warning there's a snake in your garden.

[sunshine51]

Not to hijack, but anyone know what this snake is? It was on our road two days ago.

Snake Body.jpgSnake Head.jpg

I think a Russell Viper. Common in Thailand.

This is a Russell's Pit Viper...

The pattern may vary slightly throughout India & Southeast

Asia but it's pretty much similar in all locations. Also note the

wedge shaped head...common to all vipers.

The pic below is of a Malayan Brown Snake or Southeast Asian

Brown Snake...the same actually. This snake...unlike Russell's

Viper is non-venomous and poses no threat to humans and looks

almost exactly to the one in the OP's post.

"Attitude, rather than disposition is more definitive of serpent behavior. From the moment they emerge into this world until they complete their life cycle, their attitude is "Don't tread on me. I am well equipped to defend myself, but content to pass through life unnoticed. I mean no harm to anything or anyone that our creator has not provided as my bill of fare; I am self sustaining and I like it that way, please pass me by." - W.E. Haast

Edited July 10, 2013 by sunshine51

[onflipflops]

Killing a snake is the most stupid thing you can do. That's when you risk getting bitten because the snake will get agitated. But I know those who hate them won't listen and risk their lives and possibly others on their quest to kill it.

If encountering a snake, stay calm and don't jump around. Most snakes have poor eyesight (those who have good eyesight are mostly non-venomous or have a mild venom and the fangs in the back of the mouth meaning they have to chew first before the can inject. ), but even with poor eyesight they are able to see you when you are moving around too much. And that will make them scared and if they feel cornered they might not see an other option than defense. However, if you stand still while a snake is just slowly moving around in search for prey or a hiding spot, you can even let it slide along your feet without it harming you.

For most people this is however the opposite of what their instinct tells them.

When living in Thailand you'd better get used to it, because they are truly everywhere. 3 - 4 meter long pythons are still present right in the center of Bangkok.

Many species thrive near humans, because we have eradicated most other natural predators of mice, frogs, lizards. So these prey animals are thriving and so are the snakes, because of their hidden lifestyles they are much harder to get rid off.

[JSPS]

A guy in my village told me that one morning he was leaving his house, there was a snake as thick as his thigh blocking his front door. I asked him what he did then. He said: "I left through the back door of course."

I asked him what happened with the snake. He said he didn`t know because it wasn`t there anymore when he came home in the afternoon.....

Back in 1970 there was a Python that was caught in Siam Square. The thing measured 26 ft and was as big around as your leg. The Bangkok Post (or The Bangkok World) had a picture on their front page of a row of Thai Police holding it. It was sent to Dusit Park where I went to see it.(my Thai wife refused to come with me) It was in a plexi enclosure and I couldn't tell where it began or ended.

Pretty impressive

[Cuban]

Have only seen a couple of snakes (one huge) near but not on my property - but this post got me thinking about what I would use to dispatch one.....shovel? About all I have in the house are my baseball bats.....do have a machette but that seems too close.....a gun with birdshot would be nice but no can do here.....

IMHO you are best to use things that keep the snake more than striking distance from you, a blade on a flexible length of water pipe for example is effective, but you need to consider the blade shape and the surface under the snake.

When you aim consider where the snake will be by the time your blow lands, they seldom remain still when you make your move.

Best advice is to wear glasses when tackling snakes, some spit venom.

I would rather they escape and don't return but if they have been attracted to your property in search of something; food, water, a mate, it's the underlying problem that needs to be addressed directly after dealing with the current threat.

I would much rather have the bad karma of a snake corpse than be rushing a child, elderly relative with bad eyesight or one of my dogs to hospital seeking anti-venom.

For me this is why snake identification and education is important, happy to let the "good" ones do their bit in the food chain, dangerous ones can stay in the jungle or have a better go in the next life.

[meatboy]

as we try and protect our beloved pets another contender made an unwelcomed appearance last night a 15inch black rat at first i thought it was a cat till our dog shot after it cornered it twice then administered its final rites.reading how members had lost their dogs through rat poisoning i panicked,got hold of him and washed his mouth and made sure he haddened been bitten and the rat's skin had not been ripped,everything seemed ok,but what rat eating snake would devour such large vermin.this is the first time in 4yrs living in this house that i have seen one this big.

[Espen]

A guy in my village told me that one morning he was leaving his house, there was a snake as thick as his thigh blocking his front door. I asked him what he did then. He said: "I left through the back door of course."

I asked him what happened with the snake. He said he didn`t know because it wasn`t there anymore when he came home in the afternoon.....

Back in 1970 there was a Python that was caught in Siam Square. The thing measured 26 ft and was as big around as your leg. The Bangkok Post (or The Bangkok World) had a picture on their front page of a row of Thai Police holding it. It was sent to Dusit Park where I went to see it.(my Thai wife refused to come with me) It was in a plexi enclosure and I couldn't tell where it began or ended.

Pretty impressive

Wow

[Rimmer]

There is a story today in Thailand News about a cat finding a 5 meter python in the car port in a house in Phuket HERE

[monkey4u]

Not to hijack, but anyone know what this snake is? It was on our road two days ago.

Snake Body.jpgSnake Head.jpg

Yes it is commonly known as a DEAD SNAKE

[2008bangkok]

Interesting thread, it gets me worried though with 2 young kids about playing in the garden.

I guess I should get a net

Do snakes generally thrive in rainy or hot season?

Any tips? For instance is it better to keep the grass really short?.

Edited July 11, 2013 by 2008bangkok

[Espen]

Interesting thread, it gets me worried though with 2 young kids about playing in the garden. I guess I should get a net Do snakes generally thrive in rainy or hot season? Any tips? For instance is it better to keep the grass really short?.

A net won`t do it. You need a big dome that covers your whole property.

[sunshine51]

Interesting thread, it gets me worried though with 2 young kids about playing in the garden. I guess I should get a net Do snakes generally thrive in rainy or hot season? Any tips? For instance is it better to keep the grass really short?.

Many folks I know do keep their grass short and also lay a line of sulphur along the property

boundary. For some reason many animals, including reptiles detest sulphur. Mind you after

a good rain you must look around your property and check the line of sulphur for breaks.

Most hardware stores carry the stuff in chunky form. As for the seasons...that's hit or miss

because the snakes don't really seem to mind. If it floods in your area then you may have a

problem because all snakes can "swim"...some better than others...like cobras.

Edited July 11, 2013 by sunshine51

[JetsetBkk]

Meh! Pythons. Common as muck. Just be careful where you walk...

[meatboy]

Interesting thread, it gets me worried though with 2 young kids about playing in the garden. I guess I should get a net Do snakes generally thrive in rainy or hot season? Any tips? For instance is it better to keep the grass really short?.

Many folks I know do keep their grass short and also lay a line of sulphur along the property

boundary. For some reason many animals, including reptiles detest sulphur. Mind you after

a good rain you must look around your property and check the line of sulphur for breaks.

Most hardware stores carry the stuff in chunky form. As for the seasons...that's hit or miss

because the snakes don't really seem to mind. If it floods in your area then you may have a

problem because all snakes can "swim"...some better than others...like cobras.

the wf puts that white sulphur down at every door so far we havnt had one in the house.

if it does flood in your area dont worry too much about the snakes the crocs.will see to them.

[isanbirder]

It used to be said that a row of lemon grass along your boundary keeps snakes out.

Basically, don't interfere with them. If you see one, give it time to get away. DON'T try and kill it.

If it comes in the house, try and persuade it to leave. If it persists in not going away, and you live in a village, call one of the village lads. I had a five-foot black snake which my dogs cornered in part of my house, so we called a neighbour, who caught it and took it away for his dinner. Problem solved.

[Espen]

My father in law got bitten by a snake in his foot when he was walking on the bottom of a small pond that had been emptied.

Nobody knew it had happened, and I came to see him about one hour later. He showed me the bite and I told him he had to go see the doctor.

He said: "Mai pen rai. I think I know what kind of snake it was and it is not poisonous." I asked him if he saw the snake, he said no.....

His leg hurt bad that day but the next day he was fine.

[dontejo]

the last i saw in my garden , she eats my german shepherd !!

LOL My german shepherds eat the snakes.

[meatboy]

we had a keelback in the garden yesterday luckily the dog was in the house,i know they are not poisoness but i dont want him to get bit.i got him to the front of the garden then over the wall onto the road,oh well thats him on his bike,not so he must have doubled back and came in under the main gate and on the other side of the house.then came the warning sirens the same birds that had seen him earlyer spotted him again but this time he went down a hole by the side of a water drain.

so its wait till he shows again one thing for certain he wont be able to come back up from where he went down.

[Cuban]

We get enough Chequered Keelbacks around the house to be readily identified, caught, taken out back and released, never had to kill one yet. Being fish and frog eaters I'm happy for them to feed.

[meatboy]

We get enough Chequered Keelbacks around the house to be readily identified, caught, taken out back and released, never had to kill one yet. Being fish and frog eaters I'm happy for them to feed.

they have never eaten any of our fish but how the hell do you catch them they are like

mini bus drivers.

[Cuban]

What works for me is to use a soft shoe to hold down and control the head, identify where the body tappers slightly as the neck, hold that firmly in my hand and I can then walk the snake out, done up to one metre long like that.

Some years ago my BIL shouted at me while chasing a huge snake across the back of our houses, no idea what it was (not a python - wrong colors) but between us we caught it head held down with a stick, easily 3 - 3.5 metres long and 20-30Kg? It took two of us to hold it, I had the bulk of it while BIL focused on the head.

It went into a rice sack and was later sold.

Water snakes (the dark olive green ones with yellow belly) we get occasionally from a neigboring pond and I see when down by the river, they just get flicked away with a stick, I consider them harmless and the dogs aren't bothered either by them.

So far the light-green tree vipers stay in the trees, I've never had cause to be close to one.

The last cobra I wrote up in this forum was identified as probably a young King Cobra, I have a very snake aware friend some 12Km away in a more rural situation that frequently gets big KCs and other nasty snakes, has had a few farmer deaths around there as well. I take his advice seriously.

So I'm happy to be guided by locals as to which snakes to kill and which to send on their way, there's not the generic kill all on sight policy that I read about in other villages.

[DD13]

We have black monocled Cobra's visit most every week, had so many of them now its hardly an event any more, we get out the snake hook and nets also the loop thingy and throw them back over the wall back into the jungle. Had 1 1/2 mtr black cobra swimming up and down the pool a couple of weeks back, spitting at us as we tried to get him out.

A few of our visitors:

Like "Rimmer" ......Any snake that I catch always gets thrown over the wall.....head first.....followed shortly after by its' body...

In that way it is unable to bite any unfortunate, unsuspecting human or animal

If it happened to be a "King Cobra".......I would jump over the wall

Edited September 29, 2013 by DD13

[steffi]

Where was that Russell's Viper found?

Scary stuff.

Frank Cuesta was bitten by one of these or at least that's how it look in the video and he cuts the wound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gziz3Je1dLs

Not to hijack, but anyone know what this snake is? It was on our road two days ago.

Snake Body.jpgSnake Head.jpg

I think a Russell Viper. Common in Thailand.

This is a Russell's Pit Viper...

800px-Daboia_russelii_A_Chawla01.jpg

The pattern may vary slightly throughout India & Southeast

Asia but it's pretty much similar in all locations. Also note the

wedge shaped head...common to all vipers.

The pic below is of a Malayan Brown Snake or Southeast Asian

Brown Snake...the same actually. This snake...unlike Russell's

Viper is non-venomous and poses no threat to humans and looks

almost exactly to the one in the OP's post.

800px-4407797563_27328a3fe7_z.jpg

"Attitude, rather than disposition is more definitive of serpent behavior. From the moment they emerge into this world until they complete their life cycle, their attitude is "Don't tread on me. I am well equipped to defend myself, but content to pass through life unnoticed. I mean no harm to anything or anyone that our creator has not provided as my bill of fare; I am self sustaining and I like it that way, please pass me by." - W.E. Haast

[thaipod]

Had a few of the small green ones around the house . My maid killed a large green snake a few months back and my Burmese worker killed a large cobra on our orchard last year , that was scary it was quite aggressive had to throw a net over it to control it.

Snakes normally will move away from you ,the idea is keep your distance .

[nedkellylives]

Interesting thread, it gets me worried though with 2 young kids about playing in the garden. I guess I should get a net Do snakes generally thrive in rainy or hot season? Any tips? For instance is it better to keep the grass really short?.

Yes its best to keep the grass short so you can see them

usually the snakes you see in a yard hunt there prey and kids make so much noise they just want to get out of the way

you are not food to them and they would rather avoid you

Vipers and adders do not they are ambush hunters so it depends on the type of snake

The usual type of snake you find in a house yard hunt there prey

Edited October 24, 2013 by nedkellylives

[wayned]

We get golden tree snakes, pythons, cobras and vipers occasionally. Most are caught and released in the corn fields. The ones that unnerve me the most are the green tree vipers. You can be standing next to a bush and realize that there are a pair of beady eyes looking at you about 20 cm away!

Edited October 24, 2013 by wayned

[meatboy]

We get golden tree snakes, pythons, cobras and vipers occasionally. Most are caught and released in the corn fields. The ones that unnerve me the most are the green tree vipers. You can be standing next to a bush and realize that there are a pair of beady eyes looking at you about 20 cm away!

we had one of those green tree vipers in one of our trees next to our boundry,the dog was barking so i went to look you couldnt see it at all till i got a stick and struck the branches,what happened next i had never seen before,it flew through the air and over the wall just like a squirrel.glad it didnt come my way