A very snakey Christmas

[marwi_3023]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-06/brown-snakes-ruin-traditional-family-christmas-tree-haul/1057...

[marwi_3023]

I have a five foot long female copper head that has decided my house is a good place to live.
We met each other a year ago now.
We were heading towards each other in the hallway one night when I was heading to bed and she who knows.
I had to make my presence known and she unfortunately went in the bedroom.
After waiting for many hours I finally went to bed no longer worried about being bitten and dying, I was tired.
Now I know she is there but I never see her but she is saving me a fortune in rat poison.
I can go to Adelaide and Ballarat without having to buy posion now and it is great.
I always use traps when I'm home but have to posion when visiting family and the worst bit is the rotting carcasses that have to be removed and the awful smell.
Nobody will visit me now and say that I must kill it but I would rather live with the snake than the rodents

[myoclon1cjerk]

One of the brown blighters came up behind me a fortnight ago while I was sitting on the ground grafting grape vine root stock. Right under my hands and up the length of my legs which were extended out in front of me. I'm terrified of them so you can imagine what state I was in. Fortunately I kept dead still (the result of sheer terror 😄 ) and it did a right turn and disappeared.

[myoclon1cjerk]

Four years ago I was grafting on established vines in the Hunter Valley and disturbed a snake that was hiding in some dead couch grass. It got me on the calf. I felt a sharp sting without seeing the snake and thought an ant had bitten me. I kept working for about 20 minutes and decided to take a break as it was very hot. When I got back to el rancho I pulled up my trouser cuff and saw the 2 puncture marks on my leg. Off to hospital for a day and a bit. They reckon it was a red belly black that got me.

[marwi_3023]

We get three types here.
Tiger
Copper head
Brown.
We actually get striped Brown snakes here.
I thought the old guy that told me that was having a lend until the day I saw one.
On the road near the sewage farm.
It was the biggest Brown snake I've ever seen.
I was in my car and stopped. We looked each other in the eye.
Having lived in Adelaide I have seen a few Brown snakes and it was definitely a Brown with very faint stripes.
They have a totally different head to a Tiger and I've seen plenty of them now living in Coleraine.
This Copper head that has moved into my house is probably descended from one that I often saw outside my house.
She was very distinctive having a shrivelled up white tail that stuck up vertically.
The result of my neighbour having tried to kill it.
I had seen her doing the courtship ritual with a huge male following on one occasion

[marwi_3023]

That was lucky that you checked that out myoclon

[tasfleur]

Marwi, on my last visit to Brisbane this year, I stayed at a hotel that was close to the outskirts of the city.  There were short hedges alongside the buildings and a pathway that led to the elevator.  As I walked along, a biggish golden/copper coloured snake popped it's head out from under the bush a little way in front of me.  I tore back to the reception desk to tell the receptionist, and to my astonishment, she said "don't worry about it, we don't have poisonous snakes in Queensland" and she was absolutely serious .... 

I knew better than that, and took the long way back to the building I can tell you!

[tasfleur]

"They reckon it was a red belly black that got me" 

I've looked that one up on the internet.  At appears to be one of the less venomous snakes, but even so, it's still dangerous and it could have been an awful lot worse had you not gone to the hospital.

[marwi_3023]

Queensland definitely has venomous snakes.
The coastal Tiapan is in Queensland. It is second only to the inland Tiapan which can be found in inland Queensland.
The inland Tiapan is listed as the world's deadliest but more people are actually killed by the black Tiapan in Papua New Guinea and Adders and Vipers in Africa next.
That lady is seriously mistaken

[ecar3483]

A very snakey Christmas? No, not so far, and with no plans on the horizon for a "family get together" it might well continue to not be a very snakey Christmas, ha ha.

I'm hemmed in on all four sides by four lane, or maybe six lane roads, so the reptiles stand a very slim chance of making it this far.

Unless they follow the stray cats through the storm water drains, that is... ha ha.

They're not welcome here, but should they turn up they'll be treated with respect and courtesy, and then they can go for a fun ride with the snake catching man! ha ha.

🙂