Catching Snakes Without Killing Them

[femi fan]

Yet again a small snake gets over our garden wall and rests near the outside sink. This one was black with yellow hoops, probably not more than a foot long, but it was coiled up sleeping. Behind our wall is a large overgrown coconut grove.

Thing is, i'd really rather not let my wife continue to kill them which she needs to do as much as i want to let them just go away in their own time. Fair enough i guess since she works in that area a lot.

Having watched animal planet, i was wondering if anyone knows of anywhere in chiang mai that sells those kind of one metre long pincer-type things which can grab the snake behind its head without harming it. I can then simply drop it into the plant growth on the other side of the wall, and all three of us will be happy.

Or anything that i can buy to do the job.

Incidentally anyone know what kind of snake it was? It looked pretty beautiful! And this coming from a snake-phobic from three years ago, but i'm so used to them now!

[cmsally]

Might want to practice on something else - it could be a Krait - rather poisonous.

Krait

[femi fan]

Might want to practice on something else - it could be a Krait - rather poisonous.

Krait

Thanks for the info. Your picture has the yellow loops being the same width as the black bits in between, whereas my memory tells me that the black bits predominated over the yellow bits. But certainly that pattern and colour! If it was a krait, just a baby one.

[pumpuiman]

A length of thin pipe with a line passed through to create a loop (fold the line in half before passing it through the pipe) will suffice.

pull on the two loose ends after passing the loop over the snakes head.

Be careful. most bites occur when people mess with snakes, instead of walking away.

[femi fan]

Yeah, i've read about that way, but don't like that option! I can see things going wrong as you hint.

[Geekfreaklover]

It is either a Mangrove snake (harmless apart from a nip) or a banded kait (deadly)

Personally I would get the local Somchai to deal with it. Sling him 50 bt. If its a Banded Kait don't try and deal with it yourself. Leave it too the semi-expert locals.

Heres a picture of the Mangrove Snake.

Edited August 25, 2009 by Geekfreaklover

[Dustoff]

~

Cool that you don't want to kill them and I am sad to hear that your wife does.

We have several snakes that hang out in our hedge and yard and they are more than welcome. We did however find a young cobra in our carport and I escorted him to another area far away. Do not fool yourself into thinking that if you drop your's over the wall that he will not simply find his way back into your yard.

Identification of the young of most species is very difficult, even for the experts, since they tend to go thru many color/marking changes as they develop into aldulthood.

DON'T buy into the Fear Factor - there are very few snakes that will bite, even if a bit stressed, unless you look like something thay can swallow. If those horror stories were true, there would be dead dogs/cats/buffalo/oxen/people littering the countryside everywhere in this country. If they get into your house however, they can be a problem for someone who is digging into a floor-level cupboard and makes them feel cornered.

If you are near medical facilities, don't worry about them. If bitten and you do not feel almost immediate excruciating pain, simply clean the wound as you would any other. Otherwise, it is best to kill the snake and take it with you to the hospital, even if it bites you again, but hospitals will most likely be able to immediately identify the type of poison (hemo or neurotoxic) by your symptoms when you arrive.

Relax..! The stories about 2-step and 30-second snakes are nonsense.

As to catching them, gently drop a book or heavy magazine on them and decide where to go from there - it messes up their locomotion, especially on a slick surface like a tile floor in your home. If they are small, simply sweep them into a cardboard box. If you are concerned about larger snakes, do some advance homework and find out who in your community deals with snakes. Duh, this is Thailand and there are always 'snake-handlers' on call not far away. Your wife, if Thai, should know this...

Aarrgghh! SNAKE!

[elektrified]

http://www.siam-info.de/english/snake_catcher.html

[piercefilmlid]

~

DON'T buy into the Fear Factor - there are very few snakes that will bite, even if a bit stressed, unless you look like something thay can swallow. If those horror stories were true, there would be dead dogs/cats/buffalo/oxen/people littering the countryside everywhere in this country. If they get into your house however, they can be a problem for someone who is digging into a floor-level cupboard and makes them feel cornered.

Good and reassuring point.

Always tap or poke with a stick any potentially risky dark area before plunging your hand in. The snake would rather slither away than confront you, given the chance.

Regards

[heybruce]

A length of thin pipe with a line passed through to create a loop (fold the line in half before passing it through the pipe) will suffice.

pull on the two loose ends after passing the loop over the snakes head.

Be careful. most bites occur when people mess with snakes, instead of walking away.

That's a bit complicated. If you're sure it's not poisonous, find a stick at least as long as the snake, ideally with a fork at the end, and try to pin its head down. If the snake "runs" away, problem solved. If you can pin its head down, carefully grab it by the neck immediately behind the head and take it wherever you want, releasing it with a gentle toss so it can't bite you.

If you are not sure if it's poisonous, kill it or call in an expert.

BTW, I grew up in north Florida in an area with lots of snakes, but we had cats with good instincts. I was more likely to find pieces of snakes than intact animals. One day I found our current cat, who had a litter of two month old kittens, slowly and carefully killing a corral snake (small but poisonous) while her kittens sat observantly in a circle around the poor reptile learning how to kill a snake. You might consider getting a good cat.

[IanForbes]

As to catching them, gently drop a book or heavy magazine on them and decide where to go from there - it messes up their locomotion, especially on a slick surface like a tile floor in your home. If they are small, simply sweep them into a cardboard box. If you are concerned about larger snakes, do some advance homework and find out who in your community deals with snakes. Duh, this is Thailand and there are always 'snake-handlers' on call not far away. Your wife, if Thai, should know this...

Aarrgghh! SNAKE!

Dropping a book on them is not an option for snakes this size...

Banded Krait (extremely venomous)

Mangrove snake (mildly venomous with rear fangs)

Don't try lifting snake with the loop tool if the loop is placed too close to the head, or the snake MIGHT slip free and then become aggressive. If the snake is balanced correctly the loop will pick up most mediun sized snakes. Just make sure the business end of the snake doesn't get too close to any parts of your body. Even a non-venomous snake can inflict a nasty bite. They all have very sharp in-turning teeth.

[jackr]

i was wondering if anyone knows of anywhere in chiang mai that sells those kind of one metre long pincer-type things which can grab the snake behind its head without harming it.

If you're anywhere near Mae Jo there's a place that sells them for 20 baht. It's a klick or so past the lights on the left heading away from CM and is one of those budget places with baskets and whatnot outside.

[femi fan]

Thanks for all the replies, a nice range of ideas for me to dwell upon.

Actually, most of them seem to curl up in the hanging shelf we have that houses brushes and cloths and so on for the outside sink, so dropping a book wouldn't work. Other times they crawl along the top of the wall. Not seen one actually in the garden for ages now.

It looks like it was a mangrove snake since the black bits were wider than the yellow bits. It certainly was a beautiful one, and i can't believe i can say that compared to what i was like three years ago!

I really turn inside at the thought of killing them, but fear in people is difficult to resist... All it was doing was resting its weary body!

[femi fan]

i was wondering if anyone knows of anywhere in chiang mai that sells those kind of one metre long pincer-type things which can grab the snake behind its head without harming it.

If you're anywhere near Mae Jo there's a place that sells them for 20 baht. It's a klick or so past the lights on the left heading away from CM and is one of those budget places with baskets and whatnot outside.

Hey, fantastic! I play golf up that way every week, so shall take a look.

Whether i will actually be able to do all of this once i have the tools is another question!

[coma]

I come from the land of snakes such as Coastal Tipan, Feirce Snake, Eastern Brown etc ๆๆ .And whilst trekking through the many different terrains in Aust I have had the pleasure of coming across these so call "World's Deadliest Snakes " in their natural environment. And not once have I seen a snake even hold its ground, let alone turn to bite as i have approached its position.

If you cannot identify the snake. You are not competant enough to attempt handling it using any device. YOU WILL #### YOURSELF AND GET BITTEN. If you must have it removed. Call the experts in to capture it and resettle it in an area where it will not return.

Ref this comment

"If you are near medical facilities, don't worry about them. If bitten and you do not feel almost immediate excruciating pain, simply clean the wound as you would any other. Otherwise, it is best to kill the snake and take it with you to the hospital, even if it bites you again, but hospitals will most likely be able to immediately identify the type of poison (hemo or neurotoxic) by your symptoms when you arrive."

This advice is not entirely accurate and could result in complications. DO NOT wash the strike area at all. Medical staff will swab the bit to determine the toxin/ venow type which will give accurate species identification. And the appropriate antivenom will be administered. If bitten you should apply a compound bandage on tight. Starting from the bit sight. Going down the limb, away from the heart, then continue up and down the limb. Mark the bit area on the bandage with a circle so the med staff will know where to cut the bangage open to take the swabs. Immoblise the limb and trying to stay calm. Keeping your heart rate down to a minimum which will slowdown the toxin movements throughtout your body.

[silverhawk_usa]

I come from the land of snakes such as Coastal Tipan, Feirce Snake, Eastern Brown etc ๆๆ .And whilst trekking through the many different terrains in Aust I have had the pleasure of coming across these so call "World's Deadliest Snakes " in their natural environment. And not once have I seen a snake even hold its ground, let alone turn to bite as i have approached its position.

If you cannot identify the snake. You are not competant enough to attempt handling it using any device. YOU WILL #### YOURSELF AND GET BITTEN. If you must have it removed. Call the experts in to capture it and resettle it in an area where it will not return.

Ref this comment

"If you are near medical facilities, don't worry about them. If bitten and you do not feel almost immediate excruciating pain, simply clean the wound as you would any other. Otherwise, it is best to kill the snake and take it with you to the hospital, even if it bites you again, but hospitals will most likely be able to immediately identify the type of poison (hemo or neurotoxic) by your symptoms when you arrive."

This advice is not entirely accurate and could result in complications. DO NOT wash the strike area at all. Medical staff will swab the bit to determine the toxin/ venow type which will give accurate species identification. And the appropriate antivenom will be administered. If bitten you should apply a compound bandage on tight. Starting from the bit sight. Going down the limb, away from the heart, then continue up and down the limb. Mark the bit area on the bandage with a circle so the med staff will know where to cut the bangage open to take the swabs. Immoblise the limb and trying to stay calm. Keeping your heart rate down to a minimum which will slowdown the toxin movements throughtout your body.

Could you please tell me what hospital in Chiang Mai is going to do all this? Sorry, I am little skeptical......

[rebo]

The Krait can be easily identifyed by its obvious triangular shape. It's the only species in Thailand I kill without any tolerance due to its night activity (easy to step on walking around the house after sunset), its high aggressivness and its super-venomousness.

And regarding attempts to catch unknown species with a slope by an unexperienced person: Spitting cobras are quite common here and come in a wide range of (uni)colors, and they make really a direct hit, I'm sure even hanging in a slope ... Saw one attacking our dog from 2 - 3 m distance, and it got him 100%. Dog suffered weeks even though we washed his eyes immediately and several times and treated him with according to local common wisdom (confirmed by a local vet): A collar braided from fresh bark of a local tree (Waan raang jued หว่าน ราง จืด).

[NancyL]

I'm a real novice at this, but we did live south of Houston where the snakes would look for higher ground during floods and hurricanes.

These were exactly the times that Hubby had to be at work. The first time I found a snake in our home I freaked and waited for him to return and (of course) it was nowhere to be found. (I won't discuss my desire to move out of the house and check into a hotel immediately.) The second time I found a snake in the house, I placed a large piece of artwork on it (a teak elephant Hubby bought in Thailand in the early 1970s; who knew we'd someday live in Thailand!) and went to his tool chest to locate his largest pair of channel-locks. I'm sure this handy tool is known by some other name to the Brits and Aussies.

Anyway, I used the channel-locks to grasp the squirming snake just behind the head, went to our back door and threw it and the channel-locks as far as I could into the flood waters. I went back to putting towels around our thresholds to keep the rising waters out. When he finally returned home, I told Hubby he'd find his best channel-locks somewhere in our back yard.

[blue eyes]

What is the problem with killing snakes?They are a great source for protein,and taste good.