Relocating snakes short distances is ineffective because they will likely find their way back to their home range. If you have one snake in your yard, that means there are others around!
Summary: A new study on the effects of relocating adders due to development has found that males will disperse from their release site -- with one even going so far as to return to his original home.
If you see a snake, please keep your distance, do not try to touch it or try to contain it. Snakes are very common particularly in summer and will regularly be seen around houses and yards. They are usually passing through and will be gone within a few hours.
With the warmer weather on the way, snakes spring into action, moving onto greener pastures where food, mates or a nice warm place to rest will often find them in close contact with humans. It is pretty rare for a snake to stay in the same spot for too long, unless the conditions are perfect.
Leave it alone. Snakes are generally shy and will not attack unless provoked, so it's best to leave them be. If you see a snake inside your home, get all people and pets out of the room immediately. Shut the door and fill the gap underneath with a towel, then call a professional snake catcher for assistance.
When it's cooler, snakes are typically out moving. Just because you see one does not mean there are more. If you see 6+ babies or adults in the same location in a short amount of time, then you have a problem.
"Long-distance translocation is clearly not the answer to the snake-human conflict. We shouldn't be wasting time and money on it," she said. She recommends instead a short-distance relocation to the nearest natural habitat, which may be as close as 20 yards away and probably no farther than 500 yards away.
They are harmless when they aren't infesting your home or hiding away on your property. Most species will leave us alone – but they can be temperamental if approached.
They are most active in early morning and late afternoon, as summer temperatures are often too hot for them to be out in during the hottest times of day. Snake activity will pick back up again in late summer and early fall before they go into hibernation or brumation.
Snakes will go into hiding as early as September or as late as December depending on which part of the country you live in. Depending on where they are, snakes will either hibernate or brumate. Hibernation occurs when snakes enter a deep sleep state, usually in colder snowy climates.
Having some snakes in your yard is a great sign that you have a healthy environment. Snakes are members of the basic food chain to help control unwanted pests and supply food for larger predators like birds. Harmless snakes may even eat venomous snakes, further ensuring a safe yard.
Snakes, even diurnal ones, will generally move around at night. They also tend to move along walls and baseboards. The first place to look, then, is behind the enclosure, all along the floors and inside any bookcases and cabinets in the room, checking in the back of shelves and knickknacks and on top of books.
Keeping in familiar territory may help snakes to find prey and mates, and the homing sense may allow them to return to their territory after exploratory forays, Ms Pittman said.
What scents do snakes dislike? There are many scents snakes don't like including smoke, cinnamon, cloves, onions, garlic, and lime. You can use oils or sprays containing these fragrances or grow plants featuring these scents.
Snakes are most active at night and during early morning and late evening hours, the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension says. One of the most common species of snakes isn't venomous at all.
Use Natural Predators
Snakes have a few natural predators that can help keep them away. Common snake predators include cats, raccoons, pigs, turkeys, guinea hens, and foxes. Keeping any of these animals around your home will help deter snakes from coming near.
Shorter grass also makes snakes easier to spot. Avoid over watering your lawn. Too much landscape water may attract prey species such as worms, slugs and frogs, which in turn may attract snakes seeking a meal. Keep trees and shrubs trimmed and away from your home and garage, and keep branches off the ground.
One short-term option is to relocate snakes only a short distance from your house, perhaps less than 1000 feet (roughly 300 m). This technique moves the snake away from your home but allows the animal to stay within the forest it knows and close enough to its den that it can easily return.
“It is illegal to relocate any species of wildlife in California,” said Brennan. He said doing so is considered abandonment. The reason why is because the animal's chance of survival is very slim. “They usually die within a matter of weeks.”
Do Dogs Keep Snakes Away? Yes, big dogs especially can be a deterrent to snakes. They bark loudly and are much larger than snakes, so they will typically choose to stay away.
Actually, a whole bunch of different animal species kill snakes, including a ton of birds - owls, hawks, falcons, herons, etc. And many, many snake species eat only other snakes. So mostly, birds and other snakes are the most common predators of snakes. But plenty of mammals get in on the action too.
Are Snakes Really Nocturnal Or Diurnal? Many snakes, such as the ones we've listed, are nocturnal and prefer to hunt at night. Others, such as corn snakes, garter snakes, and eastern indigos, are diurnal and hunt during the day.