There’s a snake in my garden. Is it dangerous to my kids?

Until someone who knows local snakes has told you what it is, treat it as dangerous. That is not because every snake is, it is because you cannot tell from a description, a blurry photo or a guess online, and the cost of being wrong falls on a child or a dog. Keep everyone back, keep an eye on where it goes, and call your local animal control or a licensed snake catcher.

And if your instinct is to leave it alive, that is the right instinct. It is also the safer one for you.

If anyone is bitten: call your emergency number straight away, even if the bite looks small and the snake might be harmless. Keep the person still and calm, take off rings, watches and tight clothing near the bite, and follow what the operator tells you. Do not cut, suck or tie off the bite, and do not try to catch the snake. If a pet is bitten, go to a vet at once.

What to do right now

1. Bring children and pets inside, or onto a lead and well away from the spot. Shut the door or gate between them and the snake.
2. Step back slowly. Give the snake plenty of room and a clear way out. Snakes bite to defend themselves, mostly when they are cornered, stepped on or handled.
3. Take a photo only from a safe distance. Use the zoom. Do not get closer for a better shot, and do not poke it to make it move.
4. Watch where it goes, from a window if you can. A catcher will want to know whether it left or went under the shed.
5. Call for help. Local animal control, the council or municipality, a wildlife rescue or a licensed snake catcher. In some countries the police or fire service will give you the right number.

Often the snake is just passing through and moves on. That is good news, but it does not tell you whether it was dangerous. Keep the photo for the expert.

Why killing it is not the safe option

A lot of people, gardeners included, believe the safe thing is to kill a snake on sight. It feels decisive. But trying to kill, catch or move a snake puts you within striking distance of an animal that is now fighting for its life, and that is when many bites happen. A snake left alone with a way out will usually take it.

There is the law too. Many snakes, venomous or not, are protected in many countries, and killing or moving one can be an offence. If someone working at your home wants to kill it, ask them to stop and wait for animal control. You are within your rights to say no.

Can I find out what it is?

Yes, from people who know the snakes where you live: a snake catcher, a local wildlife body or a natural history museum. Send them a clear photo and say roughly how long it was and where you are. Patterns vary, young snakes can look different from adults, and some snakes that are not dangerous look very like ones that are, so do not rely on a colour chart or one answer online.

Even when an expert says it is a harmless species, keep the same habits: no handling, no cornering, children fetch an adult. Our snakes guide has more on living alongside them.

Should I feed it, or keep it around?

Do not feed a wild snake. It teaches it to stay near your house and your people. And do not count on one kind of snake to keep another away: snakes come for food and shelter, not to guard your garden.

What does help is making the garden less useful to them: shorter grass, fewer hiding spots, fewer rodents. We set that out step by step in how to make your garden less inviting to snakes. Skip the mothballs and plug-in gadgets: they do not keep snakes away, and mothballs are a poison risk to children and pets.

Before the kids go back out

• Teach one rule: see a snake, stand still, then back away slowly and fetch an adult. No touching, even a dead one.
• Shoes on in long grass, and a torch after dark.
• Dogs on a lead near cover for a while. Curious dogs get bitten on the face and legs.
• Save the numbers for animal control, a snake catcher and your nearest vet in your phone today.