Preventing Rattlesnakes in Your Yard

by Linnea on 03/25/13

Rattlesnakes will start rearing their heads in the next few weeks and many of us know, if your pet gets bit by one, expect a roughly $2,000 vet bill in case it happens.  The best thing you can do is try to prevent rattlesnakes all together...

All our dogs have gone through rattlesnake training, but it's not a 100% guarantee so I've attempted to make a snake-proof yard - there's really no way to make a yard completely snake proof.. if a snake wants to get in, they'll get in but at least you can discourage them in every way possible!

First, reduce anything that will attract snakes.. like mice.  Bird feeders that spill bird feed on the ground inevitably attract mice, so be aware of where you put your birdseed feeders.  We adopted a feral cat from a trap/release program and once she adjusts to her new surroundings, we've 'employed' her to catch the field mice in our area (we live on 4+ acres). So take away a rattlesnakes food source, and hopefully they will move on!

Second, be mindful of your landscaping.. during the hotter mid-day hours, rattlesnakes have to retreat to shady areas to cool themselves back down.  They look for low-lying shrubs or other shady areas where they can coil up.

Third, close off any openings into your yard (like the giant crack under the gate).  We have a small dog-yard where the dogs can go to sun themselves and use the bathroom.. this is the yard that we have 'snake-proofed'.  We purchased 25 feet of 19 gauge hardware cloth from Home Depot and zip-tied it to our areas of chain link fence.  The 19 gauge is small enough to not allow adult snakes in.  To guarantee that even the smallest baby snakes can't get through, you will want a higher gauge (smaller openings) around 25 gauge or so. 

For any cracks under gates, etc you'll need to close off those openings as well.  We purchased pool noodles and slice out a small amount of the noodle to slide it into place.  Now, you're not going to win any pretty yard contests, but at least the noodles can be removed at the end of snake season and replaced next spring.

Now if you are in town and most likely have the typical 6' concrete block fence.. they are always blocks at the bottom of the fence with drainage holes.. snakes can get through there too!  You can put hardware cloth in the openings too, so water can still pass through but snakes can't!