I was going to make some wise *** remarks at first till I seen you were worried about the 3 year old.
So the best protection against snakes is a ---DOG---
And two dogs is better than one!
We have two beagles.
Beagles will patrol the yard constantly .
And a terrior -JACK RUSSEL'S- is a deadly vermin killer!
We had a Rott that would catch black snakes 3'-4' long and shake his head with them in his mouth where it looked like he was beating himself with a whip!
After they were dead he would stand on them while ripping them to shreds.
The main thing is be careful.
A snake won't bite unprovoked.
The same as a bee won't sting you without reason.
Don't have anything in your yard that invites a snake to take up homesteading.
Don't reach your hand into anything you can't see.
And don't step over anything you can't see where you are going to plant your foot.

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Jeb