What is the best way to keep snakes (rattle snakes) away other than moth balls?
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When I lived in Arizona people would have these big lifesized plastic owls mounted on their homes and fence posts, when I asked them about it they told me that they deter snakes. I don't know if it really works though! I lived on a ranch and had cattle that went through our property and we never saw rattlers, some said it was because the constant pounding and vibrations put into the ground by the cattle moving frightened the snakes away. I'd be interested to read some of the other answers too, because I do know that moth balls do not work with rattlers.
http://www.snakestop.com/ Although most remedies do not have good track records...there are many ways to minimize the attraction to snakes to your home.
Get rid of clutter, wood piles close to the home...anywhere they can find refuge to hide. Make sure you do not have a lot of mice, that is a perfect reason for them to come closer to your home, they smell them.
Most snakes are not aggressive and would sooner be elsewhere rather than around screaming humans. However, there are some snakes that are aggressive, but only if you scare them or try to handle them.
When you see a snake in your garden, be greatful because it is eating lots of the insects that are eating your plants, or possibly the small rodents that like your produce. If you really want to keep snakes away from your home, it's easy. Keep the grass cut short, don't leave and piles of trimmings etc around, don't pile firewood near the house and if you have a small shed don't keep anything in it that will draw mice or other small rodents. All snakes are predators and are usually hunting for food, are resting out of the heat under something or trying to warm up on something that the sun has warmed up, like a rock.
A good humane trap for a snake you want to relocate is...
Sometimes you might want to catch and remove a snake from a building. This is done by making a trap from a piece of PVC pipe 2" in diameter by 24" long, a nylon stocking that doesn't have large runs in it, some duct tape and a mouse nest. You can sometimes find a usable mouse nest under something laying outside, like boards metal roofing etc. When you have everything, wearing rubber gloves, Put the mouse nest into one end of the pipe. Rap the top band of the nylon around the other end of the pipe and securely tape it in place. With the nylon securely taped in place, slide the stocking up over the pipe until just the toe is not on the pipe. With a long rod or dial push the nest into the stocking toe. Take hold of the nest and pull the stocking off the pipe so that it hangs free. Locate a ledge that you can lay the pipe on while the stocking hangs straight down. Drag the toe of the stocking along the ledge to leave a trail that smells of mice. Place the pipe properly with the trail leading to the open end and make sure you put something heavy over the pipe to hold the snakes weight once it is in the stocking. While hunting the snake should locate the trail and follow it to the pipe. Thinking the mouse is in there the snake will follow and drop into the stocking. The snake cannot crawl up the nylon, its too slippery for his scales to grip. Never kill a black snake they are very beneficial. You can release the snake by laying the pipe and nylon on the ground so the snake can crawl out. Hope it helps!
shotgun.
Call your conservation dept. and ask them; I doubt if moth balls will work since I heard snakes do not smell things, but go by heat sensors in their head or brain, whatever it is snakes have.
CATS
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