Snakes hate the scents of cinnamon oil, clove oil, and ammonia.
Venomous Texas Snakes
- Copperheads.
- Cottonmouths.
- Rattlesnakes.
- Coral Snakes.
Vinegar: Vinegar is effective at repelling snakes near bodies of water including swimming pools. Pour white vinegar around the perimeter of any body of water for a natural snake repellent. Snakes don't like the smell of the mixture and the fumes are also itchy on their skin.
For those of you in Timber Rattlesnake countrythey are protected under state law and it is ILLEGAL to kill a timber rattlesnake in Texas. If you are caught doing do, it comes with both criminal and civil penalties.
When the rainwater fills into the ground, then the snakes are forced to come out. The combination of the warm weather, rain and clouds makes the snake more active. Snakes like to eat amphibians, rats and mice, and since they come out mostly after the rain, then the snake will come out also.
Their coloration varies from dark brown or black to olive, banded brown or yellow. Their bellies are paler than their backs. Young water moccasins look different than adults.
If you encounter a venomous
snake in your yard,
take it seriously. The
snake should be removed to ensure that no one, including pets, gets hurt.
Encounters
- Leave the snake alone.
- Identify it by species.
- Continue to leave it alone so long as it is not venomous and not inside a house or building.
Snakes cannot tolerate extreme cold and will normally hibernate in the winter, emerging from their dens late February or early March in Texas. They also avoid extremely torrid conditions, confining their activity in hot climates to early morning, evenings, and night-time.
“Copperheads are relatively easy to identify from a safe distance though – no handling or close-ups required. Just look for the distinctive hourglass- or Hershey-kiss-shaped darker markings on a light brown or gray body.” Killing a snake is not only unnecessary but also could be illegal.
The saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) may be the deadliest of all snakes, since scientists believe it to be responsible for more human deaths than all other snake species combined. Its venom, however, is lethal in less than 10 percent of untreated victims, but the snake's aggressiveness means it bites early and often.
If you see a copperhead or any poisonous snake in your yard, gather up the kids and pets and retreat to the house immediately! Do not try and kill it on your own. In some areas animal control or the local fire department may help remove the offending critter.
States like Florida and Texas have a wide variety and large population of venomous snakes.
Copperheads live in a range of habitats, from terrestrial to semiaquatic, including rocky, forested hillsides and wetlands. They are also known to occupy abandoned and rotting wood or sawdust piles, construction sites and sometimes suburban areas.
The snakes may come out during the night especially when it is during the hot weather since the snakes will wait until night fall and they can delay the hunting up to the time that the environment is cool during evening. In the summer, the snake will be more active in the night or early in the morning.
The odors that threatened snakes give off run the gamut. The smells are often reminiscent of those of rotting animal carcasses. They generally depend on the specific variety of snake, however. Rattlesnakes (genera Sistrurus and Crotalus) emit odors that are intensely musky and strong.
There is no reason to handle a cotton mouth. Many people want to know how to kill a Cottonmouth snake, but you don't need to. The best way to get rid of Cottonmouths is to simply leave them alone. You can also use a Cottonmouth trap to catch them - that's one of the best ways for how to remove Cottonmouth snakes.
