Ready to play hide and seek?
If you have recently spotted a snake near your home or are worried about an unsealed cavity that looks like the perfect snake entrance, then it’s time to play a bit of hide and seek.
Having a snake in the house, around your property or in the garden is not necessarily dangerous. As Australian snake hunter Mark Pelley explains, “While there is a lot of fear and hype, snakes do NOT go out of their way to harm people. In fact, the opposite is true; snakes try to avoid people as they are incredibly shy creatures.”
But that doesn’t mean that finding a snake in a hiding spot isn’t scary or cause for calling a snake removalist to relocate the animal for you.
So, where do snakes like to hide in a house? Let’s take a look at the top hiding spots a snake can choose to inhabit:
Inside the home
In warm spots
Including underneath refrigerators, in the back of dishwashers or hanging from light fittings. Snakes love the warmth as eco-thermal animals and will try to source out the perfect conditions to regulate their blood temperature.
In hidey-holes
This includes underneath beds, behind desks, TV units or bookshelves and in kids’ toy boxes. This is more of a secure location for a snake that is cosy and almost nest-like for them.
Where there is food
Such as kitchen cupboards, pantries and even bathroom areas. Snakes tend to find themselves in houses because they are searching for food. Kitchen areas are full of both human food and potentially mice, rats and other prey that snakes love to snack on.
Bathrooms are the perfect spot for drinking water (from the toilet bowl) or sourcing frogs (if it has been raining a lot!).
Around your property
In small crevices
Such as weep holes (gaps in between bricks that provide ventilation), gaps between pathways and homes, underneath door mats or in garages.
In higher places
Including roof tops, gutters, lattices and window sills. Snakes inhabit rooftop areas because they’re way more likely to find prey to eat up there. If anything, they’re getting rid of all the rodents!
Of course, snakes are most commonly found in the garden, in scrub, on a sunny rock or even in the garden shed.
Although prevention of snakes in the garden can somewhat easily be achieved by using different repellents and snake-repelling plants, prevention around the home takes a little more effort.
The best way to snake proof your home
The most effective snake-proofing is actually just keeping a tidy and well-maintained house. While the answer is simple, the execution is not, and there are many areas that will need to be checked and sealed properly to avoid a snake encounter.
Follow this checklist to ensure you’ve got each part of the house covered so a snake is unlikely to slither its way in:
- Cover all holes and gaps: this includes any spaces that lead to the garage, roof or underneath to the foundations of your home. This can be done with physical barriers such as wooden planks and plasterboard, or grates for areas that need better air accessibility, like weep holes.
- Keep a tidy garden: a tidy garden means a snake is less likely to move near your house in the first place. Raking up leaves, cleaning up outdoor mess and mowing the lawn frequently usually does the trick!
- Dispose of food scraps properly: food scraps and the kitchen pantry draw in mice and rodents, which are the perfect dinner for a snake. Make sure all of your bins are covered and that your pantry items are in containers and completely sealed.
- Hire a professional: if snake spotting has become a regular pastime, or your home seems to attract rather than repel, it may be time to enlist the help of a professional. Calling a snake catcher, wildlife removal expert or even a pest control company may give you additional tips and tricks for the specifics in your home that are drawing in snakes.
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