Thread: Snake Repellent

Snake oil in a box

My son is a professional snake catcher so have witnessed many snake encounters. There is nothing to get away from as snakes have no interest in humans other than if we make them feel threatened, no different to spiders but understand it is a phobia thing.
Keep a watchful eye as you go about your day so you don’t step on one to cause a negative response from the animal as you would with a dog.

Originally Posted by Beardy

..... There is nothing to get away from as snakes have no interest in humans other than if we make them feel threatened, no different to spiders but understand it is a phobia thing.

Most of the time this is entirely true, however what makes them "feel threatened" can vary enormously. I know people who have had Eastern Browns living under their decks and never had an issue. On the other hand, I have also seen an Eastern Brown chase a friend of mine several meters across a paddock. Given that this was in spring, it is our assumption that the snake was guarding its eggs and we got too close. However as we had no idea that the snake was there until it came towards us, we have no evidence of exactly what we did to make it feel threatened, but as it was probably three meters to the side of our route (and coming toward us) when we first saw it, it certainly wasn't in any danger of being stepped on. Maybe it was just having a bad day!

Could you get a Jack russel dog or two? They would keep you safer from snakes .

1 . Dogs marking their territory may help but I don’t know if that’s true .
2. Dogs will take on a snake and there’s a good chance they would spot it well before you would.

They have limited effect; if any. The guy in the video below can show you plenty of pictures of these with snakes crawling around them. he happens to be one of Australia's top snake experts and used to work in the Aust venom extraction facility where they manufacture all the antivenoms. As well as the usual Aus snakes he also had to deal with all the foreign ones in zoos like rattlesnakes from the US. The reason I mention him is because he regularly tours big companies in the resource industries doing lectures etc on snake bite treatment; I work in Oil & Gas and snakes are a constant hazard.

THIS is his website where he sells his handy kit; I was impressed enough with the way it works and his description of the envenomation process to buy one where it lives close to hand on my deck; I live on acreage and have seen enough snakes on my property to know there are a shedload more I haven't seen...

Regardless of whether you're interested in the merch; check the youtube vids out on his channel; Survival TV

I will say in advance that I have no idea whether these snake repellents work in practice, but I've often contemplated the concept. From a logical viewpoint, being trampled by a herd of animals, or even stepped on by a single one, isn't a good plan for a snake. It is also commonly accepted that snakes are able to detect vibrations coming through the ground, so the idea that a device that puts vibrations into the ground to "simulate" large animals would cause a snake to be wary does seem logical.

I will also say that an acquaintance of mine has his house surrounded by such devices (not necessarily the Bunnings version, there are several) and says he hasn't seen a snake since he bought them. On the other hand, in the last 20+ years of living on farms I have only seen two snakes close to my house, so maybe it's luck! Ot maybe I just haven't seen them!

The issue that I have with the "they don't work" evidence of snakes sleeping on the unit, or other video evidence of them having no effect, is that in every example I have seen we are dealing with "domesticated" snakes. Now clearly not all these snakes are "tame", by any means, but they are used to "vibrations". A snake in a zoo has people stomping past for perhaps half of every day, it's not really surprising that it doesn't panic! A snake in a venom harvesting lab is used to people walking around it. One of the first videos I saw "disproving" the device was of someone's pet python. The guy walked up to the device, took the python from around his neck, put it next to the device and said (words to the effect of) "there, not scared at all". Indeed. And I have seen dogs retrieving birds killed with a shotgun, and people riding horses next to guys on motorcycles, but a WILD dog or horse is a totally different subject!

Originally Posted by Warb

The issue that I have with the "they don't work" evidence of snakes sleeping on the unit, or other video evidence of them having no effect, is that in every example I have seen we are dealing with "domesticated" snakes. Now clearly not all these snakes are "tame", by any means, but they are used to "vibrations". A snake in a zoo has people stomping past for perhaps half of every day, it's not really surprising that it doesn't panic! A snake in a venom harvesting lab is used to people walking around it. One of the first videos I saw "disproving" the device was of someone's pet python. The guy walked up to the device, took the python from around his neck, put it next to the device and said (words to the effect of) "there, not scared at all". Indeed. And I have seen dogs retrieving birds killed with a shotgun, and people riding horses next to guys on motorcycles, but a WILD dog or horse is a totally different subject!

I agree; but the pictures he showed us during his presentation were clearly on properties.........

I'm not saying they don't work; I have neither the experience nor the qualifications to make such a statement. I am however quoting someone who I feel does.

I would also posit that snakes residing in the vicinity of a property where these things are fitted probably wouldn't take long to become accustomed to them as per your notes above. Although they are not territorial they do have ranges that they will tour around until either food runs out or something better attracts them. I have a bug zapper mounted on an external wall; it attracts the bugs which attracts the lizards and frogs which attracts the snakes. Random sources of vibrations such as my pool pump; the TV, stomping around around on the wooden deck adjacent to the wall etc don't seem to deter them. I simply accept that they are a feature in my environment. I'll also point out I don't see them often; maybe once a year or so I'll come across a grey, a python or a tree snake and apart from one python that was a bit too full of chook they always slither away... I see plenty of evidence of their existence such as shed skins in my sheds.

You would be amazed at how many snake close encounters you have probably already had and not even aware of it. I remember a couple of years ago my son came to visit and asked if I had seen any snakes about, now I have been around snakes for a lot of years and actively look out for them in my travels on my farm and my answer was still no none.
The very next morning he came inside holding a tiger snake, I asked him where he found that and it was next to water tank at the back door, who knows how many times my wife and I must of walked near it without knowing

I have seen him do that on so many occasions during our travels.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

I'm not saying they don't work; I have neither the experience nor the qualifications to make such a statement. I am however quoting someone who I feel does.

This, like many things, is a tricky subject and open to as much "opinion" as fact. As I said, I too have no idea or personal experience on the effectiveness of these devices. My suspicion is that they don't, but I can see why they would and, as I said, much of the "they don't" evidence is questionable (IMHO).

We also suffer from the bias of the nature lovers (don't get me wrong, I'm one!) that "the snakes were here before us" etc. etc.. This is, of course, entirely true, but whilst I am happy to co-exist with those snakes that live way out in the paddocks, I'm always surprised by the people with small children who are happy to have a 4 foot tiger snake living in the dam a stone's throw from their house. I have found that such people are usually 100% dedicated to the belief that the snake will always try to get away and hide. Unfortunately, that isn't always the case!

We have recently sold our farm, moved south and bought a retirement block near Canberra. Having spent 20+ years living next to a creek in mid-western NSW where the local snake population comprised black snakes (I've never seen one act aggressively) and eastern browns (often very cranky!), I'm fascinated to see what I'll find here!

I bought a couple of these ( mine is very similar from aliexpress, about $40 each at the time), at the time we would have about 10 rock wallaby’s camping on the veranda every night, using the chairs, table and benchtop and bbq for a toilet. This repeller pretty much solved the problem, on a rainy night we do get a couple of brave souls using the veranda to stay dry though.
Because we have bush right up to the veranda, we would average 2 or 3 snake skin sheds (green tree snakes, and brown tree snakes/night tigers ), left in the rafters every week. Since using the repeller, I reckon you could count the skins on one hand in the last 10 years.
Venomous snakes are in the area, but we have never seemed to have them come near the house, even before buying the repellers.

Yard Sentinel, Outdoor Electronic Pest Animal Ultrasonic Repeller, Animal Control, Pest Control, Cat Repellent, Dog Repellent, Deer Repellent, Mice Repellent, Bird Repellent : Amazon.com.au: Garden

If you trample the ground hard and fast while standing on the spot, the vibrations will scare a lot of stuff off. Certainly works for snakes, roos, and cattle funnily enough. A lot of snake scarer gadgets work on this principle, but the vast majority don't create a large enough vibration to do anything. That includes most of the cheap solar powered ones.

When you find a shed snake skin, that's telling you that (a) there is at least one snake around, and (b) it's now even bigger that the huge shed skin you are holding up.....

Originally Posted by Beardy

Snake oil in a box

Priceless.

Don't worry, it comes with a twelve month warranty, so if a snake bites you and you die, then Bunnings will refund your purchase price.

Neighbour to one side of us is just a weekender for a wealthy but clueless Sydney person. You know, the sort that thinks Fireweed is pretty? Planted an orchard at huge expense that has now been totally destroyed by roos (since his fences are crap)? Anyway, he is absolutely terrified of snakes, and bought LOTS of the Bunnies solar-powered snake repellers to hopefully keep them at least 50m from his house. Hate to tell him, but one day I saw a red-bellied black coiled up and sunning itself on top of one of his gadgets..... The temptation to buy several black rubber snakes and place them at strategic spots on his property is almost overwhelming

I have a Sydney mate like that, he doesn’t visit his farm in summer because he is scared of snakes, only goes there in winter lol