Snake In The House - What Is It?

[bkkjames]

Ok snake experts, need your assistance, came across this green fellow yesterday as I was gardening. He is bright green - about the width of a finger and about 50cm long. Head is not much bigger than his body - no pointy nose or anything like that. Not a bright coloured tail from what I can see kinda looks like one of these from afar (below).

I can't see the underbelly of it so no idea of its colour or defining markings.

Should I worry about it and have it removed?

Thanks in advance.

James

[aussiejosh]

I love killing snakes... Not really but I did it a lot in Australia on the farm, had to keep them away from the dogs.

[bkkjames]

I love killing snakes... Not really but I did it a lot in Australia on the farm, had to keep them away from the dogs.

Great, i have a job for you then.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

This was in the house today. Anyone know what type of snake it is?

Not particularly aggressive, but one of my kids nearly stepped on it.

It does look pretty much like the "common rat snake" photo from the good ID book SNAKES AND OTHER REPTILES OF THAILAND AND SOUTHEAST ASIA, available from Asia Books.

Mac

[bkkjames]

This was in the house today. Anyone know what type of snake it is?

Not particularly aggressive, but one of my kids nearly stepped on it.

It does look pretty much like the "common rat snake" photo from the good ID book SNAKES AND OTHER REPTILES OF THAILAND AND SOUTHEAST ASIA, available from Asia Books.

Mac

Mac thanks but mine is the little green bugger a few posts earlier mate,

Cheers

James

[t.s]

Ok snake experts, need your assistance, came across this green fellow yesterday as I was gardening. He is bright green - about the width of a finger and about 50cm long. Head is not much bigger than his body - no pointy nose or anything like that. Not a bright coloured tail from what I can see kinda looks like one of these from afar (below).

I can't see the underbelly of it so no idea of its colour or defining markings.

Should I worry about it and have it removed?

Thanks in advance.

James

if in bangkok it is likely one of several species of vipers, i am on soi 11 and have seen them in my garden on many occasions, usually sleeping in trees by day. i have only seen them on the move at night, though far more rarely.

the snake in your pics doesnt have the right head shape though

they are venomous, but it wont kill unless you have a specific allergy.

this one is a yellow eyed viper hanging out on my garden hose.

this guys tail is very characteristic though other common vipers donty have the tail coloration

Edited March 24, 2009 by t.s

[steffi]

It's hard to ID the original picture without a picture of the snakes head. I've seen that snake in other pictures before but it had blue eyes and that can be an indication that the snake will shed it's skin soon. But last time we saw that snake was confused between Malayian Pit Viper and Indo-China wolf snake.

Ok snake experts, need your assistance, came across this green fellow yesterday as I was gardening. He is bright green - about the width of a finger and about 50cm long. Head is not much bigger than his body - no pointy nose or anything like that. Not a bright coloured tail from what I can see kinda looks like one of these from afar (below).

I can't see the underbelly of it so no idea of its colour or defining markings.

Should I worry about it and have it removed?

Thanks in advance.

James

if in bangkok it is likely one of several species of vipers, i am on soi 11 and have seen them in my garden on many occasions, usually sleeping in trees by day. i have only seen them on the move at night, though far more rarely.

the snake in your pics doesnt have the right head shape though

they are venomous, but it wont kill unless you have a specific allergy.

this one is a yellow eyed viper hanging out on my garden hose.

this guys tail is very characteristic though other common vipers donty have the tail coloration

Edited March 24, 2009 by steffi

[bkkjames]

Ok snake experts, need your assistance, came across this green fellow yesterday as I was gardening. He is bright green - about the width of a finger and about 50cm long. Head is not much bigger than his body - no pointy nose or anything like that. Not a bright coloured tail from what I can see kinda looks like one of these from afar (below).

I can't see the underbelly of it so no idea of its colour or defining markings.

Should I worry about it and have it removed?

Thanks in advance.

James

if in bangkok it is likely one of several species of vipers, i am on soi 11 and have seen them in my garden on many occasions, usually sleeping in trees by day. i have only seen them on the move at night, though far more rarely.

the snake in your pics doesnt have the right head shape though

they are venomous, but it wont kill unless you have a specific allergy.

this one is a yellow eyed viper hanging out on my garden hose.

this guys tail is very characteristic though other common vipers donty have the tail coloration

thanks ts, he is up the tree so its hard to get a really close look but your photo does look fairly similar to what I have in the back yard - just a bit bigger. If I see him (tough because he is up the mango tree), will try to get a closer look at the head and tail - from a distance though.

[steffi]

I think you can see the pits to suggest that it's a green pit viper and not something you want to mess with.

Ok snake experts, need your assistance, came across this green fellow yesterday as I was gardening. He is bright green - about the width of a finger and about 50cm long. Head is not much bigger than his body - no pointy nose or anything like that. Not a bright coloured tail from what I can see kinda looks like one of these from afar (below).

I can't see the underbelly of it so no idea of its colour or defining markings.

Should I worry about it and have it removed?

Thanks in advance.

James

[suiging]

Nylon washing line pulled through a long length of stiff plastic pipe ( pulled back through leaving a loop at the end ) is a pretty easy and inexpensive way to secure, catch and then release any little sod that wanders in to your garden. Spitting Cobras can be a problem if the pipes not long enough and your not wearing sun specs, but not much if you are slow careful and keep your safety as well as the critters safety in mind.

[bkkjames]

I tell you what. As some are more concerned than I am about the snake's welfare vis-a-vis mine and the mrs, anyone willing to come over and take him away will get one bbq'd steak (rib eye), baked potato with all the trimmings and a couple of large heinekens as a reward.

[Mosha]

Can't I have a beer instead?

[bkkjames]

Can't I have a beer instead?

thought by my mention of big heinekens it meant beer - but if you prefer leo or chang, just let me know

[rogerdee123]

Any snake that wanders into my house is dead meat ! .... if I see it.

Of the Thai poisonous snakes I can only recognize about 4 of them. I have known kraits to be aggressive as well as king cobras. And either of these (if adults) can easily kill a man with a bite ... not to mention a child.

If snakes are in their own environment and if I see them, I give them a wide berth and leave them alone. But they have no business in my house.

We once had a medium size (1 meter) snake inside our house in Bangkok curled up in a potted plant. I called my Thai neighbor to take a look at it and he promptly called the police who came and beat the s**t out of it with a a couple of clubs. The potted plant and the clay pot were also pulverized. They told me that the snake was a poisonous bamboo viper.

I have a friend who was bitten in Chiang Mai a few years ago by a snake that was curled up inside his newspaper/mailbox.

[bkkjames]

Can't I have a beer instead?

thought by my mention of big heinekens it meant beer - but if you prefer leo or chang, just let me know

After last week, thought I got to the bottom of the snake thingy but stand corrected.

Enjoying my sunday morning yesterday around the house, have an espresso outside before heading around to the corner Jusco for a few groceries with the mrs. Perfect sunday morning, watering the garden and grass, relax, a nice breakfast.. or so I thought.

Coming home in a lil tuk tuk with purchases in hand, the guy stops his little truck outside my gate, I hop out to open it and what's staring at me about 3 feet away in the little patch of tall grass??!!!! .

What appears to be a much bigger version of what I thought was up my mango tree last week, its as startled as I am and it even gets the attention of my tuk tuk driver who mutters something to the affect : deadly.

Thankfully the sound of the tuk tuk made the snake high tail it up the soi. For the record it was a green like the other one, with a pattern on his skin, around a meter long with dark reddish brown tail. And by the way, they are very quick if they need to be.

So besides investing in a flame thrower, any suggestions to deal with this?

Edited March 30, 2009 by bkkjames

[steffi]

Where in Bangkok are you seeing these? My wife's family lives out in Don Muang and I've see Keel Back's, Nu Sing, and Asian Vine snakes all within the perimeter of their case and the neighbor swore they had a visit from a Cobra but what else can you expect to see in Bangkok?

Can't I have a beer instead?

thought by my mention of big heinekens it meant beer - but if you prefer leo or chang, just let me know

After last week, thought I got to the bottom of the snake thingy but stand corrected.

Enjoying my sunday morning yesterday around the house, have an espresso outside before heading around to the corner Jusco for a few groceries with the mrs. Perfect sunday morning, watering the garden and grass, relax, a nice breakfast.. or so I thought.

Coming home in a lil tuk tuk with purchases in hand, the guy stops his little truck outside my gate, I hop out to open it and what's staring at me about 3 feet away in the little patch of tall grass??!!!! .

What appears to be a much bigger version of what I thought was up my mango tree last week, its as startled as I am and it even gets the attention of my tuk tuk driver who mutters something to the affect : deadly.

Thankfully the sound of the tuk tuk made the snake high tail it up the soi. For the record it was a green like the other one, with a pattern on his skin, around a meter long with dark reddish brown tail. And by the way, they are very quick if they need to be.

So besides investing in a flame thrower, any suggestions to deal with this?

[bkkjames]

I live along sukhumvit in a house. I suspect they may be coming up the sewer drains or they have laid eggs that are now hatching.

[bkkjames]

here is a photo i found on the internet - although the head on the one yesterday appeared a bit smaller than shown in this...

[TonySoprano]

I'm surprised I aven't seen this here yet...

If a snake bites you it's only because YOU did somethiing WRONG like being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Snakes have been here longer than you so you have no right to kill them. If it turns out that you are bitten by a poisonous snake then you should have known better than to bother a poisonous snake.

Did a mentally retarded person come up with that?

[Artisi]

Coming from the "land-down-under" which has most of the worlds deadliest snakes, I treat all snakes with a great deal of caution.

In their territory I leave them alone and go out of the way not to harm them - in my territory they need to watch out because they are instantly dead unless we have been formally introduced.

As for snakes in the house, I hopefully have trained my better half in controlled-panic by keeping her distance but a careful eye on where they are / go in the house and not to run outside screaming and losing all idea of where they are - and if possible isolate them in one room or cupboard for later capture and removal if possible.

[wackysleet]

Having read through 4pages of answers to the snake problem and people advocating getting a little book on snakes and how to recognise them there still seems to be some posters who still cant put a name to some of the snakes shown here so how the hel_l can a complete novice expect to know.

When we lived in bkk a few years ago I remember there was a thai house in the city infested with cobras, experts, or so we were led to believe were called in and the old bill killed every one.

Twice whilst working and walking in my garden I have been bitten, the snake having pi---d off into the undergrowth, on both occasions I just felt a bit sick and some swelling but otherwise no ill effects, I could walk around my garden and virtually guaratee to see a snake if I probed under the bushes, if I see one then I leave it well alone but in my house it may well be another matter but so far that situation has not arisen in the 3yrs we've lived here.

[steffi]

Where did you find this picture? Since it looks like it could be a snake that isn't indingous to Asia. Similar to a rough green snake in the picture.

It's hard to know what yours was if you don't have a picture. Quite possibly a green vine snake especially if it had a longish triangular shaped head and thin looking eyes.

here is a photo i found on the internet - although the head on the one yesterday appeared a bit smaller than shown in this...