Love Thy neighbour
When it comes down to it, living with snakes is something we have to accept. After all, this is as much their home as it is ours.... However there are things you can implement to discourage them hanging around your home.
- Ensure you keep your yard tidy, garden maintained and your grass mowed. Anything for snakes to make habitat out of for example mulch piles, timber slats, iron roof sheeting lying on the ground, general outdoor household items needs to be kept to a minimum or avoided in general.
- Snakes will normally move on or pass through if food,water and shelter aren't readily available, so making sure you have no pests like rats and mice around will reduce the risk of snakes taking refuge. On that note, Coastal Carpet Pythons are great natural rodent control! And they are not venomous, so if you are not concerned with your pets or children, they are great to have in the backyard.
- If you have pets especially dogs it is best to snake train them to avoid a potentional bite and vet trip. They will instinctively warn you if there is one near by, and training them up to leave wildlife alone is beneficial. Unfortunately for many pets who encounter snakes it can be life threatening for them, the snake and expensive so avoidance and prevention is the best measure.
- It is said there is no guarantee method of snake deterrents, however any animal that has a strong sense of smell even being with a forked tongue, can be discouraged by strong smells. So essential oils like Peppermint oil, Lavender, Frankincense etc can be of possible benefit and do no harm in trying so it's worth giving them a go. Plus.... You'll have the best smelling house on the street and they may even calm your nerves a little bit!
Eastern Brown Snake - [Pseudonaja textilis] Enjoying some warming sunshine during the winter months
Snake Smart safety
Simple snake safety
As for being snake smart and safe, the best advice if you come across a snake is to LEAVE IT BE. All snakes are harmless if you don't mess around with them. Many species we come across on the Sunshine Coast are not venomous or mildly venomous. And there are some extremely venomous ones too, the Eastern Brown being the second most venomous snake in the world.
If you stumble across a snake, keep calm and back away slowly, giving them the space to retreat so they don't feel threatened. Snakes are very reactive to vibrations and fast movement, so ensuring slow and calm actions could potentionally avoid a dangerous encounter.
When bush walking, enclosed shoes are ideal and carrying a snake bite first aid kit and being up to date in snake first aid treatment is always being snake smart. Stick to designated paths, trails and be alert. A lot of this is common sense, so think before you act. Australia is a unique and wild place that can differ dramatically in climates, environments, ecosystems and wildlife, with that comes dangers too. So be prepared, aware and alert, not afraid.