About Joseph Glenn Expertise I can answer most questions concerning snakes of the Southeastern United States. My largest area of interest and expertise is in the morphology(form and physical structure), behavior, home range, and life cycles of species native to the Carolinas. I can also provide some information about what to do when you encounter a snake on your property. I do not, however, know much about husbandry or veterinary care, but I am always willing to help you find the answers you need.
Experience I am a biology student, naturalist, and an amateur herpetologist who has made many field observations of the snakes of the Carolinas. I conduct my own "snake hunts" every spring and summer in order to learn as much as possible about native species, as well as to challenge my own abilities to locate and identify the animals I love the most. I have read many books, journals, and articles about snakes and feel that this has given me a fairly broad knowledge of the world of snakes. I have also volunteered in the Herpetology Lab at the Natural Science Center of Greensboro, North Carolina, working as a hands-on reptile educator and gaining even more knowledge every time I worked.
Organizations North Carolina Herpetological Society
American Society of Icthyologists and Herpetologists
I live in an area of trees/water and rock and a good home for any snake. We have lots of birds/chipmonks etc that makes it very attractive. We have rat snakes up to about 6-7 feet - also black with yellow stripe (smaller) and also larger snake approx 5 feet and what appears to be diamonds. These snakes are everywhere and see to be so comfortable with the site which can cause a few problems with us. We do not want to hurt them but would prefer the keep a bit of a distance- (they are on deck and climbing up the sides of the house) We see them daily but getting nervous gardening etc -- is there anything non toxic I can put around house to keep them off the immediate house - someone mentioned salt? Have you heard about it? Thank you for your help Diane
Answer Diane,
Hello. Sorry for the late responce. This is a very busy time of year! Unfortunately, there is no definite way of keeping snakes off of your property without also keeping the more desirable critters off of it, too. I have never heard of using salt to keep snakes away, but I am guessing that this is one of those older home remedies without much truth to it. The best advice I can give you is to do the following things:
1) Eliminate debris such as wood and rock piles on the property. If you live in a heavily wooded area this could be difficult, but make the best attempt you can to keep these type of things away from your home and garden.
2) Cut down heavy brush or trim back the hedges close to your house.
3) Seal all of the small gaps under your doors, under porches and decks, etc. Often snakes will seek out these places to escape from the mid day sun.
4) You can use funnel type traps or glue traps to capture snakes for later removal. Glue traps are just a piece of cardboard coated with a non toxic glue onto which snakes get stuck when crawling over. You might want to check local and state wildlife laws about their use, as they vary from place to place. If they are legal, you should probably let a certified wildlife removal specialist handle this.
5) Keep your garage door closed when not in use to keep snakes from entering your home that way.
6) An extreme remedy would be to perimeter wide fence around your property at a thirty degree outward angle. This will insure that anything from the outside will not make it in.
These things, or a combination of some of them, should help keep some of the snakes away. Some of the things you should avoid are as follows:
1) Killing, manipulating, or handling a snake in any way. Not only is this possibly dangerous for the snake, but also dangerous for you!
2) Using harmful chemicals such as gasoline, kerosine, bleach, or anything else that will damage other forms of wildlife.
3) Using ultrasonic sound emmitters. This is not harmful, but it is rather useless, as snakes cannot hear most sound frequencies.
4) Using scents of things like kingsnakes and other predators. There is no evidence that this works.
5) Placing a decoy owl or other bird of prey on your house. Snakes don't really notice these things, as most of their fear of predators comes from seeing movement.
I hope that this gives you a better idea of what to do about your problem. One other thing you can do is to learn as much about snakes as you can. Not only will you be able to tell the difference between dangerous ones and nondangerous ones, but you will probably begin to feel a little less afraid to go out of your house when you know exactly what you are dealing with! If you have anymore questions or concerns, please let me know and I will do my best to find an answer for you.
