Hi all.
The topic is ‘snakes and your pet’ – which to me are one and the same but I will look at this topic as a problem. Life has a funny way of presenting problems then presenting a solution of sorts as well. On the topic I had planned to talk about a very wealthy nightclub owner in Adelaide who paid me more money than I am worth to keep snakes out of his large house and property in the Adelaide Hills. That saga occurred more than 25 years ago while I was studying economics at Flinders University. That particular story would have been the answer the question of how to protect your pets against snakes at this time of year! It is well known that around Australia as the weather warms up in spring and summer, snakes become more active. Most of them are feeding and breeding and doing as much as they can before they have to again shut down for the cold period of the year (Autumn and Winter – for most people). As the weather warms we humans also tend to do more and more in the sunshine while it lasts and that then brings us into contact with snakes.
Some snakes have adapted well to suburban life, being able to eek out an existence on skinks, geckos, frogs, mice and small birds around our homes. It is not just snakes that have done OK with us being in their playground, there are also bluetongues, water dragons and bearded dragons and
other smaller reptiles that are doing well also. The fact that we inadvertently supplement feed them all is how these native critters do well under human disturbances. We waste a lot of food in the form of scraps to the dog or cat, bird feed for the caged birds we keep and even the many home vegetable gardens that produce flowers and succulent leaves for things like snails and bugs to feed on. In my mind this is good as people get to see native wildlife in their own back yards – even if they have to make a living eating feral mice and grubs. So what to do about it?
What happened to me in the last few days to change the way I write this article? Last Wednesday my brother, his wife and two small children arrived from Mexico to stay for a while. On Friday night (9/1/15) the baby girl (18 months old) was put in her cot and the four year old boy was on a swag in between mum and dads’ beds. They were all in the same room. About 10.30pm the little boy started crying hysterically and wanting to get out of the room. There was a weak light in the hallway next to the bedroom and from that light his mum had seen a ‘snake’. I was watching the big bash cricket and with the yelling jumped up investigate. I checked out the little fellow as he came out of the room and he had some blood coming from his knee and was clutching his finger, saying the ‘snake’ bit him. His mum also said he had been bitten by a snake and while she appeared quite calm, I’m sure she was going internally berserk. I immediately thought the animal might have been a long skink that sometimes comes into the house. As I moved the sheet that had covered the little boy I saw a snake. No matter how many times you work with snakes the sight of a wild one still gets the heart racing. Anyone one who says differently I am guessing does not possess a pulse, or the associated blood pumping organ. The snake was about 50 cm long and it reminded me of the time a few months back where I had had to move a very venomous Northern Brown snake from the local table tennis stadium. I immediately realized the snake in question here was a Children’s python and completely harmless.
You will not believe how guilty I felt. I have some snakes at home as always but Children’s pythons are not among them. I could see the enquiring looks on our visitors’ faces that said maybe, somehow it was one of mine that had escaped? NO IT WASN’T! I have a lifelong rule – never play a snake joke on anyone – ever!!!!
The next day the young fellow kept asking about the snake and if he could see it. I had put it into a bag for safe keeping so I could release it to some bush just down the road. I got the snake out of the bag and found it to be a very placid animal and suitable to sit on hands without the risk of being bitten (all animals can bite, but many choose to refrain from doing so – this was one of them). After making sure it was OK to handle the young fellow to his credit held his hands out and I put the Children’s python over them and he pretended he was a tree. In fact he became so enamored with the critter he wanted to keep it and name it. I think we may even have a four year old convert to keeping reptiles! How good is that?
But really how does that help you keep your pets safe from snakes at this time of year when clearly I couldn’t keep a four year old relative safe in his bed in my home? Let me go back to the rich nightclub owner. I spend the better part of a month every day clearing his house of debris, getting rid of his prize birds (down the road to his uncles), cleaning all coverings and holes, blocked his shed, cleared a 4m surround around his pool, and even put talcum powder in the garage around the sports cars. I was sure I had everything covered. I caught two Eastern brown snakes and moved them also. I was satisfied I had done everything, and I mean everything in my power to make his yard and house as snake resistant as I could. The exact advise I would give all of you to protect your selves.
Two months later he rings and says he is standing on the balcony looking at a big brown snake that is cruising through his yard. So even after doing everything in my power to prevent a snake invading this person’s yard – I couldn’t. The best that could be done was done, and then it was up to him to be vigilant enough to call me or the local snake catcher to come and get any snake he happened to see. This guy had two young children like the two staying at my place, only he made sure that none of his children (nor dogs – he had 2 Dobermans) were ever bitten by a snake. I guess I need to be a bit more vigilant around my own garden. Im sorry there is no black and white answer, it just feels like various shades of grey, however I would rather you be aware of the truth, clean your yard as best you can but if you live near a reserve or bush or someone with birds in cages etc, there is a high likelihood that snakes will visit – keep an eye out and the encounters will hopefully end well.
Cheers and happy herping
Gavin Bedford