Thats a nice snake you are carrying!

[Ric]

Hi Rob, I can see how it would add up to be a costly exercise. I they are doing the same down here then snake cowards like me wont have a choice I suppose.
I always thought they were a volunteer organisation and hence free services.

Cheers

[CoombellKid]

Originally Posted by Dujon

We've had a few red-bellied blacks around the place, mostly juveniles (where's mum!), but no browns as far as I know.

Brown snakes generally wont hang around when red belly black's are about,
they tend to kill them off, which actually is a good thing because red belly
black's tend to be very shy of humans. If you have Red Belly black's it's
probably because there are mice about.

regards,CS sunny days

[Dujon]

Thanks, Rob. Yes, the little fellows I had about the place didn't even try to attack the stick I was using to guide them elsewhere so I figured they were relatively safe to approach. I'm still not sure that I'd like to do the same with a full grown six-footer though.

Mice? Don't know to be honest. I haven't seen any (or traces) in the house, workshop or garden shed. Then again, I've a couple of resident cats. I also have a creek-cum-drain that runs down the side of my property - unfortunately dry for months at a time - which I believe attracts the RBBs. Perhaps the frogs?

[neB]

Sure is snake season. My Mrs found one on her sewing table under some material over Christmas. Just a little carpet snake but I heard the scream outside at the other end of the house while painting.

I've heard that snakes don't like geraniums. But with with a big house on acreage I'd have to plant thousands of them to make any sort of barrier.

[CoombellKid]

Originally Posted by Dujon

Thanks, Rob. Yes, the little fellows I had about the place didn't even try to attack the stick I was using to guide them elsewhere so I figured they were relatively safe to approach. I'm still not sure that I'd like to do the same with a full grown six-footer though.

I wouldn't consider RBB's safe to aproach, their bite is just as deadly
as any brown. If they are cornered they will have a go at you. Leave them
be imediately on hearing them hiss or start to figure of 8. If they have an
exit path they will leave. Where a Brown will attack as soon as it feels
threaten.

Originally Posted by Dujon

Mice? Don't know to be honest. I haven't seen any (or traces) in the house, workshop or garden shed. Then again, I've a couple of resident cats. I also have a creek-cum-drain that runs down the side of my property - unfortunately dry for months at a time - which I believe attracts the RBBs. Perhaps the frogs?

You'd be right there, frogs are a favourite of RBB's. Green snakes go after
the mice. Sorry I always get that back to front we kinda have frog city,
and rabbit city here, brown snakes like rabbit holes. And rat-sak fixes the
vernim. But at least out here in the bush they dont come out of some sewer
pipe, actually I suppose they're organic vernim they like my darn garden
the lil beggers, especially the capsicum.

regards,CS sunny days

[Dujon]

Interesting, Rob. I hadn't realised that the RBB was that venomous (at least to a healthy person). I really should do some research. My son, by the way, is well versed in snake handling and keeps snakes at his home. They are non-venomous pythons and, yes, he does have the requisite licenses etc..

In the interim: What are these Green Snakes of which you write? Where I used to live - about 3-4Km from my current residence - we used to see many a green Tree Snake (plus the odd goanna and kangaroo) which I had always considered to be innocuous and thus just left them alone. Another error of judgement?

Oddly enough we had the occasional RBB over there as well, even though the nearest creek was probably 100 metres away and 200 metres down over a cliff.

I did have a snake which I've never identified - not that I've done much checking - which was, approximately, two feet (600mm) long and was an overall light brown(ish) colour with creamy bands around. Girth not all that large - probably about 30 to 40mm in diameter. As I had young children at the time he was despatched, with much trepidation, courtesy of a garden spade.

[ving (David)]

Originally Posted by Dujon

I did have a snake which I've never identified - not that I've done much checking - which was, approximately, two feet (600mm) long and was an overall light brown(ish) colour with creamy bands around. Girth not all that large - probably about 30 to 40mm in diameter. As I had young children at the time he was despatched, with much trepidation, courtesy of a garden spade.

sounds like a juvenile brown snake. they start thier lives banded

still just as dangerous an the grown ups

[Dujon]

Perhaps, Ving, I don't know.

This image seems more appropriate. One of the locals at the time did in fact suggest it was a Tiger Snake even though he hadn't seen it.

http://images.google.com.au/imgres?i...lr%3D%26sa%3DG

[CoombellKid]

That right Ving, the young ones can be just as or even more venomous
then it's adult. Well thats what I have been lead to believe.

John, have a read here, I'm not a snake expert myself, just a bloke
who lives amoung them. And learnt what I know from local friends
and farmers. I've always known them to be lethal, but maybe that
is not entirely true, but like the info say's it should be treated as
such.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-bellied_Black_Snake

Green snakes same as Tree snake, in your attic snake etc...etc... I
think they are all the same. all non-venomous like pythons. Yup we
have Roo's and Goanna's, and another variety which I think is of the
monitor variety which reach upto 2m in length.

regards,CS sunny days

[FNQ_View (Mick)]

I am no herpatologist ( snake expert ), but a word of advice about snakes - the ONLY reliable way to identify a snake is by scale count. For example around the Innisfail area - an RBB is a greeny blue colour ... easily confused with a harmless tree snake. Colour & patterning are a function of environment & diet ( caused up here by their diet of predominately green tree frogs I'm told ) Shape & behaviour are useful identifaction aids.

Mick