Help me save the snakes in my yard!

Long story short, there is a high level of lead in the soil of our yard, and the city is arranging to have it all ripped up and replaced with new sod. Hurray, new grass!

There is one problem, though.

We have a patch of small evergreen plants that have been a utopia for garter snakes every year, and they are scheduled to be ripped up along with the yard. It's at the peak of the season, and the place is overrun with garters.

So basically, I'm looking for a nice (preferably home-made) snake repellent to get these guys out of my yard before construction day! I have the option of catching some by hand and releasing them either nearby or after contstruction is done, but I could only get a fraction of them.

I have heard of mothballs as a repellent, but I've also read sources saying they're useless. What can I do to save these guys?

I don't know the answer to your question, but if I were you I'd catch as many as I could to re-release. Do you get to save your evergreen plants and replant? Then you could release the snakes and at least have a shot at them re-establishing there.

I vaguely remember someone on my tortoise list saying something made them come out of their burrows- some noisy equipment, but I can't remember what it was. I wonder if you could scare them away with vibrations of something.

Nanci

The stuff they sell here in Florida is petroleum based. My dad used it to discourage a black racer from returing to underneath his shed. That was three years ago and we haven't seen it since? I'll try and find out exactly what it is.

Nanci said:

I don't know the answer to your question, but if I were you I'd catch as many as I could to re-release. Do you get to save your evergreen plants and replant? Then you could release the snakes and at least have a shot at them re-establishing there.

Nanci

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The owner of the house has decided not to keep the evergreens, so that's not an option. I'd probably release them in a neighbors yard (they don't mind.) even though without the evergreens around they're more likely to get picked off by cats.

It sucks.

Have you tried contcting your local humane society, herp society and/or wildlife society or similar organisations for help?

I am contacting my herp society about it, but I know my humane society doesn't know jack about reptiles and probably wouldn't care.

It's been suggested to me to use kingsnake sheds, which I have some of. What do you guys think?