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ChiangMai noon

they are growing on me very much.

i consider them extremely exotic and I feel privileged to see them.

we don't have a lot of interesting stuff in south wales, though i saw a few shed grass snake skins and allegedly we have adders, though i never saw one.

next step is to pick one up if I can be sure it won't poison me.

should this be done by the tail or the nape of the neck?

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Sir Burr

I would strongly advise against that.

Mr Pot

How to Catch a Snake





Have you ever wondered how the professionals on TV catch snakes so easily? Do you want to get one out of your garden without hurting it? Or do you just think it would be cool to catch and get a close look at such a fascinating creature? Here's how to catch a wild snake safely and humanely.


[edit] Steps

1. Be sure the snake isn't venomous. You don't want your first attempt at snake catching to end in a disaster! Observe the snake- its length, its colors, and other distinguishing features. Identify the species by using a search engine (e.g. +snake+red+yellow+"North Carolina"). If you are at all uncertain of what kind of snake it is, and are worried it might be venomous, call the local animal shelter ASAP (as soon as possible) and let them know before anyone gets hurt.
2. Get a stick or other long slender object, or whatever you have at hand.
3. Distract the snake with the stick. Firmly grasp its tail and lift the snake upwards, leaving the front part of its body on the ground, but keeping your legs and own body as far away as possible.
4. Place the end of the stick under the front half of the snake. Lift the front half of the body off the ground. This will keep the snake calmer than if you grabbed its head, and will also let you control the snake's position easily.
5. Release the snake into a new area with plenty of places to hide such as a stone wall or some bushes. 'Aim' the snakes head toward the hiding places, and release the tail. The snake will immediately seek shelter to escape the 'predator' that picked it up.
6. Go wash your hands well- snakes and other reptiles sometimes carry bacteria. While usually a minor concern, there have been examples of serious illness and even death in humans who have handled reptiles that carry the bacteria.

[edit] Alternate Method 1

1. Lay a large garbage can on its side.
2. Sweep snake in with a household broom. Snake can easily be transported to a wilderness area, away from homes.

[edit] Alternate Method 2

1. Get a larger bushier stick. Something with lots of branches, twigs, and vegetation.
2. Allow the snake to 'hide' in your makeshift 'bush'. Tease the snake a little with another stick or by wiggling the bushy stick. The snake will often curl around the branches and twigs.
3. Simply move your stick to where you want the snake to go and leave it there. The snake will leave when it feels safe.

[edit] Indoor Method (without sticks)

1. Assemble necessary items: shirt, pillow case, and secure lided container or lingerie bag (snakes are strong, so flimsy cardboard boxes are not recommended, but shipping boxes are good).
2. Gather up the pillowcase (like a sock to put on) and set nearby.
3. Toss the rumpled up tee shirt over the snakes head and upper body. The snake will generaly be afraid and coil up under the cloth.
4. Without delay, place the pillowcase down over the shirt. Slide the edge firmly along the floor, scooping up the shirt and snake together. This can be done with the lingere bag if it is large enough and you are not squeamish and know the snake is not venomous.
5. Place entire bundle into container. The snake will probably lay quietly for quite a while, then work its way safely out of the cloth inside.
6. The snake will be fine and able to breathe until you release it or call animal control for pick up.

[edit] Tips

• Always be very gentle with snakes, and avoid angering them if at all possible. They are scared of you, and most of the time you can shoo them out of your yard without ever touching them at all.
• Snakes can be caught without the use of a distraction, but it is much easier and safer to distract a snake before grabbing it. Not to mention that it gets the head pointed away from you, which is how you have to grab it.
• If you do not have an area to release the snake, you can put it into an old pillowcase and transport it to a fitting place. If travelling by car, remember to tie a loose knot at the end or you may have a snake in your car!
• If you are afraid of getting bitten, wear thick leather gloves, as most snakes will have a hard time biting through the hardened leather. However, depending on the kind of snake, it might be able to bite through, and gloves will impede your dexterity.
• When handling a snake, it will want to slither through your hands, which is natural. After you pick up a snake, some species like the common Garter Snake will act like it is in a tree. You should handle it by keeping your hands about 10-12 inches apart, and rotate them so that the snake has someplace to go instead of dropping to the ground. Also, letting it run through your separated fingers is acceptable.
• One way remember how to identify the coral snake, a poisonous snake found in the Southeastern U.S., particularly Florida and Georgia, is this rhyme : "If red touches black, you're OK Jack; if red touches yellow,you're a dead fellow.".

[edit] Warnings

• If the snake is venomous, or if you are not sure whether it is venomous or not, do not bother it. Leave it to a professional - too many people are bitten trying to catch or kill snakes so dont take the chance. If it is a threat to life then try to use a stick, or other object to shoo it away. Just make sure you don't step on the tail as you're shooing it away.
• Remember snakes are wild animals and can react unpredictably when threatened. And your being near it is threatening it. Always exercise extreme caution when catching snakes.
• Try to avoid picking snakes up ONLY by their tail. Most snakes cannot curl their bodies up to bite your hand, but they can easily bite your leg or even crotch. Use a long stick or other long object to cradle the first foot or so of its body. If you have to pick a snake up only by its tail, get a firm, but gentle grasp and hold it as far as possible from your body.
• When you pick up the snake, it will understandably be scared and will likely musk on you. If you wash off immediately, it will reduce the smell, but you may still smell for a few hours more. If the smell truly bothers you (or it is particularly strong) then try using a soap with a scrubbing agent mixed in. Fast Orange or Lava soap has bits of pumice mixed in, and can scrub the smell away.
• Snakes' heads are remarkably flexible. Avoid grabbing the snake by the head as some snakes (ESPECIALLY certain venomous types) can actually bite you even when held in this fashion.
• It may be illegal to keep a wild snake as a pet in your jurisdiction. A wild snake may also be scared of the home you are providing for it, and not eat. If you do keep a snake in captivity for more than 30 days, it will have a hard time surviving in the wild, if you decide you don't want it. So make sure you are ready to accept the responsibility of caring and maintaining a cold-blooded reptile.

Dont Do anything stupid

• Never assume you know as much as the television professionals. We can't all be Jeff Corwin.

[edit] Things You'll Need

• Snake (chances are, you already have one)
• Snake-stick
• Transport-vessel for the snake
• Place to release the snake
• Alternate Method 1: large garbage can with lid, broom
• Alternate Method 2: a hollow stick, a length of rope
• Indoor Method (without sticks): tee shirt, pillow case, and secure lidded container or lingerie bag.

Mr Pot

Thats the best tip right there

Norton

Me too. They are wild animals and even if not poisonous will bite sometimes quite painfully if threatened. If you really want to learn find an experienced snake handler and learn from them. Maybe you can find one at the CM snake farm. I have had many pet snakes from the time I was a little fella. Pet snakes get used of being handled and so no problems. Having a pet snake is great hobby but wives seem to object.

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slimboyfat

why not skip the picking up snakes part and go straight for sting rays?

ChiangMai noon

^^
funny you should say that.

the cats brought in a chipmunk the other day.

poor thing appeared to be stone cold dead, i even held it up by the tail to show my wife and she told me to fuck off and get it out of the house.

threw it out after looking at it for a while, 5 minutes later one of the kittens had it and it's screaming a chipmunk scream.
it was all revived.

i grabbed the poor thing to put it out of harm's way and it gave me quite a nasty nip.

eventually fled up the bamboo tree.

lazarus the chipmunk.

slimboyfat

have you had your rabies shots?

Norton

Playing dead common for a lot of animals. Rat snakes are masters at it. After hissing, huffing and trying to scare you off they just go limp and stay that way for a long time. Picking one up thinking it's dead and you'll have nasty bite.

Michael

Shouldn't worry too much about cats and dogs. They have an instinctive fear of snakes, as with most other animals. My cat even gets a shock when it sees the garden hose in a bush. Don't think she has even seen a real snake.

Killing snakes in thailand is technically illegal, but people kill them anyway out of fear. Had a couple of spectacled cobra on the terrace once. As soon as they saw me they 'legged it'.

Norton

Odd thing we humans. Afraid of something that is much more terrified of us. If I saw a beast 100 times bigger than me I'd be leggin it too. Good you let him leg it.

Wayne Kerr

How lovely.

Always good to hear stories of critters being killed.

mrsquirrel

Don't know about that. Our chocolate cat (same colour as yours) used to pester those small viper things on the drive way and it wasn't too scared of the reticulated python in the garden either. Kept a safe distance but was having a good look around it.

November Rain

CMN, don't try & pick up snakes. Even if non-venomous, their bites can give you nasty infections. D'you really want to lose a finger from a snakebite gone bad?

The dogs I have go for snakes. They've cornered a few (& I've had to literally get them off) & I've found quite a lot of dead snakes that they've killed. I think that's partly due to their sheer numbers though. I don't think a snake has too much defense against a pack of dogs - I don't know if any they've killed have been venomous. The Thais round here tell you everything's venomous. Good excuse to beat it to death.

Anti venin (AFAIK) is specific to different types of snake, so it is best to be able to identify what bit you.

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DaveRobin

haven't seen stroller for a while, is he playing dead again?

JoGeAr

Didn't know they had chipmunks in Thailand. They have squirrels (ga-lawk in Thai) although they are rather ratty-looking squirrels !!

ChiangMai noon

quite common up here.

first time I saw one was in thetyim's garden a couple of years ago.

cute little things, until then I'd only seen them in cages.

bustak

damn, those are some scary ass looking snakes!

In order for me to get pictures like those I'd have to have a telephoto lens!

mrsquirrel