Snakes as rodent control

[mirrimblackfox]

Its actually a fallacy that snakes only eat once a month. Depending on how warm it is, how active the snake is, and how large of pray they catch, changes the frequency of feedings up to several times a week. Cats are also very detrimental to small native bird populations (such as songbirds) since domestic cats are not native. Also smaller snakes, such as gardener snakes, will eat lots of slugs and such which makes them very valuable.

If your argument held, that snakes only ate once a month, then they would be making next to no impact on your egg take anyway.

Snakes that are native to your area should be left alone to continue with there lives, they eat mostly pests, and rats eat a lot more eggs then snakes do.

 

[makyhelobe]

So any suggestions on the best place to buy a rat snake? I'm in southern CA. I don't have a ton of land and only 3 chickens. But my neighbors slope (that no human being has more than looked at in 20 years) is overgrown and houses numerous rats. I want to release them along the fenceline neighboring his house. If they make it into his backyard, so be it.... I'd prefer not to spend much money on the snakes as they are only for rat control.

 

[kayzee]

I know this is an old post, but....my yard is full of darn feral cats, and I still have a mouse problem in the house....probably because they come in here to escape the cats. I can't HAVE a cat as I have a severe cat allergy and four small dogs, one of whom will attempt to kill any cat on sight. So I am weirdly intrigued by the rather insane idea of releasing a rat snake into my walls.....but my smallest dog is six pounds but small for her weight. Is there danger of a rat snake attacking a dog that size?

 

[BabyandCotton]

No , I believe not.
Also, as to the statement "Snakes only eat once a month" No. They are opportunist feeders, meaning that if food goes by, they'll eat it. But even with larger snakes , 5-6 ft, they eat once a week at the VERY LEAST. They, again, are opportunist feeders! Two snakes will demolish a small mouse population in about a week .

 

[Speckledfarmer]

Most of the snakes you find around a barn in the central US are king snakes, rat snakes, and corn snakes. King snakes are great because they are voracious eaters (I had one in the barn that would happily eat 4-6 mice per week) and will kill copperheads and smaller water moccasins in addition to rodents- so great if you live near water and worry about poisonous snakes. Corn snakes and rat snakes are also pretty hardy eaters, especially in the first few years when they are growing. Medium- large rat snakes can eat 3-4 rats or 4-6 mice a week.


The thing is, captive snakes aren't usually fed as often as they will eat. A wild snake will clean up an adult mice and nest of babies in one feeding, and they are hungry more often because they are burning more calories than a snake in a cage. PLUS, and this is the best part- snakes are a hypoallergenic addition to your barn yard. Unlike rodent dropping, which can cause feed to mold and spread disease- snake droppings and the skin that they shed don't spread dander or mold caused by urine. And they don't chew anything up.


Every couple of years I hear a mouse in the walls (old farm house), and I get a 3-5 ft rat snake and release it into the wall behind my washer/dryer. They'll live in the walls long enough to kill all the mice, and when there's nothing left to eat they make their way outside and follow the mice to the barn /img/smilies/thumbsup.gif

Curious, where do you get a rat snake?