Snakes

Snakes are an important part of our ecosystem! Reducing rodents, snails, insect larvae, centipedes, invertebrates and feeding hawks, eagles and kookaburras etc.
Never kill a snake, it's illegal, unless it's life threatening.
When you get the shovel or rake out and move towards it, to kill it, you're in its strike zone! Act defensively and let it leave!

Avoid em!

Be alert and aware: when walking and of your surroundings. Keep an eye out for snakes.
Luckily, most NSW snakes have very short teeth, often only a few millimetres long albeit venomous. So:
- Wear protective clothing such as: tough leather hiking boots, socks, gaiters and long pants (e.g. jeans) to reduce the risk of snake bites penetrating. Wear long sleeve shirts and tough leather gloves when picking up something from the ground.
Avoid walking in long grass.
Stamp your feet occasionally when walking, they sense vibration and they want to avoid large animals.
Most snake bites happen when people try to kill or capture them. Don’t panic if you come across a snake. Back away to a safe distance and let it move away. Snakes often want to escape when disturbed.

Keep your site clean: snakes are attracted to areas with food sources, such as rodents and insects. To reduce their presence, keep your site clean and free of debris, clutter, and especially food waste and egg shells. Dispose of food waste in green compost bins and egg shells separately, where available
Secure garbage and compost bins: snakes are attracted to food waste and compost, as insect/rodents scent trails to waste attracts them. Secure your garbage and compost bins with tight-fitting lids to reduce their attraction to your site. They love to hang about garbage and compost, ready to take up a snack.
Keep grass and vegetation short: snakes prefer areas with long grass and vegetation to hide in. Reduce their hiding places.
Remove potential hiding places: snakes can also hide in piles of leaves, logs, rocks, tarps, boards and debris. Never reach to the ground, use a rake to pull items towards you from a safe distance then pick them up in a clear area.
Seal entry points to vehicles, trailers, tents etc: snakes can enter low or ground level platforms. Always close doors and flaps to prevent their entry.

We've taken ecological steps to reduce the risk of snake interactions:

Keep all food waste in compost bins and garbage secured. Discourage rodents and insects!
Large and small bird perching points and tree limbs, bird waterers/feeders, bird seed and plants dispersed.
We favour dragonfly and insect hotel habitats, eat mozzies and also to feed smaller birds, which encourages larger birds and birds of prey.
We favour Kookaburras and birds of prey.
We favour black snakes, which theoretically reduce the browns. Red-bellied black snakes are "pretty chill", they just want to get away and studies show most bites occur from people picking them up or stepping on them.
We favour our onsite monitor lizard ('Bernie'), leave him alone and let him do his thing, he eats em.
Dedicated favourable snake habitats on the opposite end of the property
Keep grass perimeters short with open spaces
We've planted catnip on outer perimeters, for feral cats, which kill rodents, which reduce that food source in this area.

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