The first sign of a snake in your backyard can be a hole they are living in. Finding a hole and seeing a snake slither into is anxiety inducing for most people, particularly those with young children and pets.
It’s no wonder you want to get the snake out of the hole.
There are different ways in which you can get a snake out of a hole in the ground. These include putting or pouring something down the hole.
In this guide, I will explain what you can pour down a snake hole, but I will not advocate killing a snake as I believe they should be left alone.
Some people will tell you to pour gas or bleach down a snake hole. Please don’t do this, and I will explain why if you read on.
What can I pour down a snake hole?
Lower down the page I’ve got tips on how to identify a snake hole, but if you’re 100% sure it’s a snake in the hole, here’s what you could put down it.
Before you do this though, I don’t recommend you get rid of the snake. They are amazing at keeping pests and rodents at bay in your backyard. But if you really do want to put something down the snake hole, here are some humane methods.
1. Pour “Snake B Gon” or similar repellent down the snake hole
Buy a human snake repellent and then liberally pour or put the granules down the snake hole. Snakes don’t like the smell and aroma of products like this and will seek a new place to nest and hibernate.
You can buy Snake B Gon on Amazon. It’s safe for people, pets, and plants in your backyard. You will need to pour more down the snake hole every 30 days until satisfied the reptile has gone.
2. Put compacted soil or stone down the snake hole
Make sure that there is no snake home, and then push and put compacted soil or stones into the snake hole. Push it down hard with the heel of your boot until the soil is as hard as the lawn in your backyard.
The reason stone and compacted soil is good to put down a snake hole is because snakes are not good diggers. In fact, the hole you are seeing was unlikely to be originally dug by a snake, but perhaps something like a chipmunk instead.
Snakes cannot dig through compacted soil, so if you pack it down a hole, or pour stone in the snake hole, it’s unlikely the reptile will be able to dig down back in again.
Handy Hint: Here’s how to tell if it’s a chipmunk or snake living in the hole in your backyard.
3. Put steel wool down the snake hole
Another tip to get snakes out of holes, or going into holes, is steel wool. Snakes can’t get past or chew through it, so you can push it down the snake hole until you can push it no more.
As with before, wait until the snake has left the hole before putting steel wool in it, and never reach into the hole, a cornered snake will bite.
There’s a specialist steel wool on Amazon designed to stop critters.
4. Flush the snake hole out with water
Another humane way to get a snake out of a hole in the ground is water. You can try setting up a hose near the hole and letting the water run into it.
When it’s water that you pour down a snake hole, be aware that it will only work if the hole is not the access point to a large warren that perhaps a chipmunk has made. When snakes inhabit holes made by chipmunks, it could have multiple chambers, holes, and even be 10 meters in length so might not work.
Here’s a video showing how you can pour water down a snake hole with a little patience.
Those are my four tips for what you can put down a snake hole in your backyard. Note that they are all humane, and don’t involve killing the snake, which is what gas and bleach can do… but more about those in the FAQs lower down.
Next though, you can also get a snake out of a hole in the ground with other humane methods as well.
How to get a snake out of a hole in the ground
Snakes love living in holes because they are warm and safe places to hide or hibernate in. But, in 99% of cases, it won’t be a snake that made the hole. Snakes are not good at digging holes, so will instead inhabit a hole or tunnel dug by another creature.
It could be that you don’t have snakes in your backyard, and don’t need to pour or put anything down what you think is a snake hole. It could be a different critter altogether.
Regardless, what you can do once you suspect the snake has left the hole, is stop them going down it again. Ways to do this include:
- Moving a rock over the snake hole.
- Covering the snake hole with netting, wire, or burlap.
If none of these work, and you are worried about the snake, call a professional pest control company who can get it out of the hole humanely and take it to a better habitat.
FAQs
Can you pour bleach down a snake hole?
Yes, you can pour bleach down a snake hole, but it’s inhumane and could kill the snake. The bleach is also like to harm the ecosystem of your backyard or garden.
If you were to pour bleach down a snake hole, it could rid you of the snake either because the snake hates the smell, or because it kills it.
Neither should be done.
Some snakes are protected so you could be breaking the law.
Above all though, it’s simply cruel, so find something better to put down the snake hole than bleach, or as I would, just leave the snake be.
Does pouring gas in a snake hole work?
As before, yes, you can pour gas in a snake hole, and the chances are that it will work. It will either kill the snake or make them exit the hole very quickly in a panic.
But it’s inhumane, so please don’t do it.
There’s also the consideration that by pouring gas in a snake hole, you’re poisoning the earth in your backyard. This contamination can not only kill other creatures, but also mean you can’t grow things in your yard.
And of course, any time you play with gas or petrol, there’s a safety risk, just as there is when you take bleach pour down a snake hole.
How to tell if it’s a snake hole
Before you panic and start pouring gas in a snake hole, just pause and try to ascertain whether there’s even a snake in there. If you’ve not seen a snake, it could be a mole, squirrel, chipmunk, or rat.
You can usually see signs of snakes digging holes including after they have shed their skin. You will find a snakeskin in your yard near the hole.
Another thing to look for is snake feces. It will be black or dark brown, and either in a smear or a small and solid log shape. Their poop also tends to have a chalky white cap on the end.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve found this helpful, but if I can finish on one point, it’s this: just leave the snake alone. They are an essential part of the ecosystem of your backyard and will do more good than harm.
Snakes will get rid of chipmunks, rats, and bugs, all of which can play havoc in your backyard and destroy so much hard work you’ve already put in.
Unless you have a dangerous and venomous snake in a hole, leave it. Species like garter snakes are great in backyards as they will hunt down all the critters that are eating your plants.
And of course, if it is a large venomous snake, don’t put anything down the snake hole, but instead let the professionals deal with it.
Snakes are a great addition to any backyard, and more often than not are so shy that they will hide away in their hole from you, your kids, and your pets.
Pouring anything down a snake hole to kill a snake is pointless, cruel, and helps nobody, particularly you.