries have deemed them inhumane. Always use vegetable oil to free them. Animals may get their faces stuck in the glue & suffocate, or tear their skin off trying to escape.

Related Articles

• Rattlesnake Proof a Backyard
• Catch a Garter Snake
• Deal With a Snake in the House
• Avoid Snakes

Sources and Citations

• http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/professional-trapper/howtogetridofsnakes.htm

See also

• Reduce the Number of Venomous Snakes in Your Area (USA)
• Mate Anacondas
• Keep Snakes Away
• Take Care of a Garter Snake
• Choose Your First Pet Snake
• Catch a Garter Snake
• Get a Pet Snake
• Tame Snakes
• Find a Snake
• Hold a Snake

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