Owls are known for being natural predators. But people can not use real owls to scare away animals as owls can not be petted. That is why plastic replicas of owls are famous as a scaring method.
Today, we are going to discuss and find out whether fake owls keep snakes away or not.
Do fake owls keep snakes away?
Fake owls are not a proven snake repellent product and fail to keep snakes away. Hanging plastic replicas of fake owls does not deter snakes away from one’s property and garden. It is wise to use natural snake repellent products rather than relying on gimmick products.
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Fake owls are not effective as a snake repellent gimmick. Fake owl makers might promote them as a great snake repellent, but there is no scientific evidence backing this wild claim.
Some users from time to time have claimed fake owls have kept snakes away from their property, but that can be a result of several factors.
In nature, the owl is a natural predator and the snake is its prey. But that relationship can not be implicated between a mere fake owl and a real snake. Snakes do not shy away from engaging in a duel with real owls.
So a fake owl is not much of a help when it comes to keeping snakes away from your property.
Snakes also do not have the intellectual capability of realizing that an owl might be a threat against its existence. Plastic replicas of owls have no effect on snakes as a repellent product. You should start thinking about using natural snake repellent products instead of fake owls.
Are snakes afraid of fake owls?
It is a myth that snakes are afraid of fake owls. It is a propaganda created by makers of fake owls to increase their business revenue. Snakes are not intelligent enough to realize that they need to be afraid of fake owls.
It is true that owls are natural predators and are often seen hunting snakes. But a mere replica of an owl is not enough to scare away snakes.
In fact, snakes can be seen fighting real owls too. Snakes are not known for developing fear against their predators due to lack of intelligence. This lack of intelligence makes them unafraid against fake owls.
If snakes are not afraid of real owls, then there is no guarantee that they would be afraid of fake ones. Some fake owl users do claim that they have seen less snakes inside their garden after starting to use fake owls.
But there is not any concrete scientific proof available that can justify this claim.
Will plastic owls keep snakes away? Do fake owls scare off snakes?
Plastic owls might keep snakes away for a short time. But it is not a permanent solution against the infestation of snakes. People believe that plastic owl decoys can keep snakes away if they are placed in front of the home or the garden.
But there is no scientific proof whatsoever in support of this belief.
So if you are planning to buy a plastic owl decoy as a repellent measure against snakes, you should forget about it. They are not genuine snake repellent even if the real owls are known for hunting snakes. Fake owls do not scare snakes at all.
Snakes do not have the intellectual level to perceive fake owls as a threat against their existence and will attack anything that comes in their path, whether it is a real owl or a fake owl.
3 reasons why fake owls don’t keep snakes away
There are several reasons why fake owls fail at keeping snakes away. Let’s discuss in detail about some of those reasons.
Lack of surprise factor:
A real owl will come out of nowhere and engage in a fight with a snake. A fake owl lacks that surprise factor. In nature, the owl is known as a predator and the snake is known as its prey. But that is not the case between the fake owl and the snake.
A plastic replica of an owl is not enough to keep snakes away.
Lack of intelligence:
Snakes are known for having low levels of intelligence. They do not perceive anything as a threat to their existence in nature. That is why they can be seen engaging in duels with their predators in the wild.
This lack of intelligence makes them fearless against the real owls. If snakes do not even fear the real owls, then it is understandable that they are not afraid of the fake ones. Snakes are not intelligent enough to make that connection between owls and them being a threat.
Lack of evidence:
There is no evidence whatsoever that supports the claim that fake owls can keep snakes away. Only word of mouth is not enough to make fake owls a snake repellent.
Does anything really keep snakes away?
Snakes are not smart enough to realize what is dangerous for them. So they will not willingly stay from anything that might harm them. But there are many snake repelling methods that can be used to keep them away.
You can start by growing snake repellent plants in your garden to keep snakes away. Snakes’ strong sense of smell will put them off when they come near those plants. You can also start keeping natural predators of snakes as your pet.
It will surely keep the snakes away from your garden and household.
In general, nothing really can give you one hundred percent guarantee of keeping snakes away. But you can build a defense line that could fight against the infestation of snakes.
Why do people say that fake owls keep snakes away?
If you hear the same thing too many times from too many people, then you believe it to be true. That is what has happened in the case of fake owls.
Fake owl manufacturers and some users have promoted fake owls as a successful snake repellent to such an extent that people start using fake owl decoys in their garden to keep snakes away.
This confusion and lack of information started from the fact that owls are known for being natural predators of snakes. But this does not mean that snakes would be afraid of fake plastic replicas of owls hanging on top of your home or in your garden.
The relationship between snakes and owls may be that of a predator and a prey. But fake owls do not even come close to scaring away snakes. Fake owls keeping away is only a fluke without any concrete scientific proof.
How to keep away snakes?
Although snakes are known for being fearless, you can still take some steps to keep them away from your garden and home. Let’s discuss in detail about some of those steps.
Get rid of food source:
Rodents are one of the most favorite food elements of snakes. Snakes are seen roaming around in gardens which have rodents in them. If you manage to get rid of the rodents living in your garden, then the snakes will also stop coming into the garden.
This works as an indirect prevention method against snakes.
Grow snake repellent plants:
Growing snake repellent plants in your garden is a good way of keeping snakes away. Some of the best snake repellent plants include marigold, onion, lemongrass, and garlic. Snakes’ strong sense of smell keeps them away from these plants when they go near them.
Snakes do not enjoy the odor emitted by these plants.
Get rid of dark places:
Snakes love to dwell in dark places such as gutters, holes, and crevices. You will need to get rid of these places on your property. Inspect your whole property and fill up any dark places that might become potential residences of snakes.
It is a good preventive measure against snakes that can serve you for a long time.
Use snake repellent components:
You can also use natural snake repellent components around your house and garden to keep snakes away. These components include sulfur, clove, naphthalene, ammonia, lime, and vinegar.
You can spread these components around the perimeter of your home and garden to keep the snakes at bay. Snakes’ strong sense of smell compel them to stay from places that emit the odors of these particular components.
Create a fire pit:
You can create a fire pit around your home or in your garden to keep the smokes away. Snakes do not enjoy the smell of smoke and will do anything to keep away from places that have a fire pit in it.
Final Thoughts
Fake owls do not possess the ability of keeping snakes away. There is no scientific evidence available that can prove their validity as a snake repellent product. Real owls are a natural predator of snakes. But fake owls can not get rid of snakes from one’s house and garden.