How To Attract Snakes To Your Property

Okay, this may sound a bit crazy, but a few of you out there may be wondering how to make your property friendly to snakes and to perhaps even attract a few snakes.

Well, whether you live on giant acreage or have a postage stamp-sized backyard, there are a few things you can do to attract the misunderstood reptiles.

Make sure your yard has foliage – snakes enjoy shrubbery, plants and trees. For them, it’s not only a mini-jungle setting but it gives them a sense of protection. The foliage also gives them a place to climb to sun themselves and a place to hunt for frogs, toads and lizards, even rats and mice.

Koi pond possible? – If you have a very small piece of property, you may want to consider a koi pond, the type of manmade pond where people have goldfish swimming around. This type of pond also attracts frogs, toads and lizards – all food to many snakes. And, of course, many snakes will use the tiny pond for drinking water or to cool off. By the way, simply placing a tub of water on the property does no good. In fact, it likely will become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and make life worse for you.

Pieces of tin or wood – Snakes absolutely love to hang out under flat objects that retain heat at night. That’s why a nice 4-foot-by-4-foot piece of plywood or tin on the ground is perfect. Try to place the wood or tin next to shrubbery or near a koi pond. Keep the wood or tin in the sunlight. Don’t try to place it under shrubbery. Remember, snakes want it for its heat. By the way, if you have a few pieces of uneven tin, you can stack the tin and increase your chances of finding a snake.

Live near a lake, pond or river? – If you live near a big body of water, then you already know you have an increased chance of finding a snake. The best way to find one is to lay your tin or wood on the ground about 2-3 feet from the water’s edge. Snakes tend to follow the water line, and if they come across a nice warm piece of flat material, they will use that as a home.

Once you have your yard set up with your flat pieces of wood or tin in strategic places, you must let the flat items lay there undisturbed for a few months. The grass underneath needs to die and the worms need to do the rest. After a few months, you may go around your property once every 10 days and lift up your flat pieces. Be ready with your camera. Some snakes will simply lie there while others will dart away.

The best time to check is in the morning when the snakes are still cold and have trouble moving fast. (Take a look at my video on this page of me looking for snakes on my property.)

Do not check under the wood or tin any more than once every 10 days or so. If you check more often than that, the flat piece does not have time to “seal” and the snakes stay away. Also, anytime you lift your flat pieces, you leave some of your scent. That’s why you need to wait at least 10 days between “liftings.”

Good luck and be safe.