How To Avoid In-Ground Trampoline Snakes (Complete Guide)

Snakes are very social creatures and need a safe place to live. Typically, they like living in shady places as well as sunny areas because their cold blood needs warmth.

However, they may enter your yard sometimes – even the trampoline mat if it’s warm enough outside! and this is the reason most people search “How to Avoid In-Ground Trampoline Snakes” Because this is a real issue.

An in-ground trampoline or a sunken trampoline is one that does not have its legs on the ground but the legs are rather put in the ground.

Doing so, the trampoline mat is at the ground level. Having the trampoline mat at the ground level gives the kids an opportunity to jump over the trampoline in a variety of styles.

If the safety net is installed with the sunken trampoline, then kids always fall within the range of the trampoline mat.

Hence making the in-ground trampoline a safer option to avoid any kind of injury to your kids when they are jumping or rebounding over the trampoline mat.

Although in-ground trampolines are incredibly fun and safer in some aspects there is another side of the picture as well.

Installing a sunken trampoline is harder than a trampoline that sits on the ground since you need to dig a hole to put the legs inside the ground. Digging the hole too is tricky as you may have water pipelines in the backyard that may get damaged and eventually can partially or completely disconnect the water supply.

The water sometimes can get into the trampoline hole too so you need to take care of a lot of things while assembling the in-ground trampoline.

It is hard to maintain the parts of a sunken trampoline as well since you cannot see all the springs and legs which can affect the lifespan of the trampoline and make it shorter than usual.

Also, a snake or any other local wild animal can be present in the trampoline hole sometimes which is dangerous at most, so we will talk about it in this article like how to avoid In-ground trampoline snakes and other things as well.

Why did you need to avoid In-Ground Trampoline Snakes?

Snakes are cold-blooded animals. They prefer to live in a nest or a secure place. But they like shady places and sometimes live out of the shade to maintain their blood temperatures.

Considering this, you can easily understand that your backyard can be a snakes favorite spot to live. So Keeping in mind that snakes live out of shade too one may be residing in the trampoline hole or worse near the trampoline mat. Seeing a snake around your trampoline would be scary.

Although all snakes are not venomous as they either have no venom or do not have enough venom some snakes are venomous too.

Your trampoline hole or any other nearby place within your backyard can be the habitat of venomous snakes. Getting bitten by such snakes during jumping or rebounding over the trampoline can bring a lot of trouble for you.

Why Do You Need Extra Precautions with In-Ground Trampolines?

In addition to snakes, in-ground trampolines need protection from other animals too. There can be any other venomous animals living in the trampoline hole. Also, your pets such as cats and dogs can easily access them if your trampoline does not have a cover. These pets can easily damage your trampoline.

It is not easy to maintain and check the parts of the trampoline since most of the trampoline parts are installed within the trampoline hole and cannot be seen easily hence it is very hard to maintain the parts. In addition, changing any part of the trampoline too is not an easy job in the case of an in-ground trampoline.

Also, a trampoline can get damaged if it remains wet. Waste materials too can be potential hazards for the trampoline mat. Hence it is important to keep your trampoline area free from water and debris.

Making Your In-Ground Trampoline Snake-Proof:

Seeing a snake near your trampoline can be highly dangerous and you need the immediate service of someone from a wildlife professional as venomous snakes can hurt anyone jumping or rebounding over the trampoline.

The situation can be horrifying and you should not do any kind of carelessness after seeing a snake near or within the trampoline area.

It is important to make your backyard free from snakes to avoid any unpleasant incident. However, before discussing the precautionary measures to get rid of snakes, you need to understand whether snakes are present within or near the in-ground trampoline or not.

Identifying Snakes in Your Backyard:

You should not wait for the proper physical appearance of a snake near your trampoline area; rather , you can identify the backyard snake by observing some signs of the existence of a snake. Some signs for the identification of a snake in the backyard are discussed below.

Tracks in the dirt:

Snakes move on the ground in slithering motion. The tracks of this slithering motion can easily be found on the mud, sand, dirt, and soil.

Most of the snake’s tracks are the classic “slither” however some snake tracks look like a series of slanted lines which are moving in the same direction.

Seeing snake tracks in your backyard most of the time strongly supports the argument that some snake is living in the backyard.

Tracks in the dirt:

Look for Snake Holes:

Snakes like to live in the ground and make holes as their habitat. If you notice any hole in your backyard then you may have a backyard snake. However, all the holes are not snake holes. A hole may be a resident of a rat, a mouse, or a squirrel.

Hence it is recommended to investigate for some other signs to take it as proof of the presence of the snake if you can see a hole in the backyard.

Tracks in the dirt:

Look for Snakeskins:

Snakes have this attribute of changing skin from time to time. Though snakes usually prefer to live in the holes, they have to come to the ground surface to get rid of the old skin. They simply drop their skin on the ground and you can identify the presence of the snake in your backyard.

Most species of snakes change their skin two or three times a year. If you are finding the skin of a snake at a shorter interval that does not mean that you are having a large number of backyard snakes. But it means that you are having some snake who needs to drop it more frequently.

There are species of snakes that remove their skin more than three times. There is even a snake type that removes his skin every two weeks. Finding more snakeskins also refers to the existence of a young snake in your backyard.

Look for Snakeskins:

Look for Snake Droppings:

Another easy and wise way to identify the presence of a snake in your backyard is by observing the droppings of the snake.

The feces of snakes are shaped like small tubes. Snake feces is a mixture of snake solids and snake’s liquids as snakes pee and poop at the same time.

Snake droppings may be found in line as some snakes free themselves while moving. Snake droppings are direct evidence of the presence of snakes in the backyard.

Look for Snake Droppings:

Odd smells:

Snake droppings and prey can be the reason for strange odors. If you notice odd smells in shady places or under the trampoline then you should check for the presence of any snake in the nearby area.

Effective Ways for Preventing In-Ground Trampoline Snakes:

There are some effective tricks to prevent in-ground trampoline snakes which are the following:

Keep Your Trampoline Backyard Tidy and Clean:

To prevent the presence of the snake in your backyard, you should remove any kind of bulky material placed within the backyard.

Wood, piles of leaves, or piles of mulch should be removed immediately after witnessing signs indicating the existence of the snake in the backyard. Remove any outdoor furniture, toys, or any other stuff placed in your backyard.

You should not let the grass get taller as that too can facilitate the snake to get hidden from your vision. Keep grass small by using a lawnmower.

In addition to grass, cut any tiny planets present in your backyard. Keep your backyard free from any kind of bushes as well. Also, fill any hole present to make it tough for the snake to hide or live in your backyard.

All these steps cannot give assurance to get rid of the snakes but it reduces the chances to an effective limit at least.

Get Rid of Any Food Sources for Snakes:

Snakes prefer to live in places where they can hide in dark and tight places and have enough food to eat. Snakes are carnivorous creatures and big insects, mice, or squirrels residing in your backyard can be one of the main reasons behind the presence of a snake in your trampoline ditch.

You need to get free of all possible food resources for snakes if you want the snake to get away from your trampoline. You can use natural reluctance or chemicals to get rid of all these species that can be the reason a snake lives in your backyard.

Install Snake-Proof Fence:

Installing a safety fence as a snake-proof fence is another effective way to get rid of your trampoline snake. You need to understand the fact that blocking all possible ways for a snake to get into your trampoline or installing a safety frame will not give a hundred percent guarantee of the elimination of the snake from your backyard trampoline. But it is an effective way that helps in one way or another to achieve the goal.

Attach a net to the hole which is the water removal drain. This will prevent the snake from making it a living place for him. Installing a border to a big backyard can be difficult yet it is advised to cover as much area as you can with a safety fence.

A safety fence can be made by using a wire mesh. As we know that the snake does slither motion hence installing the frame to the outward angle.

This will allow a snake to move vertically over the frame and hence making it almost impossible for the snake to cross the border and get entered in the backyard.

Use Vibrations Technics:

Snakes prefer to live in dark places where human beings cannot get access easily. Snakes fear human beings more than we get frightened by snakes.

Another effective way to move a snake out of your backyard is to make them feel your presence which will eventually lead to the snake getting out of any habitat present in your backyard.

You can make them feel your existence by making them feel some vibrations. Use a lawnmower over the surface of the ground where you have seen or suspect the existence of a snake.

The snake will get frightened by the vibrations and may get out of the place soon. However, Avoid moving a lawnmower over the snake.

Keep Dog and Cats in Backyard:

Snakes get scared of dogs every time they bark. Hence, they do not like to live in any place where a dog is living already.

Also, cats and dogs are familiar with the habitat of snakes. Having a cat or a dog at your home makes it easy to locate the place where a snake is living. Cats and dogs like to have the snake as a meal so they are experts at finding the hiding place of the snake easily.

Use Snake Traps:

In addition to safety fences, installing snake traps can be a good technique to get rid of the snake present in your backyard. This method will especially be useful if you are having other animals such as rats or mice living there.

Using a glue trap is found to be much effective to trap the snake. However, putting a trap in your backyard can sometimes be negative too if it kills one or two useful animals which were moving in your backyard.

Using Repellents:

You may need to take intense steps to prevent the existence of a snake in your backyard that is you use repellents. There are two kinds of repellents that can be used to get rid of the snake.

You can use some chemical such as sulfur or carbolic acid to kill the snake or make him leave your place. These chemicals can have negative effects on other species too and are dangerous so it is not preferable to use these chemicals more often.

The other type of repellents that can repel the snake is of natural type. Using natural repellents is a safer way to make the snake move away.

Cinnamon, onion, lemongrass, garlic, oil, clove oil, and cedarwood are found to be the elements that repel the snake. You can put any of this available stuff near the suspected place.

A way that is more effective and can work as a solution for a long time is planting onion, garlic, and lemongrass in your backyard. This will help you to repel the snake and also give you these essential ingredients to be used in your kitchen.

Hire a Professional Team if you are in North Carolina:

If you have tried all the techniques discussed above and are not able to have a snake-free backyard yet then you should call some professional team.

A professional team will come with more expertise to find and kill or catch the snake and it is always helpful to call them and ask for their services.

Since snakes can be of both types, venomous and non-venomous. The habitat of both types of snakes are different. North Caroline is a favorite spot of venomous snakes and if you are living in North Carolina then having a snake can be more dangerous.

It will be very convenient for you to hire a professional team in this case since you may get bitten by a venomous snake if you are not able to get rid of it or even can get attacked during an encounter with the snake. The professional team will kill the snake using their own techniques and it will prevent any bad incident.

FAQs – How to Avoid In-Ground Trampoline Snakes:

Are inground trampolines safe?

There is no definite answer to the question. A trampoline allows the jumper to go high above the trampoline mat.

A high jump over the trampoline can bring serious injury to the user if one does not fall back on the trampoline mat if the trampoline legs are present on the ground.

On the other hand, if you are having an in-ground trampoline in your backyard then legs are placed within the trampoline hole and the trampoline mat sits at the level of the ground surface.

Hence the height from which one falls is less than an on-ground trampoline. If you have a safety net installed with the in-ground trampoline then the user always falls within the trampoline range.

Also, an in-ground trampoline allows jumping higher than an on-ground trampoline. Keeping this
in mind, inground trampolines are safer for sure.

But inground trampolines can be habitant of a snake hence making it scary and highly dangerous. However, if you have taken enough steps to prevent the entrance of any snake in your backyard then an in-ground trampoline can prove itself to be the safer option.

Do in-ground trampolines attract snakes?

Snakes like to live in dark places and holes containing most of the parts of an in-ground trampoline can attract snakes. A snake can also be present in your backyard near the trampoline which is equally dangerous.

How much does an in-ground trampoline cost?

The cost of an in-ground trampoline is the same as the cost of a trampoline that is to be used as an on-ground trampoline. The cost of the whole kit is between the range of $300-$2,000.

However, the installation process of an in-ground trampoline is more expensive since you need to dig a hole as well and that can cost a handsome amount.

Conclusion:

The chance of snakes coming near the in-ground trampoline will increase, if you don’t regularly bounce on it. So, as a precautionary measure, I strongly recommend that you should not be careless about anything like an unwanted snake entering your in-ground trampoline mat.

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