New to the world of snakes. New to this forum so i hope I’m asking in the right place.
I am a dairymen in California with a rat issue. I’m wondering if snakes would be a good option.
I’ve got a lot of big rats. Do i need big snakes? Type of snake? The farm is roughly 100 acres. How many snakes would be fitting to set loose in that area?
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I can’t offer any advice on this, but rather 2 warnings:
- Please do not release any non native species! There is no way to keep them on your property, and you could accidentally start a nasty ecological chain reaction if the snakes breed and overtake native species.
- Depending on the native species in your area, you might need a permit to even OWN them, let alone release them: for the most part releasing pet trade animals into the wild, even a native species, are prohibited, since it may introduce new illnesses/parasites, etc into the wild population, again causing issues.
Maybe you can hire a terrier group to come in? I’m not sure if its common in the US as most videos I see are from the UK, but there are professionals who bring in rat terriers/weasels/ferrets/minks and can decimate the rat population over a few sessions.
This would be the same (ish) idea as snakes, but rather more efficient - snakes only eat one rat every so often, I’ve seen these hired groups take out 1000+ rats per session.
Same idea, no use of poisons or other environmental harms, while also avoiding the issues with releasing domestic stock animals into the wild
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I wouldn’t set any snakes loose as they could negatively impact the local environment. They may eat more than just rats. Plus, its bad for the snake as its a new environment they are not native to.
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Jumping in here from the start as a Mod to note that we (the Admins, Mods, and Support teams) will not allow for any conversations in this thread that advocate for the release any non-native wildlife
There will be no further warnings after this
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I’d definitely recommend a ratting dog. Idk about California laws but in Texas where I live it is VERY illegal to release domestic animals back into the wild, let alone the ethical side of it…
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Administrative duty out of the way…
There is no real sustainable way for snakes to make an impact on a large rodent infestation. As previously noted, the average predation rate of the snakes will simply not be sufficient to keep up with the huge reproductive rate that rodents have
That said, you can safely encourage snakes native to your area to feel more comfortable around your property by providing they type of cover and habitats they prefer. Downsides there are that: 1) those same type of cover/habitats tend to be enjoyed by rodents as well and 2) you have no ability to select for the species you want so you might attract a rattlesnake just as easy as you might attract a king snake and I am guessing you would prefer to not have the former lurking around your property
The only viable “release” option I could see for you would be to speak to a local (as in your town/city/county level local and nothing further) snake/pest relocation service and offer to let them drop off local wild snakes that they have removed from other people’s properties. And again, you are just as (if not more) likely to end up with rattlesnakes this way because people tend to want them gone a lot more that the more benign species
You best option is, as has been noted by the others above, it a ratting dog service. Another possibility might be to talk to any local falconry clubs to see if they might want to come out and train on your property, but I do not know how much of an impact that might have on infestation-level rodent populations
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Also as a bonus, ratting dogs LOVE their job, so you’d be providing some great enrichment for some very good pups!
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Thank you to everyone’s input and guidance. I will move on to other alternatives.
Hey unless this is a joke (I have trouble with tone via text) please DO NOT DO THAT.
Again, even if it just one snake, releasing it is an environmental issue for all the reasons listed above! Also one single snake is going to do nothing for the rat population, even if it is a large snake.
Also, being born in Cali doesn’t mean it is a native species - a quick Google search didn’t show me that Cali has native pythons (though I could be wrong), so this is an even worse idea that releasing a CBB native species, which is still a terrible and likely illegal idea.
You’re also never getting that snake back if you release it, which is mostly bad for the environment, but also an issue for you as an owner because there goes your pet
I’d like if @t_h_wyman could chime in on this in case I am incorrect in any of these points, both from an environmental standpoint or MM regulations standpoint
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