What attracts snakes?

A snake may be attracted to houses or yards if there is shelter and food that are unknowingly being provided by humans. Taipans and brown snakes eat rodents and they are attracted to farm sheds or gardens where they can hunt mice or rats. The python may eat chickens or other birds. They are also found in roof cavities where they hunt for possums and rats. Brown snakes are known to eat chickens and they can get trapped within the coop after eating one. Snakes may hunt during the night and come near window sills to find geckos and other prey. Tree snakes can come onto your property to hunt for frogs during the day, and they are often seen around gardens or near houses. Carpet pythons may curl up in the ceiling where they get the warmth and security they want. There are a number of snake species that are found mostly in timber piles or under sheets of corrugated metal.



Snakes eat small mammals, snails and slugs that destroy gardens. A garter snake is not harmful to people, and they like to be in the warm sun and near gardens. The diet of this snake will help you keep annoying and crop destroying pests away from the garden. Black snakes can also be attracted to the garden because of small rodents, and this is also true with poisonous snakes like copperheads.

Learn more: Do snakes come out in the rain?

The snake will come into your yard if there is a place where they can hide. They can hide under an old piece of plywood or in another shelter like a metal roofing panel or an old stump. Anything that can offer a safe place for the snake will work well. The snakes will also like to come to your place if there is a source of fresh water. A ground level birdbath or a small shallow fountain can attract snakes if it is accessible and has clean water.

The snakes will be more attracted to your garden if you do not use harmful chemicals. Going organic may increase the number of snakes in your garden. Using herbicides and harsh fertilizers may keep away snakes since they will also eliminate their food source. The snakes are attracted to places where there is well-aged manure, crop rotation and companion planting. The snakes’ activity in your yard will change according to the time of the year; you may not see too many snakes and other reptiles around during the winter months.

For more information about what attracts snakes to your yard or property, go to my Snake Removal - How to Get Rid of Snakes home page, and to learn how to keep them away, visit the How to Keep Snakes Away page.

Read more articles about snakes:
What is a snake’s natural diet, and how does it obtain its food?
Do snakes drink water?
Can snakes crawl up plumbing or toilets?
Plants that keep snakes away
Will a high pitch sound machine repel snakes?
Will a pest control company remove a snake