Please, does anyone know a repellent to keep snakes away that works? Someone told me about something called “ snake away”, or something, but it doesn’t work( I heard).Ive never seen a snake in real life outside anywhere, so naturally I don’t ever want to, especially in our yard. I know about not having wood piles around, high grass, bushes, flower pots.
Also, is there certain things like pine needles, wood chips, cedar, spruce, etc other things that keep them away? I heard different , opposing things on each.
We’re thinking of moving to one of the New England states, probably Maine or Vermont, so it’ll be what’s native to those areas ( trees and such)

There's not much you can do, except what you've stated. Most of those "snake away" products are for use if you got rid of a nest and snakes are still hanging around. You have to apply frequently. Snakes generally don't like people as much as people don't like snakes. After you settle, contact your local County Ag extension or whatever it's called up there. It's free and they know everything about indigenous species in your area. I wouldn't worry too much about snakes. People have been living in New England longer than anywhere else in the country.

A good psychotherapist, The syndrome is called "Ophidiophobia," and it has no rational basis for the obsessive and extreme fear. I've hiked outdoors in Utah for over fifty years and encountered exactly two rattlesnakes, and I was looking for them both times.

Don't bother them; they won't bother you.

Unlike LDS missionaries...

I believe there are only two or three venomous snakes native to Maine or Vermont; the "massasauga" (which is a variety of rattlesnake, endangered in many areas), the Timber rattlesnake, also rare, and probably the copperhead. Fact checking welcome on that one...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/2018 09:31PM by SL Cabbie.

SL Cabbie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A good psychotherapist, The syndrome is called
> "Ophidiophobia," and it has no rational basis for
> the obsessive and extreme fear. I've hiked
> outdoors in Utah for over fifty years and
> encountered exactly two rattlesnakes, and I was
> looking for them both times.
>
> Don't bother them; they won't bother you.
>
> Unlike LDS missionaries...
>
> I believe there are only two or three venomous
> snakes native to Maine or Vermont; the
> "massasauga" (which is a variety of rattlesnake,
> endangered in many areas), the Timber rattlesnake,
> also rare, and probably the copperhead. Fact
> checking welcome on that one...

I grew up in a small New Hampshire town, right on the Vermont border. We lived on a two acre, mostly wooded lot, in a very wooded area. Not once did I ever see a snake, and nobody I knew ever saw one. They are very rare in that part of the world.

Bears and moose, that is a different story...

Cabbie you need to drive up to Cache Valley and drive up to the campground in Smithfield Canyon sometime between June and September in the late morning when the sun is heating up the ground. Walk up the dirt road from the campground and go tramp through the grass near the creek. You'll find more rattlers than you could ever dream of. Crimson trail in Logan Canyon is also good. Farmington Canyon is fantastic but I hear there are a lot of people now who scare them away.

Who's a biologist and former bishop (still very much a believer, alas) has retired to Cache County, and it's "on my radar."

I'd bet a big chunk of those snakes are actually gopher snakes, but I'm actually looking for one of those. Thanks for the recommendation, though, and I will be pleased if there's an actual large population. My take is they've been decimated here in Salt Lake County...

As far as venomous snakes go, however, I'll look but leave them alone. I have enough trouble with women as it is...

Many years ago, as a teenager, my husband was bitten by a water moccasin on the leg while fishing in upstate NY. His companion did all the stuff from the Boy Scout manual and everything turned out fine. You can barely see the scar.

To this day my husband hates snakes.

That's outside of their range, and there are a number of actual water snakes that look very similar and are really aggressive...

A copperhead is a possibility. Note the comparison with a northern species of water snake...

https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/agkcon.htm

That "cut and suck" first aid for snake bites is known to do more harm than good, and experts today don't recommend it. Put a pressure bandage--such as an elastic bandage--on the site to lower circulation, elevate the bite area if possible, and get the victim to medical help. Don't use a tourniquet unless you want to be a party to a possible amputation.

Eagle Scout Cabbie



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2018 04:41PM by SL Cabbie.

Thanks everyone. I heard that the timber rattlesnake is rare there; it’s more prominent in southern NH/ Mass border.
I’m just worried about the dog messing with it, or rather the snake biting her.Shes a very good watch dog. She’s trained not to go after squirrels, since I’m always feeding them and even get them to sit on my legs, eating their nuts. I don’t want any snake creeping up on them either. I’m not afraid for myself. I could of just had someone scare me too, teasing wise, since I’m fussy with my dog.
I hike in the woods too, not afraid if I did see one; I know they’re afraid of people and hide, heck, I probably walk pass them all the time and not know it, because they’re hiding , until I pass.
It’s just got the dog,it’s a big breed, so I’m not worried of it being eaten, only bit

Dogs are smarter than humans, they don't mess with snakes and snakes don't go after dogs and cats. Snakes know that if there are dogs and cats around, their prey isn't probably hanging out there.

StillAnon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dogs are smarter than humans, they don't mess with
> snakes and snakes don't go after dogs and cats.
> Snakes know that if there are dogs and cats
> around, their prey isn't probably hanging out
> there.


A couple of things I have learned about snakes living in the outback of Australia.
1.Nearly all bites are when people interfere with them rather than just let them alone. Of course if you accidently tread on one!!!
2. Nothing repels them. If you have a significant snake population problem, some people put out a plastic mesh, of large open weave, which is made for the purpose, and it traps the snakes, but it also makes them angry +++ so what to do next. All snakes are protected in Aus.
3. Dogs bark a bit but then give up on snakes; however, in my experience cats seem unable to leave them alone, and hiss and carry on for hours just out of striking distance. Snakes do kill cats and dogs in Aus, but from the snakes point of view is self defence!
4. Applying an elastic crepe bandage over the bite site, and then extending up the limb is the best first aid, prior to getting to a hospital, because the venom is transported in the lymph fluid and the bandage stops it's travel to the circulation. If by bad luck the snake injects venom directly into a vein, then you are in serious trouble.
5. Snake bite detection kits (in Aus anyway), to determine the type of snake that made the bite, give a lot of incorrect results).
6. You will notice a lot of outback Aussies walk around looking at the ground. It is not just lack of self confidence.

Cheers

Check local dog trainers for 'snake proofing'. Hunting behind $2-4,000 bird dogs makes the training cheap to purchase. In my opinion my household dogs are worth the expense as well. YMMV

My kids will tell you that I am the best snake catcher. I think you have to try fairly hard to get bit by a snake.
Rattle snakes usually give you lots of warning.

I have hiked a great deal all my life, in the Western US. I hike almost every day in the mountains behind my house in SLC, with my black lab. I keep her on a leash most of the time, and am careful where I let her run free. My worry is that she will chase a skunk, and get sprayed, which she did three times, until I got smart and kept her on a leash. We ran into a rattle snake only once, and it was coiled, and the rattle sound scared my dog away, and then me, running after her. In all of my hiking experience, the only other poisonous snake encounter happened in that very same Utah canyon, when I was 10 years old. It doesn't happen often. I don't know about New England, though.

Sometimes rattlers lose their rattles, so there is no warning sound. Baby rattlers are just as poisonous, even before their rattles form. Again, so warning sound.

My wise old grandfather made us kids wear high-top hiking boots. Most snake bites happen in the ankle. You could carry a walking stick (which I don't do.)

Find out if snake bites are as deadly to dogs as to humans. Someone told me that they are not. Google that.

I doubt that snake bites are less deadly to dogs if they receive the same amount of venom. Several years ago I worked for a company that designed drugs based on the active ingredients in venom, and dogs were used as test animals. Also my neighbor's dog died from a snake bite, we lived in an area that had tons of rattlesnakes - our dog would stay away from them and she was smart and careful. I heard that dogs don't die from bites because often the bite is from a small inexperienced snake and the fangs don't get through thick fur sometimes. Not sure if it is true.

If you live in snake country the most important thing is never put your hands or feet into a space that you can't see if there is a snake. Like under a shrub, behind a rock or in between boxes in your garage.

The majority of snakebite victims are males between the ages of roughly 18 and 40 and had been drinking...

There's a lesson there, honest.

And thanks, Hednig, for the information about snakes up Cache Valley way. I occasionally get up that way with my fly rod. I'll bet, however, that quite a few of those "rattlesnakes" are "bull snakes" (gopher snakes, actually, Pituophis sp.), and I'm actually looking for one of those.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/2018 01:26AM by SL Cabbie.

Check in with the locals at a gas station or Smithfield Implement and they'll tell you where to find rattlers.

Did a quick google search to see if i could find any images, this came up first for Smithfield Canyon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI8V4zbSpVs

I used to fish the stream a lot when I lived in Utah, I would guess I've seen over a hundred rattle snakes in the canyon over the years. I visit fairly often and there still seems to be a lot but not like in the 70s.

I get garter snakes in my untrimmed backyard. And lizards, too. They are free to try to evade my neighbor's cats. Every once in a while I get part of a lizard or a mouse on my porch. That's how the two cats pay me for allowing them use of my tiny meadow.

Doing some unintended xeriscaping are you ? *LOL*

Go to the local zoo and get eagle and rapture bird poop. Large birds are the natural predator. It worked for me. I started close to the house, then made circles further out and no more snakes.

I know Seattle sells zoo poo for whatever problem you have. Some zoos give tee.

When my husband was in the Air Force, we had a few falcons flying a couple of miles from the base.I always wondered if they didn’t breed them there to snatch birds, since I know they go after birds too, and the base had a problem with birds near the runways, which are dangerous when they get sucked up in the engines.We hardly seen any birds after we started seeing those falcons.

I grew up in New England. Our house had a large, groomed yard adjacent to a woods. The only snakes I ever saw in the yard were small, harmless garter snakes. I don't remember dogs having an issue with them. The venomous snakes stuck to the woods, and even then, I didn't see much of them. If you hike in the woods, wear hiking boots and carry a walking stick. And in hunting season, lots of bright orange (for you AND your dog.) You are probably far more in danger from hunters than snakes.

The cold in northern New England is different from western cold. The dampness of it tends to be much more penetrating.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2018 01:33AM by summer.

summer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I grew up in New England. Our house had a large,
> groomed yard adjacent to a woods. The only snakes
> I ever saw in the yard were small, harmless garter
> snakes. I don't remember dogs having an issue with
> them. The venomous snakes stuck to the woods, and
> even then, I didn't see much of them. If you hike
> in the woods, wear hiking boots and carry a
> walking stick. And in hunting season, lots of
> bright orange (for you AND your dog.) You are
> probably far more in danger from hunters than
> snakes.
>
> The cold in northern New England is different from
> western cold. The dampness of it tends to be much
> more penetrating.

I posted it above, but my experience growing up in Northern New England was similar. Never saw anything.

You are right about the orange during the hunting season, including for your dog. A lot of hunters just blindly shoot at anything that moves.

And yes, the cold is far more penetrating.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2018 01:39AM by alsd.

It may be of little comfort to you, but snakes are our friends, an important part of the ecosystem. Try moving to the Weatern Slope of the Cascades in either Oregon or Washington. Damn few snakes here, and mostly just very docile and harmless garter snakes that eat slugs. But if you fear snakes, don't live in the South.

I saw in True Grit that you lay out a rope around you, and the snakes will stay away.

Oh yeah ? What about that slugs and beer story ? *LOL*

Thanks guys, you’re always very helpful ( and funny, I always find things to laugh at each time I visit the site)
I’ve never liked flowers and plants, so those won’t be around anyway. I never thought about snakes sending big dogs and would stay away on its own. I figured they’d be afraid or startled by the dog and lash out at it in self defense.
When we were looking around at houses for a few days, we heard a lot of guns going off in the distance, so a lot of hunters around at one time around would scare them away too.
I look forward to more snow and want to try cross country skiing, plus I’ve always liked sledding since a kid, s lot of hills in that area, not to mention hockey everywhere.
They even have high school hockey teams.

I meant sensing, not sending. Which sensing method do they rely on the most?( smelling , hearing, don’t think sight )

Snakes smell with their tongues (that's why they're always sticking them out) They don't see very far. They pick up heat (they're cold blooded so mammals feel very hot) and vibration. They also see well at night. Unless they're hunting a meal, they hide and you never see them unless you stumble across their spot.

>>They even have high school hockey teams.

Oh my, yes. My high school had a hockey team. We could also take figure skating for P.E. class. In the warmer weather, kids will close down a residential street to play street hockey. They get very adept at quickly moving the goals to accommodate cars coming through.

My husband played street hockey a lot too. He still talks about it and one kid who bossed the others around and always insisted on being goalie because he had a “ real hockey uniform “, and the other kids just had street clothes or jeans and a hockey sweater only,

how to identify pit vipers (all of the venomous snakes in our area of San Diego County were rattlers) when I was very small, and how to handle anything that wasn't venomous. I can remember my grandmother, calm as could be, picking up a king snake that had gotten into our house before Dad had put weather-stripping on the doors. She talked to it in German (insisting that German was "God's language," and therefore, all creatures understood it). She carefully caught it behind the head, and wrapped the remainder of it around her arm so that it wasn't just dangling, and carried it outside, to her garden. Then she unwrapped it and released it in her garden.

I did the same thing until my now-ex and I moved to Louisiana. I learned that not all venomous snakes there are pit vipers, which made things scarier. Also, I learned for myself that not all snakes have a "live and let live" attitude towards humans. I met a very aggressive cottonmouth in our garage. It actually came toward me, very belligerently, with its mouth open. I had poked a broom against a box near the snake, assuming that it would go away. Way wrong.

In all my 70 years, however, all the snakes I have met - venomous or not - (with the sole exception of the cottonmouth) have not been aggressive if you made a point of giving them a wide berth and not behaving in a threatening way toward them.

Same rough area as catnip above...

Once every couple of years I have to deal with a rattler that decides my warmed-by-the-sun asphalt driveway is a nice place to hang out when the weather's a bit chilly in the spring.

I generally deal with them by getting them to coil around my long rake, and tossing them back into the hills. Only had to kill one once, when it wouldn't stay in the hills, but (3 times!) kept coming back to the house. That involves holding them down with the rake, then using a shovel to chop off their head.

Mostly, other than paying attention when you walk around in the brush, they're just not an issue. I've lived here 38 of my 58 years, and can count on less than 10 fingers the total times I've run into them.