Building A Snake Proof Fence
Australia is home to a large number of snakes many of which are extremely dangerous both to people and to your animals.
Snake mesh is one of the most effective ways of keeping snakes, rodents and other pests out of your home and garden and protecting your family and pets.
Snake bites are particularly common in spring when snakes come out of hibernation and naturally that’s also when you want to be outside too.
Whether you want a safe snake-free play area for your children, to keep your pet birds and other animals safe or to keep small birds and vermin out of your veggie garden, snake mesh is the perfect partner.
Snake mesh is ideal for keeping unwanted critters out including:
- Snakes
- Small birds
- Mice and rodents
- Vermin
It’s very important to choose the right materials and use the right design when building a snake mesh fence. You don’t want to cause harm to the snakes; you only want to prevent them gaining entry.
Don’t forget it is illegal to kill snakes and most native animals.
Protective Fencing has established an excellent reputation throughout Australia for its fine quality mesh fencing supplies.
That’s why our products are the number one choice for animal control in many of the major highway infrastructure projects throughout Australia.
We can manufacture mesh with a wide range of wire diameters, mesh sizes, and roll widths and lengths including custom sizes.
Computer-controlled technology ensures absolute precision throughout the manufacturing process including welds, aperture dimensions, wire diameters, and wire mesh roll sizes.
Snake Mesh Wire
Protective Fencing snake mesh features mesh aperture sizes that are small enough to prevent snakes passing through the holes and yet still allow good ventilation and visibility. Standard welded wire mesh roll sizes include:
- Wire sizes range from 0.6mm to 1mm wire diameter
- Mesh size – 6.5mm x 6.5mm wire centres
- Roll sizes – width 600 or 900mm x 30m for 0.6mm mesh, and 1,000mm x 30m for 1mm mesh
All our snake mesh products are hot dip galvanised after welding. This offers exceptional anti-corrosion protection.
Snake Mesh Fence
It can be pretty scary finding a large Brown snake or a Tiger snake or any of the other dangerous snakes in your garden where your children are playing.
Snakes can also kill inquisitive pet dogs and cats. A well designed snake mesh fence is highly effective at keeping snakes away from your loved ones.
Protective Fencing snake mesh is designed to keep snakes out of your garden and to create a safe haven for you and your children.
A snake mesh fence is also the ideal additional protection layer for keeping snakes away from small pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs, and out of your bird aviaries and chook pens.
It’s really important to use the right materials when building a snake mesh fence.
Many people have tried unsuccessfully to use chicken wire netting to build a snake fence. But the problem with using common old chicken wire netting is that snakes can get trapped and may cut themselves and eventually die.
A trapped snake may be particularly aggressive and can still lash out and bite curious children and pets that get too close.
Snake Fence Installation
Congratulations, you’ve decided where your snake fence will go and you’ve chosen the right snake mesh from Protective Fencing.
But a good snake proof fence is not just about using the right materials; you also need to follow some sound fence design principles. This type of fence will also keep out rabbits.
Key principles of a good snake mesh fence:
- Choose rolls 1,000mm wide
- Place mesh on the outside of the fence
- Bury or lay 300mm in or on the ground
- Check there are no gaps under gates
- Remove any foliage of objects next to the fence line
It’s easiest if you attach the snake mesh rolls to an existing fence or some other supporting structure. You can use standard staples for timber posts and wire ties for steel posts.
It is really important that you attach the snake mesh to the outside of the posts. If you run the mesh along the inside of the posts (the garden/ safe area side) the snakes will be able to climb the posts.
Angling the fence slightly outwards (no more than 25°) can also make it considerably harder for a snake to climb your fence. If you do this you may need to provide additional anchoring from inside the fence line.
- Using a standard 1,000mm wide roll allows you to have a 700mm height for your fence leaving 300mm buried in the ground. You can also lay the 300mm bottom section flat on the ground leading away from the fence line.
- The buried or folded out section ensures the snake can’t dig its way underneath your fence. This section needs to be 300mm deep. You can use steel pegs to anchor the mesh to the ground.
- If you have external corners on your fence line you will need to cut the mesh where the mesh lies on the ground otherwise you’ll have an awkward fold.
- You can then cut out some diagonal sections of mesh and overlay them across the sections where the mesh doesn’t meet. Internal corners will require some deft folding of the mesh.
- Don’t forget to snake proof the gate and that includes underneath and at the sides of the gate where a snake could easily slip through.
- Partially burying a length of timber or adding a concrete berm that fills the gap underneath the gate is a good idea. Extending the mesh to cover the gaps at the side is a good step too.
- And finally, you need to remove any shrubs, long grass or other objects such as woodpiles that touch the fence.
Even if you build the perfect fence, snakes can use neighbouring objects to climb over the fence. Look out for overhanging trees that might allow a snake to gain access.
Rodent Proof
But it isn’t only snakes that can be a real problem. Mice, rats and other rodents can invade your home and garden too and not only in rural areas. Mice love to build nests in your sheds or home and can create a real health hazard.
Rodents can contaminate food supplies, destroy insulation and even chew through electrical cables. This last scenario often kills at least one rodent but it also tends to start house fires and is often expensive to fix.
Rodents also get into your chicken coops and steal grain and eggs and kill young chickens.
Likewise, rodents can cause real problems if you have other small pets such as lizards, baby rabbits or small birds. Rodents also find your compost heap very attractive especially if you put out certain types of food scraps.
Protective Fencing snake mesh is also the ideal rodent mesh. Razor sharp rodent teeth can’t cut through the super tough wire and the hot dip galvanising process means your rodent mesh will last for many years.
Most rodents are extremely good climbers so you will probably also need to install a rodent mesh roof or at the very least add a small overhanging section (300mm) facing outwards.
Small Birds
Small birds can devastate your veggie garden and may even steal pet food. You can protect your garden from small bird invasions by using Protective Fencing mesh to build a mesh canopy.
Providing sufficient framework to support the snake mesh is important when building this type of roofed-in structure.
This is especially true for the roof. You can use wooden or steel upright posts and crossbars for the framework and attach steel mesh using the appropriate fasteners.
The aperture sizes will prevent even the smallest birds getting through but will still allow beneficial insects, ventilation and rain to help make your garden really fruitful.
Vermin Control
Building your fence along the lines suggested for snake proofing your property will also protect against other vermin such as rabbits.
A 700mm height is more than adequate to prevent rabbits getting into your precious garden and the 300mm buried or folded out section will prevent most rabbits from digging underneath the fence.
Available Australia Wide
Protective Fencing takes all animal welfare seriously throughout Australia. We provide truly safe snake mesh that will stop snakes in their tracks without harming them.
And with well-stocked warehouses in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane and an expansive delivery service we can fill your snake mesh needs promptly.
Protective wire mesh is made from tough Australian made steel so it’s built to last. And it’s designed to protect you, your human family as well as your animal family and, at the same time, our precious native animals.
