snake in yard

[luv2dance]

My husb found a baby snake in the yard very near the backdoor. He thinks it was a baby copperhead. He remembered that a copperhead bit our neighbor's dog a few years ago. Anyone know how to ward off snakes?

[luv2dance]

My husb found a baby snake in the yard very near the backdoor. He thinks it was a baby copperhead. He remembered that a copperhead bit our neighbor's dog a few years ago. Anyone know how to ward off snakes?

[Peaches715]

I don't have any ideas, but we get snakes in our house every couple years! http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_eek.gif

[FiestyFemme]

I don't know how to get rid of them, but my mom ran over a black snake just last week, and I know our neighbor saw a copperhead not too long ago.

I hate snakes. http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_eek.gif

[Lexie]

Make sure that you keep your doors closed and that there are no cracks where they can get inside of your house. They are my worse nightmare but luckily there aren't many where I live. One year I jumped right in front of one in my mom's yard. I reacted so fast that I did not know what happened. I ran out of there like there was no tomorrow and to this day that spot gives me the creeps.

[ck_nd]

When I used to live next door to a golf course we had a copperhead in our back yard once. It is quite a scarey experience. (By-the-by how weird is it that Copperhead snakes smell like cut cucumbers?)

Anyways I have found that here in Australia this creapy crawly, slithery-sliding infested country that it is that creatures tend to come close to houses during times of water shortage when they are looking for water. We are in the middle of a drought now but I don't know if that is a problem in your neck of the woods.

Another time creatures tend to come into houses is just before big storms. It is like they are looking for shelter. One way to tell the circumstances is to go out and find ants nests and see if they are building their nest taller than normal. (To know what "normal" is for an ant nest in your area you sort of have to keep an eye on them during the year.) When there will be a lot of rain they just build their nest taller so to avoid their nest becoming flooded.

When it comes to reading the environment and using it as a gauge as to what is happening it is a matter of a lot of practice but something that methinks most people can get the hang of.

Back to the snake though, the other option that could of happened with our copperhead snake incident is that it just happened to get "lost" and found its way closer to humanity than it normally would like to be.

luv2dance, I hope you don't have any more snake encounters.

[luv2dance]

We're having normal rain amounts right now. It has been cooler than normal. This snake was near stepping stones which are warm. It was a baby so I'm afraid it has siblings http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_eek.gif

A lady in another neighborhood told me that someone put out yard waste to be picked up at the curb. She said the sanitation workers started yelling. Said there was a bunch of baby copperheads in it. Thank goodness we've already cleaned up the yard for spring so it's only maintenance now.

My husb likes to leave doors open to the garage. I think he's seeing the light now.

BTW, are the cities in Australia full of crawling things or is it just the countryside?

[ck_nd]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by luv2dance:
BTW, are the cities in Australia full of crawling things or is it just the countryside? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The cities and countryside both have their fair share of crawling/slithering/venomous cratures. Not forgettig the oceans too!

e.g. in the Sydney basin (i.e. the city of Sydney is in a basin - geographically, Sydney is Australias most populus city of about 4 million people) there is the funnel-web spider which is very very venomous, IIRC it is our most venomous spider or one of the most venomous, can't quite remember. In the last 50 years or so there haven't been any deaths though b/c there is the anti venom available.

Also in Sydney is the copperhead snake (where I had my experience.)

Now that I am thinking about it we were always told to keep our properties clear of trash, timber waste, garden waste etc as this is the kind of hiding place that snakes and spiders like.

In the countryside e.g. far North Queensland and central Australia we have other creatures like the Taipan snake which is also very venomous and to top it off it is also very aggressive so it might attack people without being provoked. In the areas of the country where this snake is common as soon as children are old enough to understand they are taught to give an anti venom shot so that they can perform first aid should they be required too. Also everyone carries around the anti vemon with them at all times just in case.

In our oceans like in the tropics so once again in the far north of the country are the Box jellyfish which is also very venomous.

Other ocean areas have the Great White Pointer which is a one of the man eating sharks. Not so long ago about two people were killed by them in different incidents. Obviously not venomous but very aggressive.

I think of the worlds top 10 most venomous creatues most are found in Australia. My memory isn't so hot on the topic at them moment but IIRC I think we have like 9 out of 10 of the worlds most venomous creatures. *bleh*

All of them aren't found all over the country but I don't think there is any area of Australia that is exempt of something that is kinda nasty.

I suppose as an Australian who has lived in this country all her life you just get used to the idea that you always have to keep your yard clear of rubbish and you don't go poking your fingers under rocks, into fallen trees or into holes in the ground.

You learn to identify most creepy crawlies and you keep away from them if you see them in the country and if there is one in your house you make sure you have *industro-chemical-warfare-grade-insect-killer-spray* on hand at home at all times.

[Nat000]

holy crap. i REALLY hate snakes, i always have and i always will.

just reading about them makes me shake

[luv2dance]

That is very interesting about Australia. Everyone thinks it would be cool to visit. Now I'm not so sure. LOL

Have you done the bridge walk or is that just a tourist thing?

[ck_nd]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by luv2dance:
That is very interesting about Australia. Everyone thinks it would be cool to visit. Now I'm not so sure. LOL

Have you done the bridge walk or is that just a tourist thing? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes I did the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb and it is awesome! If you can when you book in ask for a climb that covers sunset, i.e. you start before sunset, the sun sets while you are on the bridge and it is night when you are coming down off the bridge. Awesome, awesome and more awesome. Sydney is definitely Australia's most beautiful city.

Ohh, and there are no snakes up on the bridge http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Another good thing to do is dinner at Sydney's Centrepoint Tower Restaurant (there is both an A la carte and smorgasboard restaurant on separate levels), again book in for the sunset sitting. Ask the receptionist when you book b/c they will be able to tell you when sunset is happening. Basically you are up at the top of Sydney for two hours in a rotating restaurant. IIRC you will go around twice in two hours, for the sunset sitting you will see Sydney during daylight through to dusk through to the early evening. The food is pretty average but the view is again awesome. They usually have our Coat of Arms up on the menu i.e. Kangaroo and Emu.


My advice is to come during spring/summer i.e. in Australia's spring/summer so Spring starts September 1 and Summer finishes on the last day of February. Daylight savings doesn't finish till end of March so early Autumn is good too if you are in a part of the country that has daylight savings (most of the east coast does except Queensland).

As for the creepy, crawley, slithery, slimey things.

I have travelled a lot in Australia including the outback both on family holidays and for work when I was in the army. Granted I went to places in Australia when I was in the army that you are highly unlikely to be able to visit. Unless you want to march for about three hours before arriving to your destination and you have to carry everything in b/c vehicles can't get through so not a favorite holiday destination unless you are into hard core camping.

In all my ventures I have seen two snakes. One brown snake (when I was in the army), about 30 cm long (approx 1 foot) and yes that little fella' is venomous. One copperhead in my backyard when I lived in Sydney and that was right next door to a golf course.

Like I am 30 years old and I have seen two snakes and I have been to plenty of places that should have plenty of snakes.

I probably see one big spider a year, and 99% of the time it is NOT venomous. We have Huntsman spiders here that are big and ugly, hairy legs and all *yuck*. Small spiders don't bother me, I just "nuke" them or stomp on them depending on where it is when I find it.

Oh and while I am ranting here I have to share a story of what happened to me when I was in college and living alone. I had a friend who lived close by who for the purpose of this story I will call Tom.

ck: wakes one morning and all bleary eyed goes into the bathroom. Finishes in the bathroom and by chance looks up to the ceiling and sees a huge spider at the cornice.

ck: high pitched scream and runs out of bathroom

ck: rings Tom and begs him to come and get rid of offending insect.

Tom: (on phone) What color is it black/brown?

ck: brown

Tom: how big is it?

ck: huuuuuuugggggeeee

Tom: sighs b/c he knows I am most likely hugely exaggerating.

What shape is the body round or oval?

ck: oval

Tom: is it running around like crazy or is it more placid and just staying in one spot

ck: it moved a little when I screamed but it hasn't moved since.

(Basically he was gauging if it was venomous or not b/c he has a friend who is totally into spiders and if it was venomous he was bringing a buddy along. Seriously I do not get some guys.)

Tom: Describe the legs, are they hairy or not?

ck: nah, no hair I shave my legs.

Tom: The spider not you http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

ck: oh, yeah, (pause) hairy legs.

Anyways he was over pretty quick with a big jar to put our offending spider in and take him away. LOL

Anyways, this post is getting way off topic, if you are travelling to Australia and need travel tips I think we need to start a new thread.

http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif hths

[luv2dance]

Now you're making me want to visit Australia. The bridge walk and the restuarant sound great. It may be getting OT but is sooo interesting. Funny story about the spider. http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Again off topic but about crawly things. We lived in the upper South and moved to Atlanta. Our first week there, we had an ice storm and lost power and heat during the night, found a scorpion in the bathroom, and my young son got an ear infection and needed medical care. Living in the upper South, we thought all scorpions were poisonous so I freaked out.

Then when we moved here, one night I heard a plop and a frog/toad or some hoppy un-cute thing fell out of the chimney into the fireplace. I have a phobia about frogs. http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_eek.gif To this day, we still don't know how that happened. I am soooo glad my husb was home. Don't know what I would have done if it was me and a frog in the house.

[ck_nd]

Scorpion in the bathroom!!! http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_eek.gif We have scorpions here but only out in the desert, and you say Australia is scarey http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

My mum is scared of frogs too. She was in the Queensland outback and there was one in the toilet. Gross.

[Buffalo]

I watched a nature show on Australia not long ago. It is strange how all these poisonous creatures ended up there. Apparently there is a tiny octupus called a blue ring that has a dangerous poisonous bite? Even with all these critters I would still love to visit Australia. Looks really beautiful. Luckily in Canada there are hardly any poisonous snakes. There are some rattlers in southern BC, Alberta(Lethbridge area), Saskatchewan and an area in Ontario. You hardly hear of anyone getting bit. As for keeping snakes out of your yard, I agree with ck_nd about keeping your yard clean. Snakes like to hide under stuff.

[ck_nd]

Oh yeah, how could I forget the blue ring octapus! I remember as a kid I would go down to a rock pool that often had warning signs that there were blue-ringed octapii (?plural of octapus?) in the rock pool. I never saw one though.

They say that Australia ended up with a whole heap of nasties b/c of when Australia split off from Gondwana land like hundreds of millions of years ago we were no longer in contact with other continents and so our creatures had less competition from other animals so they were not wiped out during evolution.

Also the Australian climate is pretty harsh so methinks it would take some pretty "harsh" animals to be able to tough it out.