King cobras, rats and pythons

[shaemus]

I live on a property in Isaan. We have undertaken to reforest the land. We have a very large fruit garden and have a couple of rai for growing rice. 

 

I have been informed by our contractors foreman that that have seen a very large black snake. I went through lots of pictures of king cobras with the guy and he confirmed that he is pretty sure of the type of snake. He is a local obviously and has seen and encountered a great deal more snakes than i have. 

 

We have noticed that we also have more than normal amount of rat holes around the property. The same guy in the past hit a big python with the brush cutter once at that time we didn't have as many rats. 

 

We don't see alot of snakes really but we do find skins around and eggs that the rats find and eat occasionally. Generally we see rat snakes and smaller fish snakes. 

 

So i can only assume that if we have a king cobra it is quite happy eating the other snakes and not the rats. 

 

I am looking for some advice.. 

 

Thanks

 

Shaemus 

[sammieuk1]

Move faster than a snake can say hiss my advice.

 

[flyingdoc]

You're probably right !!

[connda]

Raise mongooses?  Maybe not.  Keep working dogs that go with you to the land.  A terrier, like a Jack Russell or terrier mix will help solve the rat/mouse problem.  If you don't have rodents on your land you should have less snakes seeking prey.  Plus your terrier will prey on both the rodents and the snakes. 
 

 

[55Jay]

Very possible.  In your reading and investigation, you may have also seen that Kings are thought to be rather intelligent, and would normally seek to avoid danger ~ human contact. 

 

Hopefully he/she has sensed the increased activity on your land, and moves on.  Be a shame if the workers killed it unnecessarily.

[akirasan]

Yeah connda has nailed it. Get rid of the rats and the snakes will go someplace else. At the moment your place is like a McDonalds for them.

[Thingamabob]

Do not hurt your snakes.They do more good than harm.ï

[Days Off]

A cat or two should also help keep the rodent population under control...please be responsible and spay/neuter if you decide to befriend a cat or two!

[StevieAus]

2 hours ago, connda said:

Raise mongooses?  Maybe not.  Keep working dogs that go with you to the land.  A terrier, like a Jack Russell or terrier mix will help solve the rat/mouse problem.  If you don't have rodents on your land you should have less snakes seeking prey.  Plus your terrier will prey on both the rodents and the snakes. 
 

 

I have four Jack Russell’s and they certainly deal with snakes, rats,  feral cats and anything else that decides to invade our property.

The other thing to consider if you can get hold of them and they are available in Thailand are Guinea Fowl they will deal with snakes and eat insects off plants etc but not sure about rats.

[csabo]

36 minutes ago, akirasan said:

Yeah connda has nailed it. Get rid of the rats and the snakes will go someplace else. At the moment your place is like a McDonalds for them.

King cobras don't eat rodents. 

[csabo]

If you say a "large black snake" was even it was probably not a king. Adults are various colors from tan to green to a dark brown but not black. Other cobras can be black but usually have distinctive patterns that are easily recognized. Also as I said earlier, King Cobras don't eat mammals ie: rodents. They eat other snakes which could in turn increase your rat population. 

[shaemus]

18 minutes ago, csabo said:

If you say a "large black snake" was even it was probably not a king. Adults are various colors from tan to green to a dark brown but not black. Other cobras can be black but usually have distinctive patterns that are easily recognized. Also as I said earlier, King Cobras don't eat mammals ie: rodents. They eat other snakes which could in turn increase your rat population. 

I wasn't there to see the snake. But after going through the types of snakes it could have been and the ones it wasn't, we weren't left with many options. We think the snake lives in a old tree which has a very large termite mound, which according to locals is a place to avoid and not sleep next too. (termite mound) 

 

We also have a pong pan or pan pong (ferret badger) that lives on the property. They eat snakes

So i am told. 

 

As we have done allot of forrest development things haven't reached there natural ballance yet. 

The dogs are at training school so hopefully when they come back they will sort out a few rats. 

 

The rats are a local delicacy. So i asked for a few traps to be set up. I have tried it. Doesn't taste like chicken. 

 

Thanks 

 

Shaemus 

 

[akirasan]

53 minutes ago, csabo said:

King cobras don't eat rodents. 

Well don't tell them that!

 

[Cake Monster]

Every Snake that there ever was to a Thai is a Cobra

[The Deerhunter]

3 hours ago, flyingdoc said:

You're probably right !!

I have always read that cobras' main diet is other snakes, so yes! 

[connda]

4 hours ago, csabo said:

King cobras don't eat rodents. 

Ok.  snakes eat rats and mice, king cobra eats snakes.  Eliminate the prey and you eliminate the problem.  Same, same.....

[Autonuaq]

King cobra is not a problem they try to avoid you and study your moves.

Kill snakes and other stuff.

 

Python more to worry about because they will catch bigger and bigger prey. Depending on the size.

 

In general you have many snake more then you think of and see. Most of them hide and try to avoid contact or being sees.

 

But your problem is you made the habitat the prey if the snakes love to love in.

 

Remove the pray and the snake will go too.

 

And many snakes make there round so at about the same time the snake pops up. Like the road we live on. Every day between 1550 and 1605 hrs the same snake at about the same spot crosses and this if for 4 years in a row. And there are more areas where i have seen this.

 

If you not bring a snake far away it will come back.

 

You can see on the way the run away if they are new in the area or know the area.

 

I not like snakes and have made all snake and prey unfriendly.

Clean and less things to use to climb or hide.

 

[MaeJoMTB]

3 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

Every Snake that there ever was to a Thai is a Cobra

Yep, the Thais around me have absolutely no idea about snakes.

They're scared of them all.

[Ulic]

From your post, I take it that you are looking to get rid of the King Cobras and promote

pythons and other cobras/snakes that eat rats. Go for it.  

[grkt]

Buy some antivenin 55555+

 

https://www.snake-antivenin.com

 

But maybe hospitals have them ?

 

[MyFriend You]

10 hours ago, csabo said:

If you say a "large black snake" was even it was probably not a king. Adults are various colors from tan to green to a dark brown but not black. Other cobras can be black but usually have distinctive patterns that are easily recognized. Also as I said earlier, King Cobras don't eat mammals ie: rodents. They eat other snakes which could in turn increase your rat population. 

My neighbors King in Vietnam when it was a juvenile, unfortunately it died in captivity about four years ago, he raised it from a baby,  he will never own one again.  and they will eat rats alive only, they hunt other snakes as they deem them a threat to their young.

Edited May 14, 2018 by TunnelRat69

[Wake Up]

Ask your thai neighbors what they do. They have more experience than anyone with snakes and farming. Nice to see you farming as it is a joy to produce food. My ex GF from Isan liked to eat snake. The King Cobra is one of the few snakes that scares me but that is because I have not lived near them or know their habits. I know one killed my ex GFs dog but with a rice farm they knew how to work around the cobra. 

[Skeptic7]

From a reptile website...

 

Although birds and mammals are sometimes taken, the favorite food of the king cobra is, surprisingly, other snakes. 

[Huckenfell]

On 5/14/2018 at 10:40 AM, sammieuk1 said:

Move faster than a snake can say hiss my advice.

 

Lesson number one ......Fail !  do not kill pythons as they will eat any rats around.

Lesson number two....... If you find Cobra, do not go near, but get snake remover to take it away.

[Huckenfell]

On 5/14/2018 at 9:16 PM, Autonuaq said:

King cobra is not a problem they try to avoid you and study your moves.

Kill snakes and other stuff.

 

Python more to worry about because they will catch bigger and bigger prey. Depending on the size.

 

In general you have many snake more then you think of and see. Most of them hide and try to avoid contact or being sees.

 

But your problem is you made the habitat the prey if the snakes love to love in.

 

Remove the pray and the snake will go too.

 

And many snakes make there round so at about the same time the snake pops up. Like the road we live on. Every day between 1550 and 1605 hrs the same snake at about the same spot crosses and this if for 4 years in a row. And there are more areas where i have seen this.

 

If you not bring a snake far away it will come back.

 

You can see on the way the run away if they are new in the area or know the area.

 

I not like snakes and have made all snake and prey unfriendly.

Clean and less things to use to climb or hide.

 

'If you not bring a snake far away, it will come back' .................     Reminds me of the time that i found a load of Carpet snakes (Python)  in  the roof of my Queensland house. I caught them, put them in a bag and took them about half a klm down the road to a racing stable where they had a few rats running around......Mistake !  within a week, they were mostly all back home !  A Queensland Parks and Wild life officer told me that this will happen every time unless i took them more than 3 klm away. So this is what i did and they did not find their way home again.

[shaemus]

30 minutes ago, Huckenfell said:

Lesson number one ......Fail !  do not kill pythons as they will eat any rats around.

Lesson number two....... If you find Cobra, do not go near, but get snake remover to take it away.

The python was hit by mistake with the blade of the brush cutter whilst grass was being cut. 

[shaemus]

21 hours ago, Wake Up said:

Ask your thai neighbors what they do. They have more experience than anyone with snakes and farming. Nice to see you farming as it is a joy to produce food. My ex GF from Isan liked to eat snake. The King Cobra is one of the few snakes that scares me but that is because I have not lived near them or know their habits. I know one killed my ex GFs dog but with a rice farm they knew how to work around the cobra. 

There are no sightings of kings locally. 

[tryasimight]

On 5/14/2018 at 7:46 PM, StevieAus said:

I have four Jack Russell’s and they certainly deal with snakes, rats,  feral cats and anything else that decides to invade our property.

The other thing to consider if you can get hold of them and they are available in Thailand are Guinea Fowl they will deal with snakes and eat insects off plants etc but not sure about rats.

And yet I've seen a Taipan slither through a group of Guinea Fowl......go figure.

My Jack Russels were the same but......no mercy for anything. Thank Christ they were small dogs....absolute killers....and I loved em.

[tryasimight]

On 5/14/2018 at 8:20 PM, shaemus said:

I wasn't there to see the snake. But after going through the types of snakes it could have been and the ones it wasn't, we weren't left with many options. We think the snake lives in a old tree which has a very large termite mound, which according to locals is a place to avoid and not sleep next too. (termite mound) 

 

We also have a pong pan or pan pong (ferret badger) that lives on the property. They eat snakes

So i am told. 

 

As we have done allot of forrest development things haven't reached there natural ballance yet. 

The dogs are at training school so hopefully when they come back they will sort out a few rats. 

 

The rats are a local delicacy. So i asked for a few traps to be set up. I have tried it. Doesn't taste like chicken. 

 

Thanks 

 

Shaemus 

 

How big is the property?

[shaemus]

11 hours ago, tryasimight said:

How big is the property?

Its 20 rai. 60% re forrested