Snakes - Love 'em Or Hate 'em ?

[Ricardo]

I hate snakes (the wriggly kind) , but as a p c ex-hippie type, know that I should care more for a fellow living creature. So how does everybody else out there react - when they spot one ?

[Gazza]

I steer around them if on a quiet road. If they're on a busy road I don't risk my life trying to do so.

Only time I've ever stopped to try and take a photo of one, was down in Yala. A huge cobra reared up just as I missed running over it's tail. I stopped and turned the bike around but when I got to the spot where I saw it, it had vanished into the undergrowth.

[Darknight]

i steer around as i don't believe in killing wild animals unless unavoidable.

Having said that i once ran over one because i was looking why the car coming from the other direction suddely swirved.

It was to avoid the snake , didn't see it.

[Wolfie]

If they are not inside my house, i avoid them...

If they are inside my house, then they get whacked...

Its bad luck to kill a snake in Thailand so i am told

(i guess its worse luck to be bitten by one )

[chico]

I steer around them if traffic is alowing it, but what about if the snake is in your garden ? ? ?

[sua yai]

I don't drive over here, so slightly off topic, but I've seen loads of snakes on golf courses, slipping out of undergrowth a couple of feet from where I'm sitting etc etc.

Unless you stand on one or threaten it or its young, they're not going to hurt you. We are not in their food chain.

If it were in my garden or house, probably a different matter. Otherwise, live and let live.

[penzman]

They're usually pre-squished and sun dried when I see one on the road.

Salt anyone?

[tuky]

my wife loves seeing on the road or near the road etc. Oneday we saw a fish on the road, about 10km from the water, my wife nearly had some sort of spiritual epiphany over that one.

[britmaveric]

Snakes kill all the pests!! For the most part they don't want any part of bothering humans - they are rather scared of us and only attack out of surprise or fear.

[ProfessorFart]

Fear of shakes is irrational and mis placed. You should fear the humble mozzie far more!

[NongEed]

I think it's considered bad luck to kill them, let alone come upon them.

[ProfessorFart]

I think it's considered bad luck to kill them, let alone come upon them.

I'm refraining from making a smutty Carry On style response to this apart from Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm Matron!

[lukamar]

Fear of shakes is irrational and mis placed. You should fear the humble mozzie far more!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm absolutely terrified of snakes , for some reason. My wife took me to a small private snake farm in Mae Rim so i could spend a pleasant afternoon handling them with the owner. He was a good teacher and it was a very informative experience; but they still scare the crap out of me.

[R92]

Cant stand em although I hear there quite tasty. Anyone know a good place for snake?

[Jai Dee]

If I see a snake on the road, I will try to avoid it, provided I don't put either myself or any other vehicles in a dangerous position.

If I see a snake in the garden, I leave it alone.

If I see a snake in the house, (happened twice in the last 6 months) it will die.

It's my house, and non rent paying rodents, reptiles & insects are not welcome.

That goes for cockroaches, mosquitoes, centipedes, scorpions etc as well.

[Jai Dee]

I would stop the car and try to catch it. If it was not poisonous I would keep it as a pet.  I love snakes!  They are very misunderstood animals and therefore a lot of people fear them.

Heres my pet a Kingsnake. Besideds mice and rodents they eat other snakes and will eat Rattlesnakes given half a chance 

That's a pet???

How big is it?

Is it venomous?

Is it house trained?

[Jai Dee]

He lives in a huge glass fronted cage, so house training is no problem. And he has never crapped on me yet when I take him out and play with him on the sofa.

Snakes like to play?

Or is he sh*t scared when you play with him?

[aletta]

Snakes,love them but out in the woods not in the wood pile.

[anna234cn]

Of course run away at once. Like lizard more.

[kurgen]

Ravisher, I lived on Corfu for a couple of seasons.

The big brown snakes I often used to see there, would they be the same as your's?

[NongEed]

I think it's considered bad luck to kill them, let alone come upon them.

I'm refraining from making a smutty Carry On style response to this apart from Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm Matron!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I only know this from what I was brought up to believe (in a Thai Buddhist family in Chiang Mai area). I guess it's different in a Westerner's standpoint, but this is my take on snakes and other living things.

[chico]

I hate snakes (the wriggly kind) , but as a  p c  ex-hippie type, know that I should care more for a fellow living creature.  So how does everybody else out there react  -  when they spot one ? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

jay " non rent paying rodents.."

you having a good system to keep mosquitos out ?

tried all kind, icluding european anti-mosquito plugs, not much better!

Rav "maybe just enjoys to get out of the box"

you don't think if you would let it go, it would be happier? maybe even stay in the neighborhood to get his food from you?

have seen a guy in the amazone do this with wild monkeys : keep them in a cage for a while, to get used to be fed, after a few month, let them out, they stayed!

guess it's easier getting food supplied, then looking yourself for it.

he did it with ara's too - some beautiful very rare birds : marine blue, just tiny yellow spot on his head

[tuky]

I think it's considered bad luck to kill them, let alone come upon them.

I'm refraining from making a smutty Carry On style response to this apart from Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm Matron!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I only know this from what I was brought up to believe (in a Thai Buddhist family in Chiang Mai area). I guess it's different in a Westerner's standpoint, but this is my take on snakes and other living things.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

if only more people thought like you NongEed

[bina]

ravisher, california or florida?; do you feed live (oops the mouse fell on its head and is stunned...)or dead prey (micicles or ratcicles)?

btw if you let him (you can sex him by checking width and length of tail or open and see but htey dont really like that method) go into hibernation for a few months, he will wake up and want to breed w/mate (if u want) , no problem together in same house if they have enough room, but must feed separately... they MUST hibernate as kingsnakes need this time its not real hibernation but they dont eat, etc... reduce temp slowly; to awaken, same thing in reverse ... they really need this time for quality of life....

we had two beautiful kings for 7 years, eggs and all....winter time, they go into 'cold storage' and are not handled ;

they were our best snakes for the petting zoo..... our 4 ft python was a scary one, got nasty as he got larger, and needed larger prey, and i was the one that had to give him antibiotic shots (!) when needed.....

like snakes a lot, but if our local vipers get near to house area, they are taken care of with a hoe.... we have had several bites in the past few years maybe not the snakes' fault but pretty bad results for the dogs, children and adults that were bitten

chico: NEVER NEVER release animals from one biozone to an other that causes grief to the animal (usually cant survive) ; and or, can cause environmental damage if it does and or find mates (mynas in israel are a prime example)... and feeding wild animals is equally destructive, as for arras (many are on the CITES 1 LIST endangered) then they become wild caught captives in zoos and private homes.....

ME ON THE SOAP BOX FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES.....

Edited February 2, 2005 by bina

[ZRilla]

I'm not for killing snakes, but ###### (d-a-m-n is censored?) I would freak if I found one in my house. From then on I'd be paranoid about going to sleep or opening a cupboard or walking around in bare feet. Maybe, I'd just catch the next plane home.

I knew someone from South America that had what they claimed was a highly venomous bushmaster get into their house. They lost track of the snake while they were trying to catch it, but they thought it *might* have gotten into the couch, so they took the couch outside and burned it. There is no way I could function knowing there might still be a venomous snake in my house.

Edited February 2, 2005 by ZRilla

[Padkapow Guy]

In the famous words of Richard Pryor. " snakes make me run into trees"

[bina]

(micicles or ratcicles)

= as in mice or rat popsicles

never handle snakes after eating cause they throw up and its really gross

the species u have is called a florida kingsnake : Lampropeltis getula floridana

if u love snakes go to this site: www.kingsnake.com

ive been using their sight for most info when needed for zoo projects etc....

at the park, the snakes are my job, my thai worker doesnt go near them , he usually finds other work to do really quickly as far away as possible.... he works on the principle that a good snake is a dead snake....

about 4 years ago we forgot the (3.5 meter)python outside in a tree, we had artistically arranged it in a lower branch, and it crawled to the top of the tree, i'm afraid of heights and so had to get my (then) thai worker to help out since he could climb trees no prob. and wasnt afraid of heights or the python, but he didnt really like the creature; the customers werent to impressed either.....

[Ricardo]

Really nice to see how many votes, and hits, the topic has generated.

I guess it must have been spot-on, something that people hold firm views on , especially pleased to see how many ThaiVisa folk are caring-types !

A friend just suggested that, now that the LOS is warming up again, I'm seeing more snakes around because they are coming out of hibernation.

Or are they just after-me