How does one repel garter snakes from around their house?

There’s not much that he can do, short of making the environment less hospitable (which is sounds like he’s done by removing the grass). You’ll find various scent based repellents, ultrasonic noise producers, and other claims for repelling snakes, but it’s my understanding that they don’t work.

Why not be adaptable? If he’s phobic, there’s not much he can do about that, but garter snakes are completely innocuous, help control mice populations, and they’re pretty cool.

I would love to have (non venomous) snakes in my yard. Except for the occasional worm snake, I don’t have any resident snakes.

Why on earth would you want to repel a lovely, harmless creature that eats mice?

And, actually, @syz, there is much to be done about such phobias. They are very nearly 100% curable in brief, focused therapy: 6–8 weeks, no meds, no huge expense. Any qualified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist from the phone book.

I happen to be a champion at getting rid of garter snakes. It usually involves a shovel and a bashing motion.

Why would you do that? They are completely harmless an fulfill a useful function.

Snakes are good. Every time I come across one. I catch it and let it loose in my yard.

The frog population has gone down to almost zero. Plus no rodents, that I can tell.

They wont harm you unless you try to catch then, so you can release them in your yard to control the frog population. And, harm as in they might bite you.
Have been bitten a few times in my life. No biggie.

Otherwise the last thing they want to do is be near you.

Whats wrong with frogs in your yard?

Switch to pantyhose.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities if you are serious about that, my opinion of you just dropped about thirty thousand points.

I love snakes and would enjoy having them in my yard. I don’t think it is a fear thing for my friend, its simply he is concerned they will get in his house, and his family are phobic as Hell.

I was just trying to help him out, I already know the value of a few harmless snakes on a person’s property. I feel the same way about spiders, as I have no fear of them at all, and they are a valuable critter to have around. I suppose the snake killers probably smash spiders as well, even though they are pretty much harmless.

Well, I know there are snake traps available. They’re like glue traps, but not lethal. Once the snake is stuck to the trap, you can remove it with some oil and relocate the snake. I’ve not used them, but I did look them up once when my kids were wanting to catch a snake. My daughter then decided she was the Crocodile Hunter and now just catches snakes with her bare hands. You can’t really lure the snakes, just put the traps around and hope they slither onto them and get stuck. Poor little snakes.

Garter snakes, being harmless and beneficial, really should be left alone if your friend will consider it. We had quite a few snakes living around the deck area of our last house, and we never had a mouse problem. The snakes are much happier to be left alone, and if you get too close they will just slither away as quickly as they can.

@ChazMaz A garter snake bit my son when he was about two years old. It was a very big garter snake which my daughter had caught by the tail. My son toddled over, grabbed the snake in the middle, and then just stared as the snake wrapped around his leg and bit. He was so surprised and confused that he didn’t even cry. The teeth were like tiny little needles. We pried the snake off and called the doctor who said, “He’s fine. Just be glad you don’t live in Arizona.” I doubt my son actually remembers the incident, but he talks about it like it’s the proudest moment of his life. :)

@evelyns_pet_zebra I think I posted the same time as you… If he doesn’t want them in the house, he just needs to take walk around and make sure there aren’t any spots where a snake can enter. Unless the snakes can find food in the house, they won’t really want to be there. He’d most have to worry about it when the weather turns cold and the snakes look for a place to stay warm. In our last home, we would see garter snakes around our deck several times a day. In the three years we lived there, we never found one in the house.

Maybe he should focus on snake-proofing the exterior of his house instead of getting rid of the snakes? Keeping them out of the house is probably more feasible (and economical) than taking drastic steps to keep them out of the yard.

If you don’t mind having them around you can get a few outside cats.

Bring in a few mongooses (or mongeese, if you prefer). That’ll take care of the snake problem. Then all your friend will have to deal with will be a mongoose problem.

Rikki Tikki Tavi

@evelyns_pet_zebra, @syz It’s called a joke. 99% of my answers are smartass comments, this is no different. I don’t kill snakes.

Smartass Lurve @Jeffgoldblum

Just so everyone knows, garter snakes eat things other than mice, including amphibians, snails, leeches, lizards, earthworms, fish and certain birds. Although the garter snakes mostly prefer live animals, they sometimes also eat eggs and carrion. One thing they don’t eat are insects.

If the area around and under the deck stays dry and inhospitable the snakes will eventually stay away. In the short term, as @MissAusten says, your friend should concentrate on snake-proofing the house. This site has some suggestions.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities whew! that’s a relief. I thought I’d have to sic Evelyn on you. :^)

“What’s wrong with frogs in your yard?
”
Here in florida, they get in everything including rodents. But was just using that example as a gauge to the effectiveness of the snakes.

“I doubt my son actually remembers the incident, but he talks about it like it’s the proudest moment of his life. :)”

Yes, something about surviving a snake attack that does that to you. ;-)

Snakes find shelter in many places near humans, including wood piles, stone piles, brush pile debris and stone walls to enter and rest. A building’s foundation that has gaps is an especially welcome site to a snake (especially a new built deck like your friend just completed!)

What can be done is to use snake repellent to deter them away from the home. Snakes use their tongue to help them smell and an important organ located at the roof of their mouth, Jacobson’s Organ, that is used to sense their surroundings. Gaseous particles from repellents are picked up from the snake through Jacobson’s Organ and causes confusion for the snake’s sense of smell and for the snake to retreat away from that away.

Some preventions you can do to keep snakes away along with repellents (if you have pets or children I recommend a natural snake repellent)

- Keep woodpiles from your home and property
– Keep grass and weeds trimmed around all buildings
– Get rid of leaf piles
– Fill cracks in stone walls and in the foundations of your home.

Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake
Get Rid of Snakes from About.com
Solving Your Snake Problems