Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone know of a good way to repel venomous snakes hibernating in a particular area? I've found some different snake repellents on the web, but I'm not sure how effective they are. Any advice is appreciated.

Gardenocity: http://www.provenrepellents.com/products.php?catID=9

Liquid Fence: http://www.liquidfence.com/snake-repellents.html

I haven't heard of any snake repellent that works very well, or works long term (has to be reapplied monthly or after every rain, etc.) The best way to keep them away is to remove any suitable habitat from your area of concern. Any kind of piles (rock piles, wood piles, debri piles, etc.) is a perfect hiding place for snakes. The don't like wide open areas, so if it is your yard you are refering to, keep grass mowed very short and use a weed-eater on all fences lines and stuff, and also remove any piles or cluttered areas. If you do find a repellent that works well, just keep in mind that it will also keep snakes trapped in the area! The only way I can think of to truely keep them out would be to build a secure privacy fence around the area with absolutely no gaps or holes anywheres AT ALL for them to get through (I assume your in North America, where our venomous snakes are terrestial, and do not climb) but I think such a fence would be impossible to do. If you do find something that works and it's not a response here, please post it so we know about it!
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-David

Check out my pet pics at:
http://www.myspace.com/obx_fisherman

1.0 ball python (Pandora - don't ask)
1.0 argentine boa (Prometheus)
0.1 hogg island boa (Andromeda)
0.0.1 brazilian rainbow boa (Inara)
1.0 kenyan sand boa (Diablo)
1.0 normal corn snake(Cypress)
0.1 amery. corn snake (Morgan LaFay) RIP
0.0.2 baby corns (Romulus and Remus)
- 1 normal, 1 ghost
0.0.1 banded cali. kingsnake (Cain)
1.0 tangerine honduran milksnake (Narcissus)
0.0.1 snow corn snake (Valkyrie)
1.0 amazon tree boa (Pegasus)
1.0 colombian boa (Poseidon)
0.1 albino san diego gopher snake (Athena)
0.0.1 sandfish skink (Slick)
0.0.1 fire skink (Phoenix)
1.0 dog (Luke)

the wife's pets:
1.0 bearded dragon (Leonidas)
1.1 ferrets (Ares, Enyo)
1.2 cats (Galahad, Ripley and Sassy)
0.1 Boxer (Zoe)

NEWEST ADDITIONS:
1.0 adult Dumeril's boa
0.0.1 baby yellow amazon tree boa

The area is a construction site. The snakes have been encountered in areas that are unavoidable.

I've gotten the comment that mothballs work fairly well in repelling snakes. We'll see how that goes.

Yeah, I've heard of mothballs too, but I've heard they work and I've heard they don't work. If you do try them, post back later and lets us know if it worked or not.
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-David

Check out my pet pics at:
http://www.myspace.com/obx_fisherman

1.0 ball python (Pandora - don't ask)
1.0 argentine boa (Prometheus)
0.1 hogg island boa (Andromeda)
0.0.1 brazilian rainbow boa (Inara)
1.0 kenyan sand boa (Diablo)
1.0 normal corn snake(Cypress)
0.1 amery. corn snake (Morgan LaFay) RIP
0.0.2 baby corns (Romulus and Remus)
- 1 normal, 1 ghost
0.0.1 banded cali. kingsnake (Cain)
1.0 tangerine honduran milksnake (Narcissus)
0.0.1 snow corn snake (Valkyrie)
1.0 amazon tree boa (Pegasus)
1.0 colombian boa (Poseidon)
0.1 albino san diego gopher snake (Athena)
0.0.1 sandfish skink (Slick)
0.0.1 fire skink (Phoenix)
1.0 dog (Luke)

the wife's pets:
1.0 bearded dragon (Leonidas)
1.1 ferrets (Ares, Enyo)
1.2 cats (Galahad, Ripley and Sassy)
0.1 Boxer (Zoe)

NEWEST ADDITIONS:
1.0 adult Dumeril's boa
0.0.1 baby yellow amazon tree boa

>>Does anyone know of a good way to repel venomous snakes hibernating in a particular area? I've found some different snake repellents on the web, but I'm not sure how effective they are. Any advice is appreciated.
>>
>>Gardenocity: http://www.provenrepellents.com/products.php?catID=9
>>
>>Liquid Fence: http://www.liquidfence.com/snake-repellents.html

Anything I have ever heard about repellents was that they were not going to work.
The key issue I see is that you seem to be trying to interfere with a den site. Driving many, if not all, snakes away from a den site is going to kill them. Snakes rely on orientating themselves in an area around their den sites and moving them or destroying the den is going to wipe out the snakes.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

Unfortunately, the area the snakes are in is a construction site. The workers HAVE to go under the buildings. It's a matter of employee safety, which takes precedence over the snakes. The alternative to repellents (or removal - which is not as feasible) is killing the snakes. I hope that killing the snakes is not necessary. That is why I am posting on this forum.

Killing the snakes is still NOT necessary, get some hooks(makeshift ones if need be) or get some "snake tongs", and put them into a container to be re-located. That really doesn't take that much effort to do, it's just "easier" to kill them.

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

>>Killing the snakes is still NOT necessary, get some hooks(makeshift ones if need be) or get some "snake tongs", and put them into a container to be re-located. That really doesn't take that much effort to do, it's just "easier" to kill them.

The problem with relocating is that if they move them too far the snakes will wander and die anyway. I am sure Frank Retes (monitor forum) would KNOW, as he has taken part in some of the work. But I also know that someone here from Cornell is doing work on the effect of capture and relocation on Rattlesnakes and more than like half a mile and they wander and if they don't find familiar stuff they whither away and die. That and depending on how you catch them you mess with them (pinning them with hooks) and they don't hunt again. Interfereing with a den I would be would kill them....you just aren't gonna see it happen like you would chopping them up with a shovel.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

Yes, I realize the effects of being captured, then relocated in a different spot might not be optimum, but like I think we BOTH agree,....the "business" end of a shovel isn't what I would call optimum for the snakes either.

He is talking about them being in and around the construction site, not destroying a "den" that the snakes have been using for generations upon generations. Moving any snakes found under some lumber, or in a "footer trench" to a different site that isn't too terribly far away, I seriously doubt is going to lead to their death. I think the snakes stand a much better chance in a nearby area, than they do a 2 x 4 or a shovel. The sad thing is,......they will more than likely see the latter when encountered.

best regards, ~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Agreed, but this quote from his first post made me think this is a den site....what else are snakes doing this time of year???

"Does anyone know of a good way to repel venomous snakes hibernating in a particular area"

Plus, unless you are an experienced snake handler I would recommend hiring someone to move them for you.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

>>>>"Plus, unless you are an experienced snake handler I would recommend hiring someone to move them for you".

This is pretty much why I think they will likely get "whacked" anyway. Why would somebody that knows nothing at all about snakes ever bother with all that. To most people in the general public, a good snake, is a dead snake(unfortunately).

I really don't think the people that may have seen a few here and there, can distinguish a Cottonmouth, or Crotalus, from a harmless water snake, or a ratsnake either. People that are "deathly" afraid of snakes don't usually bother to know anything about them,......which is why they are afraid of them in the first place.

But whatever the case may be here, I think both you, and I don't want the snakes killed or disturbed. And although the poster certainly didn't like my humorous earlier post, I'm glad he at least "thought" about the welfare of the snakes. I just hope they don't get needlessly killed in the long haul.

best regards Sonya,

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"