For many homeowners, especially the ones who own a yard or a garden, it is not abnormal to find wild animals trespassing their property. Of course, snakes are probably some of the scariest animals that could sneak into your home. To avoid having these vicious reptiles in your place, we are going to offer you a guideline on how to keep your home snake-free.
What compels snakes to enter your property?
Normally, snakes are reclusive animals and will avoid areas with lots of people. Still, they may choose to invade your home if they find out that your place has;
- Abundant food: Naturally, snakes tend to eat small animals such as mice, rats, frogs, lizards, or birds. So if your home is infested by rodents or if you have small pets like kittens or puppies, snakes might be compelled to come feed at your place.
- Safe space for snakes to inhabit: Snakes love to stay in a dark, cool, quiet, and damp place, and your house could be the perfect place for them to hide and use as shelter. There are many areas in a house that snakes can hide in, such as the undergrowth, in the basement, burrows, holes in the yard, or gaps in the wall.
How to prevent snakes from entering your home
There are several ways to keep the snakes away from your home:
1. Eliminate anything that could attract snakes to your home
This is the most important method to repel snakes from your home. As we have stated before, snakes usually do not like being near humans. Therefore, if you make your place unappealing or uninteresting for snakes, they will not have any reason to come into your home. You can do that by;
- Keeping your house clean and tidy: Make your house clean and don’t have any leftover food or trash lying around. You essentially prevent your place from becoming the breeding grounds for other animals that could be the perfect snack for our reptilian friends.
- Take care of your garden or yard: Always make sure to regularly mow the grass on your property and kill the weeds, as they could become a hiding place.
- Repair or fill any cracks and holes in the walls and foundation of your home: With your house being properly sealed off in all corners, not only snakes would be unable to find a way to slither their way inside, but other animals will also have a hard time as well.
2. Repel snakes by using strong-smelling stuff
Snakes have a very good olfactory sense which makes them dislike things with pungent smells. Here are a few examples of the things that are believed to be effective for keeping snakes away;
- Kerosene – The pungent smell of kerosene has a strong repelling effect on snakes as it prevents any new pesky animal from coming near your home. Just soak a rag in kerosene and place it in the area, preferably outdoors, where you suspect the snakes are hiding or frequently passing by. But before using this method, you must make sure that there are no other fuel sources or objects that could cause sparks or fire hazards nearby. You may also use other types of strong-smelling oil such as engine oil, gasoline, or turpentine instead if you don’t have kerosene at home.
- Sulfur – Powdered sulfur also has a strong smell and can be used as a snake repellent. You can use it by placing powdered sulfur around your home or in the area you don’t want snakes around. You should wear gloves and a mask to protect your hands and nose while doing this. Alternatively, you can mix sulfur and water together and pour it in the hard-to-reach area, such as in the gutters, sewers, or in any cracks and holes you think snakes could be hiding.
- Commercially marketed snake repellents – If you do not want to risk making your own snake repellents, then there are many types of products on sale at supermarkets and online for you to choose from. Some are chemical-based, while others are more natural. Make sure to read the ingredients before your purchase.
3. Have pets that can scare snakes off or eliminate them.
Even though snakes can be deadly, many of them are actually quite timid and usually prefer to avoid confrontation with larger animals. Hence, having a pet that can deal with snakes can be beneficial to keep your home snake-free. These pets include; large dogs, cats, pigs, turkeys, and geese. That said, your pets would be at risk even if they were able to kill the snakes or scare them away. Especially if the snakes were to be venomous. So you should be prepared to bring your pets to the veterinarian if they get bitten.
In the end, the best way to prevent snakes from invading your home is to make your home clean, secure, and free of pests.
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