I recently came downstairs half awake one morning, walked past my desk, only to be confronted by a reasonably large and agile snake coming down from the top of a tall cabinet just behind where I sit. It then hid underneath. As I'm quite phobic about snakes - it was quite a shock. I woke the wife up, who knowing about my fears, called father in law from next door. In his well meaning way he then proceeded to poke at it with a short stick. Much hissing and attempts by the snake to hide even more ensued. Anyway, a neighbour with some snake experience made a loop on a long pole and an hour later removed and released it across the road into a canefield from where it had probably originated.

To the point of this post - I have tried to identify it from various websites on snakes in Thailand but without success.

Description - about 1.5 metres long, as thick as a piece of regular size blue plastic water pipe or maybe larger; black and white small chequered markings all over; a small head, and scared rather than aggressive. It also moved quite quickly. I haven't discounted the idea of it being a young python, but I'm not sure. It was definitely not a cobra. Does anyone have any ideas ? and venomous or non venomous ? We live near Nakhon Sawan, so there are many different varieties of snakes around.

I recently came downstairs half awake one morning, walked past my desk, only to be confronted by a reasonably large and agile snake coming down from the top of a tall cabinet just behind where I sit. It then hid underneath. As I'm quite phobic about snakes - it was quite a shock. I woke the wife up, who knowing about my fears, called father in law from next door. In his well meaning way he then proceeded to poke at it with a short stick. Much hissing and attempts by the snake to hide even more ensued. Anyway, a neighbour with some snake experience made a loop on a long pole and an hour later removed and released it across the road into a canefield from where it had probably originated.

To the point of this post - I have tried to identify it from various websites on snakes in Thailand but without success.

Description - about 1.5 metres long, as thick as a piece of regular size blue plastic water pipe or maybe larger; black and white small chequered markings all over; a small head, and scared rather than aggressive. It also moved quite quickly. I haven't discounted the idea of it being a young python, but I'm not sure. It was definitely not a cobra. Does anyone have any ideas ? and venomous or non venomous ? We live near Nakhon Sawan, so there are many different varieties of snakes around.

That's a big snake! I can't help you with ID, but am curious how the snake got to where it was before it dropped to the floor. Do you have an A/C mounted on the wall over that cabinet? If so, it may be possible for a thin snake to enter the water condensation pipe...if it terminates outside at a level that could be accessed by a reptile. We had this happen to us a few years ago. The snake turned out to be a young krait according to the Thai A/C repairmen who came to pry it out of the machine and end our panic. If there is no apparent access portal adjacent or above the cabinet you mentioned, you need to think through how it arrived there and why. Weird.

I recently came downstairs half awake one morning, walked past my desk, only to be confronted by a reasonably large and agile snake coming down from the top of a tall cabinet just behind where I sit. It then hid underneath. As I'm quite phobic about snakes - it was quite a shock. I woke the wife up, who knowing about my fears, called father in law from next door. In his well meaning way he then proceeded to poke at it with a short stick. Much hissing and attempts by the snake to hide even more ensued. Anyway, a neighbour with some snake experience made a loop on a long pole and an hour later removed and released it across the road into a canefield from where it had probably originated.

To the point of this post - I have tried to identify it from various websites on snakes in Thailand but without success.

Description - about 1.5 metres long, as thick as a piece of regular size blue plastic water pipe or maybe larger; black and white small chequered markings all over; a small head, and scared rather than aggressive. It also moved quite quickly. I haven't discounted the idea of it being a young python, but I'm not sure. It was definitely not a cobra. Does anyone have any ideas ? and venomous or non venomous ? We live near Nakhon Sawan, so there are many different varieties of snakes around.

That's a big snake! I can't help you with ID, but am curious how the snake got to where it was before it dropped to the floor. Do you have an A/C mounted on the wall over that cabinet? If so, it may be possible for a thin snake to enter the water condensation pipe...if it terminates outside at a level that could be accessed by a reptile. We had this happen to us a few years ago. The snake turned out to be a young krait according to the Thai A/C repairmen who came to pry it out of the machine and end our panic. If there is no apparent access portal adjacent or above the cabinet you mentioned, you need to think through how it arrived there and why. Weird.

Thanks FM. We do have an A/C above the cabinet but I just checked outside. The system looks well sealed and the pipe is pinched- probably to prevent animals getting into it. But who knows. I think it came in through the open front door from the garden while the house was being cleaned, and no-one noticed. While we were trying to catch it, it climbed up the cabinet again, so it was quite agile.

Where I come from (Australia) 1.5m is an average size snake, except they're mostly very dangerous, hence my phobia. Anyway at least its gone -for now, I think?! But yes its still a bit weird. To add to the weird bit, it was curled around a small shrine on top of the cabinet. I'm not sure what my Thai family read into that, but they did say it was leaving a message. Maybe -close the front door! They had a name for it -that sounded like 'Singh snake' - maybe it was after a beer?

I do confess to a bit of paranoia that one day I will be quietly sitting at my desk, enjoying thaivisa, and a giant reptile will silently drop on me from behind and strangle the life out of me!

[quote name=tim armstrong'

Description - about 1.5 metres long, as thick as a piece of regular size blue plastic water pipe or maybe larger; black and white small chequered markings all over; a small head, and scared rather than aggressive. It also moved quite quickly. I haven't discounted the idea of it being a young python, but I'm not sure. It was definitely not a cobra. Does anyone have any ideas ? and venomous or non venomous ? We live near Nakhon Sawan, so there are many different varieties of snakes around.

They had a name for it -that sounded like 'Singh snake' - maybe it was after a beer?

I do confess to a bit of paranoia that one day I will be quietly sitting at my desk, enjoying thaivisa, and a giant reptile will silently drop on me from behind and strangle the life out of me!

Ah, "Singh snake," a "ngu sing," or "rat snake," non poisonous and yes, a fast mover on the ground, very common: http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1160427769056322400HQViNR

Mac

I recently came downstairs half awake one morning, walked past my desk, only to be confronted by a reasonably large and agile snake coming down from the top of a tall cabinet just behind where I sit. It then hid underneath. As I'm quite phobic about snakes - it was quite a shock. I woke the wife up, who knowing about my fears, called father in law from next door. In his well meaning way he then proceeded to poke at it with a short stick. Much hissing and attempts by the snake to hide even more ensued. Anyway, a neighbour with some snake experience made a loop on a long pole and an hour later removed and released it across the road into a canefield from where it had probably originated.

To the point of this post - I have tried to identify it from various websites on snakes in Thailand but without success.

Description - about 1.5 metres long, as thick as a piece of regular size blue plastic water pipe or maybe larger; black and white small chequered markings all over; a small head, and scared rather than aggressive. It also moved quite quickly. I haven't discounted the idea of it being a young python, but I'm not sure. It was definitely not a cobra. Does anyone have any ideas ? and venomous or non venomous ? We live near Nakhon Sawan, so there are many different varieties of snakes around.

Best rule of thumb is to consider them all venomous and give them a wide wide BERTH!

Your picture "Banded Krait 2" is not a Banded Krait it's a Mangrove Snake which is an entirely different animal from a Banded Krait. For one thing it's rear fanged.

does this match the intruder? http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/...k_rat_snake.jpg