If you happen to come across a snake in your house or garden the first thing to do is to resist the urge to attack it with a broom or stick or any other form of stick for that matter. Snakes can jump quite high and strike you just as well as if they were on the ground. Sometimes if the snake is in the house they may be on a slippery floor surface that reduces it’s ability to move efficiently. If this is the case the best thing to do is to place a heavy object like a big book on top of it. This will limit it’s ability to move still further. Be careful though. Use the book as a shield in approaching the snake.

Please note that I do not advocate killing snakes if you have any way of calling a trained expert to remove it. Snakes are a necessary part of the environment and play a vital role in controlling certain species. Only if you have no other option available to you should you consider killing it.

It is always a very advisable to find out about distinguishing non venomous snakes from the venomous ones in your area so that you don’t kill the non venomous ones by mistake. It is of the utmost importance not to kill non venomous snakes because they actually control the population of venomous snakes by actively preying on them.

If you have decided that there is no alternative other than to kill the venomous snake the next thing to do is to either chop it in two with a long handled, broad bladed garden hoe. I still say it’s best to call the PDSA and get them to send an expert out to collect the snake if at all possible. Usually they will catch it and release it somewhere far away from human habitat.

If the Snake is found in a drawer or somewhere difficult to access leave it alone, move all family members away from the immediate area and most of all do not attempt to interact with it at all. Call the PDSA, or RSPCA, and get them to collect it. If they do not have a snake catcher they will contact a trusted professional snake catcher.

If you come across a venomous snake in the garden the first thing to do is to get everyone away from it. If you actually do need to kill it, do this with a long handled, broad edged hoe simply chopping the snake in half as previously stated. Other tactics include spraying it from a distance with a high pressure hose or opening the garden sprinklers. This will have the effect of ‘persuading’ the snake to leave the area.

The thing to do after that is to find out why the snake came to your area. Do you keep rodents or birds? Are there birds nesting in your garden or in the eves of your house? Do you have a rodent problem on the house or garden. Note that in places like the USA this can be problematic because animals like chipmunks and squirrels are everywhere. Snakes, however, like mice and rats and other small rodents. Again in places like the USA, where buildings are mainly made out of timber, rodents often find easy shelter in the space between the outside and inside walls. If you hear scratchings or find evidence of mouse trails in your kitchen, get an expert to solve the problem. Remember, No mice, No snakes.

A mouse can get through a hole the width of a pencil with no problem at all. Make sure there are no holes in your walls. Fill them immediately. High pitched sound devices are now becoming a popular way to discourage vermin from entering our home. Evidence shows that there is some proof to this claim. Having one installed can be a good idea. Remember snakes always follow their food source.

Snakes do not take any active interest in humans and all contact between them and us in merely coincidental. The threat of snake bite is quite remote exactly for this reason. If, however, somebody in your vicinity is bitten it is important to establish the following procedure; move the person to a safe place and keep them calm. Establish what kind of snake bit the person. If you can safely kill it for identification, do so. If not, make a mental note of it’s markings. Call the emergency services to evacuate the wounded person or evacuate them yourself if they are not critically ill. Meeting the ambulance on the way is another good option. Keep calm and keep the patient calm.