Snakes eat mice, birds, grubs, and slugs and provide food for owls, hawks, and many mammals. So these cold-blooded animals are an important link in several food webs and consequently are worthy of our attention. Caring for them in winter involves re-creating the subterranean dens and cavities in which many hibernate to survive.
- Dig a hole 2 metres deep and 1.5 metres square in a warm, sunny clearing next to a woodlot. It's important that water does not accumulate at the bottom of the pit. Otherwise, it will likely freeze and kill the animals.
- Loosely fill the pit with logs and stumps, brush, and boards, mixed with leaves and soil. Or, to accommodate snakes that prefer to hibernate in rock mounds and cavities, fill with large odd-shaped rocks. There should be plenty of cavities left for the snakes to move around.
- Cover the pit with a one-metre-high mound of brush, leaves, and soil for further insulation and protection from predators