Finding a snake in your yard can be a bit of a shock but knowing what to do next is truly the important part! Most people simply don’t know the benefits of having snakes in your yard, they don’t know the kinds of snakes they live near, and they don’t know how to have a respectful relationship with them.
Snakes are so important to our environment and yet so few people understand why!
Being part of the hobby farmer, micro farming, and chicken keeper community I often see photos of dead snakes shared. So many believe that the only good snake is a dead one. So many people are not educated on what an actual venomous snake looks like and they kill first and ask questions later, if they ask questions at all! It is so sad to see. Most people don’t know how beneficial a snake in your yard actually is!
Yes, snakes can bite, but they rather not.
Yes they can eat chicken eggs.
Yes snakes can kill chickens.
Yes snakes can hurt pets.
I understand all these things but did you know that snakes can protect your yard and home from rodents that transmit disease to both humans and chickens and cats and dogs too?
Some snakes eat venomous snakes so they keep you and your pets safer in the long run!
Snakes eat ticks, keeping your loved ones safe from Lime and other illness! This is a HUGE benefit!
Ticks are the enemy and snakes are our first line defense against them!
One of the biggest growing diseases in America today is Lime disease and it is growing because of Ticks. It doesn’t start with those little bugs though, it starts with the tiny rodents you don’t even know live all around your yard and really every place. These little rodents can carry many diseases but the three we are concerned about at the moment are the three species of Borrelia bacteria that carry Lyme disease. Ticks bite the rodents and then bite us! We and our pets get Lyme disease.
Snakes also eat other pests that can cause devastation in your garden.
If you see a snake in your yard the first thing to do is make sure you are at a safe distance. Take a photo if you are able to. Try to identify if it is venomous or nonvenomous. Asses the real risk. Remember a snake in your yard does not want to bite you, they really want nothing to do with you. While some rare ones might be interested and a few might be protective, for the most part they are eager to get out of your way and you should be equally as eager to get out of the snake in your yards way too! If you truly can’t live with this snake in your yard then identifying it can assist you when you get the help you need! Leave moving snakes to the experts!
Did you know in many states like Georgia it is illegal to kill a nonvenomous snake and some snakes are endangered making it very illegal to kill and so traumatic to the planet as well. We need snakes and need to save the ones we have driven to near extinction.
It is also illegal in many places to move wildlife! This is an important thing to remember. Special people with the right license can deal with wildlife for you though and knowing how to get a hold of them is important. I have found our local “snake guys” by asking the local hobby farmer groups. Calling your local animals control office though should get you in contact with someone who can help!
Celebrating a Snake in your yard!
If we find a snake in the yard we celebrate, they are so great for the environment. We teach the kids snake safety and when it comes to our pets we know that snakes have no interest in most of them. Most snakes are harmless. If we ever find a venomous one in the yard we will keep track of it and call a snake remover service to come and get it, they can legally remove it and rehome it! We have small kids so we can’t risk a venomous one in the yard but we will also not kill it as they are so important. If we find a non-venomous one in our chicken coops we will also have that one removed by someone licensed to do so as that snake will surely be back once they figure out a way in and find the best meal ever! Who could blame it? It would be so sad to lose chickens and eggs but that doesn’t mean killing the snake is the answer!
So if you post online bragging about a snake you killed and some of us are not impressed by your ignorance all these reasons and more could be why!
Make an effort to live more sustainably and learn why nature has the balance it does and what we can do to help preserve that balance rather than further harm it.
I understand all of the benefits of snakes, but on the other hand, I live in rural Texas and most of the snakes that are in my area are Rattlesnakes and Copperheads which will bite and kill my pets and possibly my small children. I do what I can to keep them out of my yard, but if one is in my yard or around my home, they will be killed before they kill a member of my family. Safety first!