Rat Snakes – Caught In Netting

Q: We have a garden that is surrounded by deer netting. Black rat snakes keep getting stuck in the netting and strangling themselves to death. Is there anything I can do to prevent it?

A: This is not uncommon. The poor snake thrashes about and fatally tangles itself. Likewise, songbirds are often killed by bird netting on blueberries. You can line the bottom of the deer netting fence with solid material, like wooden boards, to deter errant snakes.