Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok, so I didn't know where to post this but when doing a search this site cam e up an dyou all seemed to know so much about snakes I thought i would ask here. Sorry but this si kind of long.

ok, so I am from Utah and where I grew up every park i went to used tires as part of the playground equipment and I even had a neighbor who used it in her own yard, we loved it and I thought it was a cool way to landscape.

when I mentioned I wanted to do this I got some negative feedback about it because I guess snakes are attracted by tires, and since I have a very active 3 year old that if i was to do this I would only be askign for trouble.

now I have looked on line and found many great and wonderful ideas on how to use tires in my yard...as planters, as swings and even as a retaining wall...great ideas and once you paint them you can't tell they are tires, but I am afraid that now that I live in Tyler texas (no longer in Utah) that maybe this lady has a point.

so I come to ask, how can I use tires but keep them from becoming home to all the venomous snakes in tyler (does that question make sense?)?

I don't mind garden snakes, and actually would love one or two non-venomous snakes in my yard...I would also love frogs--anythign to naturally keep the bugs and mice away you know

what I don't want is dangerous snakes that will be a threat to my 3 year old boy who is so active he already has found enough ways to get hurt.

any advice would be appreciated...any suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks so much

meagan

Snakes are not attracted to tires specifically. They are attracted to dark hding places. Abandoned tires laying around are common places to find snakes which may lead some people to think there is something specific about tires that attracts them.

A stack of tires in the yard won't "attract" snakes, but ones passing through might decide to stay for the room (and the rodents that will also move in). The same could be said for a stack of landscaping timbers or lots of other things.

Buried tires should not be an issue at all.
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

black tires also get pretty hot which can be a draw for snakes already in the area in mornings and evenings. If you paint them then it may not be an issue there and as Larry said, they won't attract any snakes that aren't already in the vicinity no matter how they are set up.

I run a motocross track, and we use tires a lot.

However my biggest fear would be a poor snake getting run over...

None the less, fill the inside of the tire completely with DIRT, not rocks, not debris or anything with air gaps.

This will not only keep out snakes, but bees and hornets - (a bigger threat to your kid than snakes)

To promote friendly herps, plant some lettuce, and do not dust it, slugs will attack your lettuce, and several species of small harmless ground snakes will hang out in your yard. Garters, Browns and red bellies all like slugs.

Kind regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

our critters

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1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garter Snakes
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - common Garter - Princess
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snakes
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" CB
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
1.2.0. Feline"Felix" "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

We had tires filled with concrete in some of the old playgrounds I used to play in. We also had giant tractor tires that we used as trampolines. ^_^
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Holly

0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Lizzie Borden) (missing )
1.0 Florida Kingsnake (Eddie Gein)
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Charley Manson)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Black Cat (Shadowfax)
1.0 Egyptian Arabian (Bagan) (Deceased )
1.0 Tennessee Walking Horse (Durango)

2.0 Toddlers (Justice & Trevor)

I agree with all of the above, and your concern is legitimate. Another thing to keep in mind is that you should keep your yard well mowed (I'm not implying that you wouldn't). Short grass allows you to see snakes more easily, keeps away rodents (which would draw snakes to your yard) and makes snakes less likely to cruise your yard because they don't feel secure being out in the open.
There are also various products on the market (dusts, mothballs, etc.) that are supposed to repel snakes, but I don't have any information about their effectiveness.
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1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Girlfriend, Caucasius Mexicana, Fiancee Phase