I found this at the Dept for Game and Fisheries website..
"Snakes will stay in an area only if appropriate food and
shelter are present. If you eliminate these, snakes will
leave. Thus, if you wish to discourage snakes from inhabiting
your yard, try the following:
1) Regularly mow your lawn short.
2) Eliminate hiding places for mice, rats, and other small
animals that would be food for snakes.
3) Remove snake shelter such as brush piles, thickets, and
lumber.
4) Reduce low shrubs where snakes can ambush their prey.
5) Do not leave out birdseed and pet food that attract prey
for snakes.
There is no government-approved chemical that will deter all
snakes from your yard. Products sold in stores primarily
contain sulfur, which washes away quickly and only deters a
few nonvenomous snakes. The only truly effective way to keep
snakes out of your yard is to encircle the entire area with a
solid four to five-foot fence made of slick material, buried a
foot in the ground. "
****************************************************
On another note, to deter slugs from our yard, we sprinkle
egg shells and salt. Salt will kill slugs; I don't know if it
is uncomfortable for snakes, but I wonder if there is
something you can cover the floor of your aviary with that
will be a hinderance for the snakes to slither over? Eggshells
work very well for the slugs. They cannot maneuver well while
getting pricked by the unstable and pointy shells.
**************************************************************
1996 - 2009. All Rights Reserved. Please review our Terms of Use, Mission Statement, and Privacy Policy.