@HankCowdog – do you know of any snake repellent recipes, etc.? Yesterday I watched a cute little cottonhead crawl under our booth at Scarborough, and we’d like to discourage him if it’s simple.
I put this out in here for the conversation.
A pet mongoose comes to mind.
2 Likes
Well, dang…
Are mongoose illegal in the US?
The Indian mongoose is easily tamed and is often kept as a pet and a destroyer of household vermin. Imported into the West Indies to kill rats, it destroyed most of the small, ground-living native fauna. Because of their destructiveness, it is illegal to import mongooses into the United States, even for zoos.
Repellent
—-
I know of no effective chemical/herbal repellents for venomous snakes. Many are sold, but they are more “snake oil” than “repellent”.
Mothballs, ultrasonics, et al are not effective, but as snakes are usually solitary and sneaky, many folks think they work after placing them since actually sightings are rare.
Repels elephants, too. 
FWIW mongoose urine is supposed to work.
Predator
—-
Find a suitable predator livestock like Guinea Hens/chickens/pigs?
(Cheaper than a mongoose).
Befriend a beneficial snake predator (king snake, bull snale) and fight fire with fire.
Habitat control
—-
Removing food and/or shelter can help:
Removing the food sources (mice, amphibians, et al) and/or removing the food sources’ food sources (grain, people food/refuse) is the best bet. I’ve seen copperheads in a lake overflow fishing for minnows before (in the Seis Lagos community near Lucas, TX).
Removing likely living/nesting/hiding places (loose rocks, leaf/limb piles, loosely stacked lumber/firewood and the like) can also help. Often easier said than done.
Removal by Humans
—-
There is a Facebook group called “what kind of snake is this. North Texas Educational Group.” If you locate/trap a venomous (or non-venomous) snake, they have a network of volunteers who will come out and relocate them. It’s also a fun group to see the many types of snakes in the area.
2 Likes
My quick Google Fu indicates that it varies by state. Many states outlaw them under exotic pet laws. Some states only outlaw certain species (This strikes me as very discriminatory).
-
Question: Is it legal to own a mongoose in Texas?
-
Answer: Maybe a cusimanse. Most mongooses are illegal in the country.*
Note you need a permit to own any wild animal and permits aren’t issued for just “Pets”
Apparently they stink and are considered an evasive species - Hawaii outlawed them as they went through local fauna with their voracious appetites.
But if I had severe Ophidiophobia (Fear of Snakes) I’d probably find a way to own one. They are at getting mice and rats and squirrels and opossums another things in the attic as discussed in other threads … so they sound almost ideal.
If you’ve ever been to St Croix, you’d understand why they are illegal. They are everywhere and native wildlife has suffered incredibly for it.
1 Like
This seems like a short-term issue for you (e.g., duration of the fair). Were it me, I’d just try to make my area a little less interesting/a little more annoying than other choices. If it were humans I was trying to repel, I’d hire a bother of children to hang around. In the case of snakes, for quick, easy, short-term solution I’d probably mix up a spray bottle of something unpleasant to them and keep a wet line around the perimeter I refreshed occasionally. Some suggestions here:
Probably any pungent, spicy, etc. concoction would work: garlic oil, lemon oil, cinnamon oil, peppermint oil, etc.
1 Like
Why would you just chase a snake off where it could later bite some little kid. Just get some cats out there to eat them while they are snack sized.
So Rikki-Tikki-Tavi?
2 Likes
Ferrets kill and eat snakes, too.
1 Like
Actually, I think most of the snakes dislike crowds. And if they’d bite the rug-rats a couple of booths down, that might be for the better. The resident cats may be helping to keep the population down. I’ve only seen 2 around our booth in… 10 years or so? It was just that this guy crawled under our front porch/demo bay. But we haven’t seen him again this weekend. With any luck he crawled off to some other place. Peppermint oil sounds fairly harmless. Folks might not even notice it over the strong aroma of kettle corn.
And both sightings were of young snakes. I’m not sure how old a 8-12" copperhead would be, but that the size of both snakes I’ve ever seen directly around our booth. Way too small to eat mice, unfortunately.
1 Like
I am willing to loan out Frank Burns for a couple of days if you need.
1 Like