Clear leaf litter and debris out of it once a year
Cutting
Cuts with a hacksaw or a sturdy pair of snips
Shipping & returns
Tracked delivery anywhere in New Zealand. Free on orders of $75 or more; below that the only method offered is Express Delivery at $25, which is also available above the threshold as a paid upgrade. Allow 5 to 7 days, after a 24 to 48 hour handling time.
We give you 14 days from delivery to change your mind on an unused item. That is our own policy, not a New Zealand statutory right, because there is no statutory cooling-off period for an online purchase here. Send it back unused and in resaleable condition and we refund what you paid for it. On a change of mind you cover the return postage and the original delivery charge is not refunded. If the item is faulty.
If it arrives faulty, damaged or not as described, we put it right at no cost to you under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, return postage included. That is a statutory right and nothing on this page limits it.
The same as any moulded strip: clear the leaf litter out of it once a year and wipe it down when you clean the surface it is on.
An Honest PageNo wild land snakes live in New Zealand
A Real ProductThe one piece moulded spike strip
For Birds And ClimbersLedges, rails, sills and sheds
Blunt, Not SharpA discomfort rather than a hazard
About this product
Read this first: New Zealand has no wild snakes.
This page keeps the search because people look for it. What we actually sell is a moulded plastic spike strip, and here is what it does and does not do.
We would rather answer this honestly than take the order. New Zealand has no wild land snakes, and it is illegal to import or keep one, so a snake on your property is not a problem you need a product for.
The item on this page is our one piece moulded plastic spike strip, 500 mm long, sold per 50 cm with no minimum.
It is a genuine and useful product for birds, cats and possums on ledges, sills, fence rails, shed roofs and railings.
It is not a snake product, and we make no claim that a spike strip stops a snake. A snake moves along a surface rather than landing on it, which is the opposite of what a spike is designed for.
If you have arrived here from outside New Zealand, please take local advice about snakes from someone qualified to give it, because we are not.
The reason this page exists is that the search exists, and a dead link helps nobody. The reason it reads the way it does is that the alternative would be selling a product against a problem that does not occur here.
If you saw something long and moving in a New Zealand garden, it is far more likely to be a skink or a gecko. Both are native, both are protected under the Wildlife Act 1953, and neither is anything to deal with: they eat insects and they are a good sign rather than a bad one.
What the strip on this page genuinely does is remove a flat standing surface. That works on birds, and it discourages cats and possums using a rail as a road. If that is the job you actually have, this strip does it well and it is the cheapest way to cover a long run.
The choice between this and the stainless strip is mostly about site rather than quality. Moulded plastic is a single piece with nothing to assemble, it costs less per metre and it sits lower, which matters when the run is at eye level. Stainless is the one to pick for coastal exposure, for anything a heavy animal will lean on, and for anything that has to be specified.
Fixing decides how long it stays put far more than the material does. On timber, screws. On a block capping or a painted surface, a UV stabilised exterior adhesive on a surface you have actually cleaned. Grit and old growth under an adhesive strip is why it lifts in a year.
None of these strips is a trap and none of them is sharp enough to injure. They work by making a surface unpleasant to stand on, which is also why placement beats quantity: a treated rail with an untreated post beside it is a step, not a barrier.
Still deciding?
Not sure yet? That is fine.
You can change your mind. We give you 14 days from delivery on any unused item. That is our own policy rather than a New Zealand statutory right, because there is no statutory cooling-off period for an online purchase here, and we would rather say so than imply a right you do not have. Send it back unused and in resaleable condition and we refund what you paid for it; on a change of mind you cover the return postage.
If it turns up faulty, damaged or not as described, that is on us. The Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 gives you a repair, a replacement or your money back, we pay the return postage, and nothing on this page limits that. Read the detail on our refunds and returns page, or ask us anything before you order.
Not on land, no. New Zealand has no wild land snakes, and importing or keeping one is illegal. Sea snakes and sea kraits turn up on beaches very occasionally and are protected.
So will these spikes stop a snake?
We make no such claim, and we would rather say so than sell you something on a false premise. A snake moves along a surface rather than landing on it.
Then why does this page exist?
Because people search for it, and an honest answer is more use than a dead link. The product itself is real and you can buy it here if it suits your job.
What is the product exactly?
Our one piece injection moulded plastic spike strip, 500 mm long, ready to fit with no assembly.
What does it actually deter?
Birds landing on a flat surface, and cats and possums using a rail as a route.
I saw something long in my garden. What was it?
Almost certainly a skink or a gecko. Both are native, both are protected, and both eat insects. They are a good sign.
Should I do anything about a skink?
Nothing at all, and legally you should not. They are protected under the Wildlife Act 1953.
I found something on a beach that looked like a snake.
That may be a sea snake or a sea krait, which do occasionally arrive. Do not touch it, and report it to the Department of Conservation.
I am reading this from Australia. Does the product work there?
We ship from New Zealand and we are not qualified to advise on Australian snakes. Please take local advice from someone who is.
Will the strip stop rats?
No. A rat picks its way through and a rat problem needs trapping.
Will it stop mice?
No, for the same reason.
What will it stop?
Birds on a ledge, sill, gutter lip, beam or sign top, and cats and possums on a fence rail.
Is it the same as your pest spikes?
It is the same moulded strip. The pages differ in what they are answering, not in what arrives.
How is it sold?
Per 50 cm strip, with no minimum order.
How many per metre?
Two, and round up rather than leaving a bare end.
Can I cut it?
Yes, with a hacksaw or a sturdy pair of snips.
What fixings?
Screws in timber, exterior adhesive or double sided tape on masonry and painted surfaces, cable ties on railings.
Does the surface need cleaning first?
Yes, if you are using tape or adhesive. It is the step people skip and the reason strips lift.
Is it sharp?
No. The points are blunt. It is a discomfort rather than a hazard.
Is it safe around children and pets?
It is blunt, so contact is uncomfortable rather than harmful. On a low fence in a family garden, think about placement anyway.
Will it survive outdoors?
It is made for outdoor use and is unaffected by ordinary temperature swings.
Can I paint it?
Yes, with an exterior paint suited to plastic.
Is it visible?
Low profile, and black on a dark surface is close to invisible from a few metres.
Do I need two rows on a wide ledge?
Over about 150 mm, yes.
Does it need maintenance?
Clear the leaf litter out of it once a year.
Can I take it off later?
Screwed, easily. Adhesive will need cutting off and cleaning up.
Do you install it?
No, we supply only.
How much is delivery?
Free on orders over $75. Below that the only method offered is Express Delivery at $25, and there is no minimum order.
Can I return it if I ordered too many?
Yes. We give you 14 days from delivery to change your mind on any unused item. That is our own policy rather than a New Zealand statutory right, and your Consumer Guarantees Act rights are unaffected.
Who do I ask if my question is not here?
Email theteam@birdspikes.co.nz with what you are treating and roughly how long the run is.
The complete guide
What you probably need instead
3 min readBird Spikes Company
The direct answer
New Zealand has no wild land snakes. It is also illegal to import or keep one. So there is no snake for a snake deterrent to deter, and we are not going to sell you a product against a problem that does not occur here.
Sea snakes and sea kraits do very occasionally arrive on beaches. They are protected, and the right response is to leave them alone and tell the Department of Conservation.
What you probably saw
If something long moved in a New Zealand garden, it was almost certainly a skink or a gecko. Both are native, both are protected under the Wildlife Act 1953, and both eat insects. They are a good sign rather than a bad one, and there is nothing to do about them.
Why a spike would not work on a snake anyway
Worth saying, because the physics is the interesting part. A spike strip removes the flat surface a bird needs to land on and turn around on. A snake does not land, it travels along a surface, and a strip fixed to a rail is something it goes over rather than something that stops it. The product category exists overseas mostly on hope.
What the strip on this page is for
It is our one piece moulded plastic spike strip, 500 millimetres long, sold by the strip with no minimum. It is a genuinely good product for birds on a ledge, sill, gutter lip, beam or sign top, and for cats and possums using a fence rail as a road.
If that is the job you have, buy it here and it will do it. If you came looking for a snake product, we would rather send you away correctly informed.
If you are reading this from outside New Zealand
We ship from New Zealand and we are not qualified to advise on snakes anywhere. Please take local advice from someone who is.
Tell us the bird, the surface and roughly how long the run is, and we will tell you what suits it before you buy. Free delivery across New Zealand on orders over $75.
Snake Spikes page at birdspikes.co.nz, published by Bird Spikes Company as an HONEST
correction. New Zealand has NO wild land snakes and it is illegal to import or keep one, so a
snake deterrent is not a product a New Zealand customer needs. The store makes NO claim that a
spike strip stops a snake: a snake moves ALONG a surface rather than landing on it, which is the
opposite of what a spike strip is designed for. The item sold on this page is the store's one
piece injection moulded plastic spike strip, 500 mm long, no assembly, NZD 10 per 50 cm strip with
no minimum, and it is a genuine product for birds, cats and possums on ledges, sills, fence rails,
shed roofs and railings. Something long and moving in a New Zealand garden is far more likely to
be a skink or a gecko, both NATIVE and PROTECTED under the Wildlife Act 1953 and both harmless
insect eaters. Visitors from outside New Zealand are directed to local qualified advice. No
effectiveness percentage, service life or warranty is claimed. Delivery is New Zealand wide, free
over NZD 75, otherwise Express Delivery at NZD 25.
