# Anyone know of a natural way to repel rattle snakes?



## ne prairiemama

Dh had the kids outside playing yesterday and ran across a timber rattler less than 10 ft from our fron't door on the cellar ledge. Now We don't mind snakes but that one was too close for comfort with us having 7 dc 12 and under so dh killed it. I have pics of the snake (but its dead and theres some blood) if anyone wants to see. It had a button broken off and still had 11 left. It was about 4 foot long. beautiful pattern but just too dangerous that close to the house.

We really don't want them to hang out right where the kids play..any ideas?

so tired I also forgot to ask if anyone had been bitten by one and what types of things we should have on hand jic? Everything I read says get to the hospital... what could we do at home?


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## tamsam

What to do at home. Settle down and try to keep whoever was bitten calm. Get to the hospital as fast as you can. The sooner the anti dote is started the better. Hope you never need to do this. Sam


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## Bearfootfarm

About the only thing you can do is keep weeds down and don't let things pile up around the yard.
If they don't have places to hide or prey to hunt, they will keep going


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## longrider

We used moth balls spread around the areas where we go. The Naptha gives them the willies. Something along that line, maybe there is a plant that gives a specific odor! 

As for snake bites- well, you might ought to call the ER's closest to you and find out if they even carry Anti-Venom. Most hospitals do not carry it anymore because it has a short shelf life and is expensive and is specific to the snake. It has to be picked up in another town for our ER - 40 miles away- and brought here when there is a snakebite. The same is true for spider anti-venom.

For our play area we use a two foot high roll of fencing that has half inch squares. It is buried a couple of inches in the ground along with the other fence. 

We have lots of varments around here and plenty of snakes. we terminate only the poisonous ones (copperhead, moccassins, rattlers, and corals) Everything elses gets treated like kings.

First aid is simple: keep the bite lower than the heart and get to the hospital. Dont run, dont get excited, just go call for help. Drive to a firehouse and let them help. They will get you there.

PS: Bring the DEAD snake in with you- in a bag. It truely will make a difference in your treament.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

I saw some snake repelant at the store the other day , mix and spray around your yard from the looks of it.

a freind who grew up in WV talks about the little dog they had it's job was to go out every morning and let them know were the snakes if any were in the yard then they would go out and dispatch them

but keeping grass short short helps at least in the ability to see them 

we have mostly missiagua ratlers here but also have timber raltlers or as they are called pine rattlers some times , can't say i have ever seen one in the wild , they had a round up back in the 60s and about did in the rattler population here so they say. that and 6 months or more of the year it is to cold for them to move.

we do see plenty of bull, fox , and gardner snakes


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## mpillow

I've heard that you should have cats around.

But seriously I'd have eaten him for dinner, packed my bag and moved to Maine or Alaska and been done with the nasty buggers for a lifetime!

My husband was offered free land from family in VA....I said no way am I living with all those creepy crawlies....I'd rather be chased by moose!


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## motdaugrnds

Have never encountered a rattler on our place; but did discover 2 grown copperheads (in late fall when weather was too cold for them to travel). They were slightly different in size and we concluded someone had presented us with a pair during the night. David killed them both as they were huddled under the chicken house door when I opened it to check on the babies. (Had heating lamp over the baby chicks & suspect the copper heads were trying to get to it.)

At this time our place is loaded with "semi-friendly" black snakes, some near 6' long & about 2" in diameter. These EAT poisonous snakes (any live animal they can swallow) and are territorial. We view them as guards to keep other snakes at bay. (Letting them steal some of our chicken & geese eggs is their payment for this.)


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## Cyngbaeld

Treatment for snake bite is MASSIVE amounts of vitamin C. Start with 10 Grams every half hour and keep it up until the patient has the runs, then slow down a bit. Also crush a large tablet and rub it into the bite.

Do this whether or not you are able to get to medical care. It'll help more than the treatment you get at the hospital.


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## Fla Gal

Being in a rural, just developed environment when I was growing up from age 9 to 17, I kept my eyes on any vegetation and always kept an eye out for rattlers. Or for any other snakes too. I loved to pick up, admire and play with the non poisonous ones and put them back where they were. Still do.

If I saw a rattler, depending on the situation, I'd either back off if I was too close or stand still until it had a chance to get away from me. The rattlers in this area are laid back snakes and won't strike unless they feel threatened or are striking at food.

I lived in Texas for a short while and saw one in my garden. Didn't bother me a bit, the snake or it being there. I gave it the right of way and let it go on it's merry way to kill rats that tried to move in the house. Seeing a rattle snake in my garden, and staying away from it, was a much more pleasant experience than having a big fat rat run across my bare foot in the house.

It's true that young children, most of the time, don't understand where snakes are likely to be and you have to worry about them getting bit. It saddens me that people kill a snake just because it's a snake.

Bearfootfarm gave you good advise to keep snakes from being in the children's play area. Another thing you can do is educate the children with pictures of poisonous snakes and tell them to always keep an eye out for them. Honestly?... I was never taught this information but learned from the get go, on my on, to look out for the rattlers, pygmy rattlers, and coral snakes, and water moccasins and copperheads.

When I was a kid some of the neighborhood kids and I would go wading in the local pond. It was nothing to have a copperhead glide underwater four or five inches from our feet. My one signature line says it all "Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed". Don't mess with them and they won't mess with you. They are an important part of nature.

Again, Bearfootfarms advice: Set up a play area with no place for snakes to hide (my advise: educate the children on what to watch out for) and you should have no problems.


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## ne prairiemama

Our nearest hospital is 20 miles from home on gravel and they do have antivenon well I saw the label on the door for it anyway. (I noticed it when I took one of the kids in for a piece of stuff stuck in his eye). Maybe I should call and see if it is fresh and really there? Here's the guy dh and the kids found. the pics are sort of graphic so don't look if blood icks you out...
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mpillow we have 5 adult cats and 6 kittens thanks to people sharing lol. I have seen the cats and even my hens kill baby snakes. I tried to get dh to move to Alaska or Maine before this house because our last home had recluses. (only time I had ever seen them in my lifetime of living in the state) He wanted to move south lol. We are in the same state but further south by 30 miles.


We have tons of snakes down here but I really like the others because they take care of rats and mice ect. I am a little worried about the rattlers though.


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## JuliaAnn

I've never used it, but there is a natural product made by Bonide, I believe, that has concentrated cinnamon oil and other natural stuff in it, that is supposed to repel snakes. It's a white powder. Other than that, I dont' know much about it, you might google it.


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## ne prairiemama

JuliaAnn said:


> I've never used it, but there is a natural product made by Bonide, I believe, that has concentrated cinnamon oil and other natural stuff in it, that is supposed to repel snakes. It's a white powder. Other than that, I dont' know much about it, you might google it.


Thank you. I'll look into that. I really want to repel them. We don't want to kill them but having it so close to the house isn't an option. My older kids know what to look for but I worry that the little ones might come upon on without them or I/dh noticing in time if they are right by the house kwim?


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## Mutti

On Billy the Exterminator--on the DISH-- he had a call for snakes and after burning a huge pile of brush scared out one rattler that he relocated but then he used garlic spray around the yard. He always tries to use non-toxic products and he says this works if you re-do monthly or so. 

We always taught our kids to never stick their hands where they couldn't see. We always keep our house/barnyard mowed and string trimmed short, don't leave brush laying around. We have had snakes but generally you can see 'em first. We had a huge tree blow down and couldn't figure out what the dogs were so beserk about...a nest of copperheads had made the root hole their den. Living around thousands of acres of woods we don't tolerate poisonous snakes living in our yard. DEE


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## Bearfootfarm

None of the "snake repellents' are worth spending money on.

I've never seen any *scientific* evidence that they work at all.

You'll LOTS of anecdotal evidence, but mostly from those *trying to sell *you their products


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## stranger

get some hogs and let them run loose around your place, they'll stomp the hell out of the snakes and eat them. snakes can't penitrate their fat.


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## whodunit

- I've heard pigs deal with rattlers pretty effectively
- Some swear by having numerous cats around which keep the mice population in check; we watched our mother cats bring in three large mice yesterday alone
- My in-laws live in the AZ desert and have an electric "fence" about 1" from the ground. They have found dead rattlesnakes on it occasionally. Not sure it would be good with children around unless it was significantly away from where they play.


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## jamala

we use moth balls and it works for us. We have also used a product called "snake away" I got it at walmart and it seems to work. We have a Large pond just in front of our house and have lots of snakes. Since using these things they don't come near the house.


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## WanderingOak

I don't know about rattlers, but I've heard that black snakes keep copperheads away. They are supposed to be very territorial, and aggressive towards other snakes. Supposedly, you can even buy them young to release, if there aren't any nearby originally. Of course, I have no idea where you are, so I'm not sure if black snakes would thrive or not.


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## stranger

WanderingOak said:


> I don't know about rattlers, but I've heard that black snakes keep copperheads away. They are supposed to be very territorial, and aggressive towards other snakes. Supposedly, you can even buy them young to release, if there aren't any nearby originally. Of course, I have no idea where you are, so I'm not sure if black snakes would thrive or not.


 black snakes will kill-eat a rattlesnake, but people up here have found them in the same den as rattlesnakes in the winter, iguess they sign a truce for the winter.


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## EarthSheltered

stranger said:


> black snakes will kill-eat a rattlesnake, but people up here have found them in the same den as rattlesnakes in the winter, iguess they sign a truce for the winter.


Or maybe black snakes are preppers too...:hysterical:


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## praieri winds

we don't have rattle snakes here thank God but have rat snakes that get our eggs and chicks we put moth balls and sulfur down and haven't had any trouble lately


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## Spinner

If you don't mind having good snakes around, bring in some black snakes. Black snakes kill rattlers. Another option is to get a flock of guineas. Guineas kill all snakes. I've seen my peacock eating baby snakes. Peacocks might be an option too.


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