Cobras

[leisurely]

I have been looking all over the net for an answer and decided to come to the horses mouth. We seem to have a nest(?) of cobras next to the house. From what I have worked out, they live underneath the garage. My questions are these. How many eggs does a cobra lay, what is the gestation period and how big are they when they hatch out? I dount they will be moving on in a hurry, we back onto a sort of settlement that is full of cockerels and ponds. Rats are prevelant too so they have a good and varied diet!

Thank you

Leisurely

[Crossy]

From here:- http://www.tigerhomes.org/animal/cobra-nest.cfm

King Cobra's "claim to fame" is the fact that they are the only snake to construct a nest for the sole purpose of laying their eggs. A King Cobra Nest is constructed by the female typically from rotten leaves and vegetation. The female King Cobra will loop her coils over loose debris and drag the material to create her nest. In most cases, a Cobra nest is nothing more then a simple pile of leaves mounded above the ground were she will lay between 40 and 60 eggs. In some cases however, maybe due to experience, the female actually constructs a lower “Egg Chamber”, with an upper area for her to lay and incubate. King Cobra eggs incubate after 65 to 80 days.

Looks like you'll be having quite a few mini-cobras

[Jamie]

Do you know what kind of cobra it is? From the information I found on the three cobras found in Thailand, the Asian Cobra produces around 20 eggs by a larger female. Indochinese Spitting Cobra had no information on eggs produced. Spitting Cobras in general produce around a dozen eggs at at time. The Equatorial Spitting Cobra had no information on eggs produced, so again it could be around a dozen eggs at a time.

One link http://www.tigerhomes.org/animal/common-cobra-scientific.cfm gives an average clutch between 12 and 20 eggs incubating from between 50 and 60 days.

[Pink Mist]

most venemous snakes can inflict a lethal bite from birth too

[leisurely]

Oh poo. Looks like a common cobra (I'm not keen to get too close!). Looks like we need to do something rapidly about this. I'll try the snake people at the red cross.

Thank you so much for all your rapid replies. Sh1t sh1t sh1t sh1t sh1t sh1t

[Khonwan]

I don't think you'll get King Cobras in Bangna. I live on the edge of a hill forest - we do get King Cobras as well as other cobras, etc. All cobra envenomations are potentially fatal so please do have them removed.

[raro]

Just had a similar problem, check out this thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=105840

....and thanks for all the great advise!

btw...the cobras never showed up again.