Snake Deterrents ?

Anyone got a good one - sandy sandy soil - so the echo thing is not as good.

The best thing to do is come to peace with the fact that we live in Australia and have to share it with snakes. All of the sprays and deterrents are junk sold to people as comfort devices.

If you are serious about keeping snakes out, put fine mesh galvanised wire all the way around your property, dig it into the ground and hope there aren't any trapped in. If there are, call the snake catcher and relocate them out. If you don't want to do that, get rid of your chooks and any ponds they can use as a water source, move your woodpile away from the house and out into an open area where you can have a good look before you move any wood.

We lived in the shed while we built our house and had a resident Dugite over winter. You would hear it moving in the walls catching mice. Occasionally it would hang out into the toilet area. The fact is snakes are secretive and will sneak away if you don't spot them and harass them. Our kids during snake months aren't allowed into the bush, they have to stick to the driveways, garden areas and wear shoes. We teach them how to react to a snake and back away slowly. The pets are a worry, but there is only so much you can do.

We have to accept snakes belong as much as we do. When you look at the snake death statistics, you are still more likely to die from a car crash, bee sting or peanut allergy than a snake. I'm not a hippy snake lover, they give me the creeps too. But the threat seems to get blown out of proportion.

Yes - I agree snakes are part of the landscape - I just don't want them dropping in for a spot of lunch - inside ...

I don't want to kill them - just deter.

Agree on pets - how do you tell an old dog not to investigate a slithering reptile that enters his land ?

Kids - yes - education.

One of the many stories I always went by - and it seemed to work where I grew up - was that if you have lizards/goannas/monitors you may not have snakes - ie they eat them. We always fed and encouraged the lizards around us. I never saw a snake - yet know the people about us always spoke of them. We had a colony of lizards that lived in our back yard.

Was happy to see a large monitor (like on Fraser Island) having a sleep on a neighbour's rocks the other day.

Question - why do we like lizards and not snakes ? Not just the poison bit - it happens with many animals - we like some - dislike others - often when logic suggests it should be the other way around.

But encourage the lizards - a bit of food - when you see them - don't just leave it about for anyone/thing. Not sure if this is like the termite thing - I always believed if you saw black ants you rarely had termites. Black ants eat termites it appears. But - termites aren't in the open too long - they build their tunnels which are virtually impenetrable.

I thought the deterrent spray was a good answer. BE - the Kookas also - they love baby snakes - so look after them. But keep your property clean and tidy and do regular checks.

These blokes can give a nasty bite - but common sense should always prevail. You may feed them - BUT - they are not pets !!!

I like seeing a few lizards about.

Useful - but he did a few things that seemed to contradict the rules of the gadget.

1. He forced the thing into the ground using the delicate head - maybe hurting the insides - I don't know - but it does say not to do this;
2. He forced it in about 5 - 10 cms - when you are told to put it in to the base of the top (solar) saucer - about 25 cms - on top of the pole;
3. I couldn't hear the noise that we first heard - ie why did it stop ?

Good advice I have overlooked my first aid box.

Agree on first aid box.

No - I wasn't supporting either side - just making the point that the suppliers might. Trying to be fair.

It was a pretty sleepy "tiger" too. I was amazed he just reached in and picked it up like that.