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  you are in: ADVICE > FAQs > SNAKES > ENCOURAGING THEM 



Advice and Resources

Frequently Asked Questions about...

Snakes

How do I encourage snakes into my garden?

Quick answer
If you provide places to hunt, bask and shelter, local snakes may visit your garden.

Further information
Grass snakes enjoy similar habitats to amphibians so if you have frogs in the garden you may see grass snakes too. Try to maintain varying heights of vegetation, log/stone piles and a compost heap which can be used by both. Grass snakes feed primarily on amphibians and fish - if you have a pond then this will help to attract them.

Like all reptiles, snakes need places to bask, forage and hibernate. The types of features mentioned above, that are easily accessible from one another, all increase the chances of grass snakes visiting. If you have suitable habitats and the garden itself is accessible, they will probably appear at some point, though grass snake visits may be fleeting.

It is important to report your sightings to help build up local and national records of these declining species. Get in touch with the local Biological Records Centre and you local Amphibian and Reptile Group (ARG).

More on...
O Native snakes.
O Make your garden reptile-friendly.