How do I get rid of garter snakes near my front door?

Question

I understand that garter snakes are pretty much harmless, however I have 2 or 3 garter snakes that are pretty much living at the entrance to my house. Each morning when I leave for work, I peek out the door and see either a head sticking out from the siding of my house, or half of the snake's body sitting there on my step. when i start to move out, the snake just backs into the spot where it is apparently living. I have put moth balls there and it doesn't seem to faze them. I have a 2 year old daughter and I fear her getting bit. Any advice on how to get rid of them?

Answer 1

THEY HAVE TINY TEETH, AND CAN'T REALLY HURT HER. THEY MAY SCARE HER, BUT IF YOU TELL HER THEY CAN'T HURT HER, MAYBE SHE'LL UNDERSTAND.

Answer 2

you might want to put on some protective working gloves and grab them quikly as possible and throw them in the pillow case and then tie the pillow case very tightly and you can either sell them to the pet store if they except it or just release them in to the desert if you live close to any desert or just throw them into a mountain and then get rid of anything that might attract them or help them live there and to make sure your daughter doesn't get bit make sure she doesn't go into any bushes or shrubs near to the snakehole and tell her not to lift any rocks(also with scorpions) and never let her go into snake holes or prairie dog holes(some snakes waits in the entrence to attack

Answer 3

The only reason I can think of them hanging out is for food. Many people have lights outside by the front door of their house. This attracts moths and other bugs at night. This in turn attracts toads and tree frogs, both food sources of garter snakes. I've found many toads outside my front door and I live in a very urban area. Garter snakes primarily eat fish and frogs, as well as worms. So my theory is basically they are finding food by your front door. And mothballs is more of a myth than anything when it comes to repelling snakes. Lastly, the only way your daughter would get bit is if she picked one up.

Answer 4

Sprinkle moth balls around the area that you don't want them in...they really don't like the odor and will avoid that area

Answer 5

u have 2 choices personally i would pick choice 1 =)

choice 1 be a friendly guy

build a habitat for them somewhere further away from ur house, dig a little ditch fill with water and grow some plants there so that its a swamp like environment, take the snakes and put them there so that it'll be there new home, be sure to put some holes for hiding places and such or u can just take them to a swamp

choice 2

what those other people said, stick with choice 1 though its more friendly and such