Having birdhouses on your property will help you to see more birds than usual. It can be a lot of fun to encourage birds to come to your yard.
You might be a bird enthusiast who loves bird-watching as a hobby. Or you could simply appreciate the beauty of the birds casually.
Either way, it’s going to be frustrating when snakes wind up occupying the birdhouses instead. Is there anything you can do to stop this?
Read on to learn about keeping snakes away from birdhouses. This will show you exactly what you need to do to get good results.
1 – Choose a Better Location for the Birdhouse
Choosing a better location for the birdhouse is a great place to start. Many make the mistake of putting birdhouses on trees or fences.
These locations will be rather easy for snakes to access. They can slither up the tree or the fence and enter the birdhouse.
It’d be better to mount a birdhouse on a pole in the middle of the yard somewhere. While it’s still possible that a snake could enter the birdhouse, it’ll likely think twice about doing so since the birdhouse is so out in the open.
You can combine this advice with the next thing that you’ll learn about to get good results. It’s also possible to deter snakes by placing hardware cloth on the ground near the pole.
This is a type of wire mesh that is coated with plastic that snakes won’t like. It could be enough to keep snakes from wanting to slither up the pole to get to the birdhouse.
When choosing a pole for the birdhouse, it’s best to pick something that is at least four feet high. Some might want the birdhouse to be slightly higher than this, but it’s up to you to pick a good pole.
You could easily use a plumbing pipe or you could buy a pole that’s specifically meant for birdhouses from a retail store. Either way, just make sure that it’s tall enough and don’t forget to place the hardware cloth on the ground to further deter snakes.
2 – Keep the Lawn Trimmed and Get Rid of Debris Piles
Keeping the lawn trimmed will make it harder for snakes to stay in your yard. Snakes hide from predators by lurking in tall grass.
There are other places they like to hide, too. It’s common for snakes to hide in piles of leaves and old pieces of wood.
If you clean your yard regularly, snakes won’t have as many hiding spots. It’ll make it harder for them to sneak up to a birdhouse when it’s placed on a pole in the middle of the yard.
Simply maintaining the lawn and doing your best to keep piles of leaves, brush, and other such things to a minimum will help. You should have far fewer instances of snakes occupying the birdhouses on your property.
3 – Try Using an Old Slinky
Do you have any old Slinky toys sitting around that you don’t need any longer? Surprisingly, this old toy is going to help you to keep snakes away from the birdhouse.
This is another popular method for keeping snakes from being able to climb up poles. You can stretch a slinky out and place it around the pole.
The presence of the Slinky makes it impossible for the snake to climb up the pole in the same way that it normally would. In most cases, this should deter the snake from even trying to climb up the pole.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that this little trick works nicely. If you have a Slinky that you can utilize, it’s a good idea to give this a shot to protect your birdhouse from snakes.
Of course, this will only work if you use a pole that is small enough for a Slinky to fit around it. Some might use plumbing pipes that are slightly too thick for this method.
4 – Install Snake Guards
Another option involves installing snake guards on the birdhouses. It can keep snakes from having an easy time entering birdhouses, but it might not completely stop them.
Snake guards are designed to make it tough for snakes to get inside the birdhouses. Birds still have no trouble entering the birdhouse.
Smaller snakes might have an easier time working their way around precautions such as this. Even so, it’s likely worthwhile to use snake guards.
Many people say that they work nicely and they aren’t overly expensive either. If you want to protect the birds, it’s something that can make a difference even if it won’t guarantee the safety of the birds.
5 – Cone Guards
Cone guards are cone-shaped objects that you can place on the pole. Essentially, it creates a challenge for snakes that are looking to climb up the pole to get to the birdhouse.
You can place these cones so the point is pointing toward the birdhouse. It isn’t impossible for snakes to climb poles that are using these cone guards, but it will make it tougher for them.
It would take longer for a snake to make it to the birdhouse. Some birdhouse enthusiasts say that this is a good solution when paired with a standard snake guard.
Just know that it won’t guarantee the safety of the birds. Also, many say that this isn’t as good as placing a Slinky around the pole.
Do Birdhouses Attract Snakes?
Snakes will be drawn to locations where birds are nesting. They eat birds and the eggs they produce.
So in a way, birdhouses will attract snakes. You just have to take steps to protect the birds if you want to have birdhouses on your property.
Final Thoughts
Now you know how to protect your birdhouses from snakes. It’s normal for snakes to want to eat birds and bird eggs.
They need to survive and you shouldn’t begrudge snakes for what comes naturally to them. Having snakes near your home can be useful in some ways.
The snakes might eat rodents and that can be handy for keeping mice out of your home. You can protect birdhouses without doing harm to snakes.
Try putting the birdhouse on a pole in the middle of the yard. Keep the grass trimmed and get rid of piles of wood, leaves, and other types of debris where snakes might hide.
If you put a Slinky around the pole, the snake shouldn’t be able to climb up to reach the birdhouse. You can also try using snake guards and cone guards.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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