Electronic snake repellers - anyone used them?

[Azza]

Anyone know anything about electronic snake repellers that are supposed to use sound to keep snakes away? They sound a bit dodgy, but after we found a baby brown in the house last night we figure they might be worth a look. Especially now the kids are old enough to roam the garden.

Has anyone tried them out?

http://www.snakerepellent.com.au/

http://www.oo.com.au/2-X-Snake-Repeller-Solar-Power_P113248.cfm?cm_mmc=Google-_-PLA-_-GardenLawn-_-GardenEquipment&CAWELAID=1173913632&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CK2-md6QwbUCFYlgpQodLmMAqQ

 

[WesternTiger]

No evidence what so ever that they work Azza. Keep your money.

Not much you can do mate. Keep the yard clean, keep your rodent population down and your lawns short (so you can see them when they are basking). Like us they don't like extreme heat and will come in side looking to keep cool. Just need to learn to live with them.

Out of interest what general area are you in and are you sure it was a brown?

 

[Wildcat]

Its not perfect but running a boundary ring of turpentine is always worth a shot. Need to top it up etc. But they don't like to pass over it, it irritates their skin. Just another option and less expensive. But as Western said keep the rodents down and lawns cut.

 

[kiwitiger]

No idea of the success with snakes but with mice and rats it has worked for us.

 

[Freezer]

I found the 'ignore' button did the job ok.

;D

 

[tigergollywog]

Anyone know anything about electronic snake repellers that are supposed to use sound to keep snakes away? They sound a bit dodgy, but after we found a baby brown in the house last night we figure they might be worth a look. Especially now the kids are old enough to roam the garden.

Has anyone tried them out?

http://www.snakerepellent.com.au/

http://www.oo.com.au/2-X-Snake-Repeller-Solar-Power_P113248.cfm?cm_mmc=Google-_-PLA-_-GardenLawn-_-GardenEquipment&CAWELAID=1173913632&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CK2-md6QwbUCFYlgpQodLmMAqQ

No idea about the repeller Azza but a couple of suggestions. Browns are a worry with kids: The only snake i worry about. Even if you survive a bite, your organs will be stuffed. Ive got heaps off them, heres a few tips:

- Bird netting (for orchards) - the snake uses it to shed its skin and get stuck. You can then relocate (to brown snakey heaven if you are that way inclined)
- Guinea Fowls - a natural snake repellant. Work a treat,. They are super territorial and will go nuts if a snake comes around. The snakes get the idea and stay away. The trade off is, their high pitched, incessant "BuckWheat" call will drive you nuts also and you may end up in a psychiatric institution, which will be full of snakes, real and imaginary.
- a shotgun. It is of course illegal to kill native wildlife and I am not condoning this methodology. However, if it the choice between your kids all stunted and on dialisis long term, or a dead snake, most would choose the later if push came to shove. Browns are territorial and so you would only have to reiterate that your house is your territory once or twice and a shooting iron can do this very safely and effectively. It is also legally (and morally IMO) justifiable to kill native wildlife if you or your families safety is threatened.

To summarize, I let all snakes slither on by as a rule. I love them. However, the brown is a different beast IMO, especially when you have little kids. They are favoured by cleared habitat and IMO, their populations elevated in areas by rats and mice. The brown is fast and aggressive and darn toxic. In my experience, when a brown gets to 2m (pretty much their maximum), they dont have any predators and become very self assured and will stand their ground.

 

[evo]

 

[tigerdave]

Tenterfield Terrier's are brilliant hunters and a great pet for the kiddie's OR a shotgun!

 

[tigersnake]

Tenterfield Terrier's are brilliant hunters and a great pet for the kiddie's OR a shotgun!

I love Tenterfield Terriers. And Guinea Fowls.

 

[tigerdave]

I love Tenterfield Terriers. And Guinea Fowls.

Yep! i have two brothers.Great dogs.

No guinea fowls though. ;D

 

[tigergollywog]

I love Tenterfield Terriers. And Guinea Fowls.

T.Terriers are rippers on rats and snakes. jack russels too. The downside is the kids fall in love with them and then they take on a brown who is a bit too big and fast and they last about 2 minutes. Ive got a wire haired jack russell who is the perfect dog. he eats stuff all, kills rats like a machine and will put himself between a brown snake and the kids. weve had him 5 years, which is about 4 years longer than i thought hed last the way he takes on browns. hes smart though, he will stay well away from anything over about 1m.

Guinea Fowls are like living Leunig cartoons, but ultimately you will try and kill them with a shovel one Sunday morning when you are hung over.

On balance, I would say a terrier and a shoty is the best snake deterrent system on the market

 

[Azza]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

We keep the lawn short for the reasons suggested, but I have to admit the garden beds have got out of control and are probably prime snake territory now. Should get onto them. We filled in all the water features in the yard when we bought the place about 5 years ago as well, hoping the lack of frogs would provide a bit of disincentive.

The tiddler I mentioned in the OP is actually the first live snake I've seen on the property, despite generally stomping around it all the time, clearing ti-tree thickets, spraying blackberries and thinning reeds out of the dams. There was a dead copperhead near the dam one year, but that was it. The other half has seen a few tho, including a couple of browns very near the house.

The guineafowl are an option. I had to knock-off our roosters because they were keeping the wife awake, but if they're going to do a job on snakes, I reckon she'd relent. The dog is an excellent suggestion. We'd been meaning to get one when the kids were a bit older. Could be just the right time. I haven't heard of turpentine. It would work on the small kids play area, but the yard is too big to barricade off.

Funny you should show that evo - I actually tried a reverse Barry White once when the wife spotted a brown near the back door. Took a big speaker out the back, faced it to the ground, and put on Deep Purple with maxed volume and bass. Dunno if it did anything, but it was pretty satisfying.

No evidence what so ever that they work Azza. Keep your money.

Not much you can do mate. Keep the yard clean, keep your rodent population down and your lawns short (so you can see them when they are basking). Like us they don't like extreme heat and will come in side looking to keep cool. Just need to learn to live with them.

Out of interest what general area are you in and are you sure it was a brown?

We're in Panton Hill in the outer northeast of Melbourne WT. We should have browns, tigers, copperheads, and whitelipped elapids. It wasn't a whitelipped,and I think the house is too far from the dams and creek to be a copperhead, so I reckon either a brown or a tiger. According to the museum website the one we found may have been a bit too small to be a brown, so perhaps a tiger?

Sorry for the cr@p pic -

 

[WesternTiger]

Looks like a neonate tiger Azza. Sorry to tell you but tigers have litters of up to 30 young.

Juvenile browns are generally lighter in colour and often have a dark head and collar on the nape. Really just need to be vigilant and do what I suggested.

And just to let you know the guy who took most of the reptile photos on the museum website just lives down the road from you!

Good luck and in all honesty mate dont stress over it.

 

[Wildcat]

You could also try lime around the kids play area. That or turps. Strong oder to snakes. Lived near the grampians as a kid and it worked well. My boss is kangaroo ground n still recomends turps. Keeps their pool n grandkids play areas safe.

 

[tigergollywog]

Thats the littlest snake ive ever seen azza. Maybe a pair of tweezers would do your job :hihi. Honestly, i cant recommend a wire haired jack russell highly enough. ive had a few dogs and this is twice as good as the next best in every respect. On snakes, rats and loyalty to your kids, you will be in awe. Good luck.

 

[Rosy]

Not a fan of using dogs for snake protection. The snake eventually ends up winning. Our local dog obedience club has lost 3 dogs this summer. There have also been several others in the area. Cats are probably better than dogs. Our cat was bitten several times but lives into her 20s when she was eventually killed by a wild cat. Cats go into shut down mode when bitten and are far more likely to survive. I wouldn't advocate using any animal that's likely to have a go at a snake as protection.

I have dog friends who swear by the repellers saying they haven't seen a snake since they got them. Whether they would have seen any without them will never be known. Know one person who had a snake curled up near a repeller. Snake lovers will all tell you they do nothing. They probably wouldn't hurt trying for the sake of a couple of hundred bucks but I wouldn't be lulled into a false sense of security by them. I make a lot of noise and bang the ground when I take the dogs out before they go to bed (inside). No doubt snakes will retreat if they have a choice.

There is snake mesh that they can't get through but you'd have to be careful there are no gaps at all or they'll find a way in. I'm tempted to try that but it would be very expensive with our big yard. Will put it around the kennels though. It's better than the fine black bird net they get caught in. That's a slow. cruel way to die.

With kids you just have to be vigilant. Keep an eye on them and teach them not to poke their hands where they can't see.

We usually have several snakes in our yard each year. Browns and tigers. I like snakes but aren't willing to share my yard with them. If they hang around they get relocated permanently. In the paddocks, down the creek or at the dam they are in their territory and free to do their own thing.

I have rellies with guinea fowl in Qld and they also have heaps of pythons around so not sure about that one either.

I had a wire haired jack Russell too. Not a fan of little dogs but he really found his way into our hearts. He was an absolute character but my German Shepherd *smile* was better at alerting us to snakes. Thankfully she usually finds them while looking out the window. A brown struck at her once but thankfully the venom drops stayed on her nose rather than penetrate.

Bloody things...just wish they'd keep out of the yard and we'd get on fine.

Oh and a word of warning...brown snakes love curling up in compost bins.

Oh and another oh...I wouldn't judge what type of snake it is by the size Azza. That could depend on it's age. We've had small tigers and browns and we've had very long ones too.

Another oh..snakes aren't only a rural problem. A friend got bitten by one in the centre of Mansfield recently.

 

[Azza]

Thats the littlest snake ive ever seen azza. Maybe a pair of tweezers would do your job

:hihi It's a regular beast, isn't it?

Looks like a neonate tiger Azza. Sorry to tell you but tigers have litters of up to 30 young.

Juvenile browns are generally lighter in colour and often have a dark head and collar on the nape.

I figure if they have 30 young, it means that nature intends about 28 of those to become kookaburra-tucker before they get much bigger!

It actually did have a collar, it just doesn't show on that pic. I'll see if I can organise a vid -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBs8FOVqaqs

You could also try lime around the kids play area. That or turps. Strong oder to snakes. Lived near the grampians as a kid and it worked well. My boss is kangaroo ground n still recomends turps. Keeps their pool n grandkids play areas safe.

I reckon lime and snake netting around the kids play area could well be the go. Turps could be a pain to maintain. Thanks for the suggestion.

Not a fan of using dogs for snake protection. The snake eventually ends up winning. Our local dog obedience club has lost 3 dogs this summer. There have also been several others in the area. Cats are probably better than dogs. Our cat was bitten several times but lives into her 20s when she was eventually killed by a wild cat. Cats go into shut down mode when bitten and are far more likely to survive. I wouldn't advocate using any animal that's likely to have a go at a snake as protection.

It was actually our damn cats that brought the snake inside we think Rosy. They have an outdoor run and are always bringing skinks in to mangle and leave scattered around the house.

I agree with you on live and let live as far as snakes go. If they stay outside the yard, I'm quite happy for them to go about their business.

The size thing was more the size of neonates - browns are bigger at birth according to the museum info. I'm not too fussed about the type from a danger point of view, just curious about this little feller. We already know we've had adult browns around the house.

It's a fine balance with kids and snakes. You don't want them so terrified they'll do something silly, but you don't want them too casual either. My wife had a crack at the ABC for showing Bindy Irwin with snakes continually draped around her neck. Not a good lesson for youngsters in Australia.

BTW we put this one in the reserve across the road. It's probably been eaten by something by now.

 

[RemoteTiger]

We had a couple of Browns a year come into the playground at our son's school - the janitor put a few of those snake repellers around and we haven't had one since.

For what it is worth we do not know if it is the repellers or the thousand feet stamping on the ground at play time that keeps them away. Either way the School Principal is much happier.....

 

[Rosy]

Lime is pretty toxic to have around kids. Not sure how effective it would be anyway.

[youtube=560,315]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAYqDCLW0NI[/youtube]

 

[Azza]

Lime is pretty toxic to have around kids. Not sure how effective it would be anyway.

Thanks Rosy - the magic of youtube. I guess it might discourage them tho, if it weren't a matter of escaping from somthing.