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Build the fence. If the parents say anything tell them you plan to start doing nude yoga and expanding your show dogs to include Pit Bulls and that you hope they'll remind their children to ask before coming over.
Tell the neighbors you've been having a critter problem in both the front and back yards and are thinking of installing one of these sprinkler deterrent systems, and again, their kids should not come over unannounced.
And of course, install a few cameras to monitor your property and fancy new sprinklers.
Set up motion detecting sprinklers. Something like this
(Most) cats hate water. He/She will quickly be trained to avoid going in your yard, and it will be much cheaper than any lawyer situation will ever be.
Cave crickets feast on... Each other. Yikes. So rather than pay the $ for a fly sticky, I line up a few strips of duct tape, sticky side up, and stick one of their deceased brothers smack in the middle. As the cannibal bastards approach their meal, they get stuck. Caught about 30 of them like that over the summer.
I also hunt them with a bug-a-salt rifle. It's fun as hell to hunt a rogue actor in your basement. It takes two or three shots to finish the job but it works.
Good luck!
Hot paprika usually works really well. You could also sprinkle cayenne pepper powder all over it. Or just set a motion activated sprinkler out
Actually, that's a perfect idea, get this, and keep vacuum cleaner nearby.
You can get a motion activated sprinkler that shoots a very intense stream of water; they are used to scare away deer, but it might be a good lawn tantrum deterrent.
When I lived on a corner lot, I was tempted to buy an automatic targetted sprinkler for deer, to keep people from walking across my lawn. https://smile.amazon.com/Orbit-62100-Activated-Sprinkler-Detection/dp/B009F1R0GC?sa-no-redirect=1
I never did, but I wanted to.
You've got to build it right to keep them out of it. Deep sharp sides with lots of cover. I have a optimistic great blue heron that visits daily. He's not getting much. The Kingfishers get some of the babies.
The of course you can setup one of these. link
I think r/KitchenConfidential might appreciate that more.
Aside from appropriate methods of pest control, have you ever heard of the Salt Gun?
Yup. The house behind my building just got fumigated. There were hundreds of large dead roaches all over outside and in the complex courtyard. So gross.
I use this Advion roach gel and it's the ONLY thing that's kept them out of my place. Really works great.
Wow, your roommate sucks. Thank you for being willing to help this poor snake!
You can get a cheap plastic tub at Target (or similar) and use a couple bungee cords to reinforce the lid locks. The 27.5 gal Sterilite bin is $15 and can support a 4 foot snake (bulls would prefer a bit more space, but this will meet its needs in a pinch). If you can find a clear Christmas tree storage tub, that would work even better size-wise, but they're hard to come by this time of year.
Yes, they do need a hot spot at all times of the year. She'll be okay if you need some time to gather supplies, just hold off on feeding her. If you do get a plastic tub, you'll need to use a heat pad (can buy from any pet store, they're not expensive) and thermostat (all heating elements can reach dangerous temperatures if left unregulated). You want a hot spot of high 80s. Throw that heat rock into the garbage right now, they are dangerous and ineffective.
Ambient humidity is usually just fine unless your area is super dry. You can use a spray bottle to bump it up, though. If you use a substrate like coco husk, cypress mulch, or a bark blend, that will help retain moisture if you're having trouble.
Reptile-specific rescues are few and far between, but they do exist. You would probably have better luck posting on a FB group - look for some combination of "[your area] + reptile/snake" and you will likely find something! Sometimes people have even successfully rehomed snakes through posts on this sub.
Good luck!
Mosquito Bits. Sprinkle them on the top of the soil or add them to the water you use to water your plants. By far the easiest way to deal with fungus gnats and a 30z container could last for years.
Lucky for you, it's already a thing. I had something similar to this to keep the neighborhood feral cats from shitting in my garden. Motion Activated Sprinkler
I looked into Amazon a little bit, here is a well-reviewed motion activated water jet deterrent. Looks like it has a powerful spray and can be angled upwards to human-height. Would use less water than a moat. I’m getting giddy thinking about the revenge options.
Orbit 62100 Yard Enforcer Motion Activated Sprinkler with Day and Night Detection Modes https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009F1R0GC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2gNvAbA7BJNJ6
Also, as a last resort...maybe a low-voltage electrified wire surrounding the trees? With proper warning signage, it might be an option considering it’s on your property and not a fence per se. 😈 Farmers use them to keep in livestock and protect vegetable gardens from rabbits.
Yes, German or American roaches can very easily infest a space. Large palmetto bugs are common, but they prefer the outdoors and aren't gonna hang around and reproduce.
Fortunately, roaches are easy to deal with if you've got the right goo. It waits about 24-48 hours to actually kill the roaches and so they get some on them and spread it to all the other roaches. No roaches after a week max. I've never had to apply it a second time.
1/2" x 1/8" Lavalock High Temp Nomex BBQ HT gasket smoker seal, self stick grey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JO00S04/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_9VHJRE057JA8F39F0M6C?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Worked like a charm on my pro 34. Gl 👍
Advion works wonders on getting rid of roaches fast. We live next to some right filthy pigs, as well. It's been a four year nightmare, but at least our side is bug free. The bait doesn't smell, and you'll notice the bodies piling up by the end of the day. It has a super fast knockdown rate.
It can be hard to tell when theyre dehydrated, or just being wrinkly boys. I'd like to hear someone else opinion on it, but she does look dehydrated to my uneducated eye.
The temps are a tad on the high side, you want to stick to 72-75f as much as possible, although as long as its not getting over 80f it's probably not an issue. Are you using a thermostat to control the heater? With any heating device for reptiles, you absolutely *need to have them hooked up to thermostats like this to ensure your not overheating or burning your animals.
Also, just a word of advice, you really should ditch the red heat lamp.
Red (and to some extent the blue/purple) "nighttime" heat lamps are actually pretty harmful to reptiles. In a nutshell, they can still absolutely see the light as light, so it disturbs their day/night cycle. They need absolute darkness at night. Their eyes also wont react to red light properly, giving it the possibility of burning their eyes out.
You should switch it to a ceramic heat emitter, or deep heat projector. Both of which emit zero light, which is necessary for all reptiles at night.
Used one of these this past summer to train the neighbors cat to move along.
Orbit 62100 Yard Enforcer Motion-Activated Sprinkler with Day & Night Detection Modes,Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009F1R0GC
Immediately: CHE for heat ($10), thermostat to control heat ($20), digital thermometer/hydrometer ($10).
Soon: larger water dish, more hides, fresh substrate.
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Use a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) for heat. Found cheaper on amazon than at a pet store. Doesn't emit light, probably the best source of heat and provides a better ambient temp than a UTH can. UTH's seem to only work well if the room your snake in is already at like 75 degrees.
All heat sources should be tied to a thermostat -- this regulates the heat so you don't fry/overheat your snake. Try this for $18.
Get a digital thermometer + hydrometer; digital are more accurate and you want to stay away from anything with an adhesive (most analogs have this). Try this for $10.
Get a water dish big enough for that snake to soak in. Search the kitchen section of a store -- possibly cheaper than a $20 dog bowl.
Cardboard hides are fine; they do the job. Give snake another on the other end of the cage. Toss them if they become soiled or mold. Poptart boxes do the trick at my house.
If you want to replace that substrate, aspen works fine. If you don't have the cash for that, paper towels also work.
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Advion. Follow the directions TO THE LETTER.
I bought this for house flies, but it works just as well on lantern flies.
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Wouldn't the Yard Defender work better? Orbit Yard Defender We use it to keep raccoons out of our yard. Works Great!
It would be catnope!
This works very well to keep animals out if your yard. Just can't use it in freezing weather. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009F1R0GC/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_4aDqEbH3TT9YW
Putting mothballs, coyote urine and citrus around the outside of your house have been used to varying effectiveness.
https://www.amazon.com/Advion-Cockroach-Tubes-Control-Syngenta/dp/B0148W0WOE
Follow the directions to the letter. TINY dots. It worked really well in a rental in FLORIDA that had the AC turned off for a long time and food and trash left in the house.
Keep your heat mat on a thermostat! Check Amazon for the Hydrofarm Jumpstart. Do this ASAP, before anything else. Snakes don't feel pain the same way we do, and they have been known, commonly, to literally cook on an unregulated heat mat. Jumpstart
Make sure you have lots of clutter in that tank, and at least two hides which would be relatively snug fits. It is a very large tank for a young BP. Use black/dark paper to cover the back and sides of the tank. BPs like to feel safe, and that will help especially since the tank is so large.
Moving around at night is normal. They are nocturnal creatures. Being nocturnal, you should look into switching the lamp to a ceramic heat emitter (think light bulb, but without the light, only heat). Artificial light is unnecessary for them.
Don't handle them for 36-48 hours after feeding. You don't want to stress them and cause them to regurgitate.
Try to keep temps around 82, even at night, and no higher than 88 or so during the day
Should have just spent a few extra dollars on a good power inverter on amazon, $10 more but will probably not burst into flames on the interstate at 88 mph. I mean some of the stuff at HF is great and cheap stuff, but I would not trust air compressors or power inverters from HF.
A hard freeze would help. But seriously..
I somehow have got the problem under control by a professional service but I also supplement it with this:
Summit Responsible Solutions Mosquito Bits - Quick Kill, 30 Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001AUF8G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rjPyFbN4GWBCM
Idk how well it works but anytime it rains I go around like a mad man pouring that in every puddle. Mosquitos love me and this is the first summer/fall I haven’t bathed in bug spray.
There are very few mosquitoes in Seattle. We don't even have screens, like most of our neighbors. If you have a lot of them you might have a source on your property or near it -- standing water where they breed. We have a sump pit in an outdoor stairway that I regularly add "Mosquito Bits" to. Find the standing water near you and do the same!