Any reptile knowing people out there ????

[MotherNatureVer2]

Well after a wonderfull Easter filled with heaps of seafood & family, friends & a wee bit of alcholic relaxants, I came home today after driving over 700k's to find yet another Brown snake in my yard :

I will admit it was dead thanks to my two remaining dogs that are left off their enclosurers whilst we are out. Thankfully so far so good, they both seem fit and well ................ God Bless you Cooper for training them so well in the art of eradicateing these pests .....

My question is ....... How the hell do I keep these nasty, evil, violent, slimy little pr!ck$ out of my yard ...........

I have heard that Naphtoline Flakes & pool salt will keep them out ..... Im not sure if these are just old wives tales or not .......... I have the Naphtoline flakes here & will be getting the pool salt tomorrow just in case ........

I realise they are 'protected' species ..... how the hell I will never know ........ Only if they would just stay away from MY space ..........

I admit to sit here shaking still ...... 2 brown snakes in 1 week is more than most could cope with ........ I cant help but walking around my home looking on the ground ..... even inside ........

Someone help me please ...... the only other solution I have atm is yet another move ..... thats not something I want to do jsut yet ..... I love this place ....... Just cant handle snakes !!!!!!!

[LuvinmyEB]

The only thing I can think of Lisa is to go and catch some Blue Tongue lizards and put them in the back yard too, although the dogs might attack them. :(

[MO]

Lisa;slow down girl,now I don't know how big your fence line is but you get fenceing called rodent mesh...which is about 10/12mm square or vermin mesh which is about 5mm square these come in various heights,90/120/180.
The prices vary but for a 30 mtr roll of vermin mesh @ 120 you would be looking at about $170 per roll.
I am in the process of cane toad proofing our half acre for our dogs. Only 35mtr to go.

Hope this helps,oh by the way this should be at your local hardware store.

[galaxy xr8]

Creature's like this will allway's find a way in, and with the way of the climate now snake's are very active, dog's will allway's attack them, there's not much you can do there, just hope they get there 1st before the snake, by the sound's of it you are in the bush or rural area, you would be wasting your time trying to snake proof your yard, but in saying that I would try the old wives tale, you never know!!!!!.

[trick_xd]

well i have a pet snake and she used to go into the spare bedroom and i had a hard time finding her ... all i do now is put baby powder down and she dont go in there any more .. i have been doing this for 3 years now

this will only help you inside out side i have no idea

[MO]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

Creature's like this will allway's find a way in, and with the way of the climate now snake's are very active, dog's will allway's attack them, there's not much you can do there, just hope they get there 1st before the snake, by the sound's of it you are in the bush or rural area, you would be wasting your time trying to snake proof your yard, but in saying that I would try the old wives tale, you never know!!!!!.

Snakes cannot get past 5mm mesh,even more so when its buried 100mm into ground,unless they are very young snakes they won't get past 10/12 mm mesh either.

[MotherNatureVer2]

Thanks for that John,

My yard is about an acre in size but they only seem to be comming in from the rear. The house is literally on the river .... which always spells problems with snakes ........

I know I am still very numb over losing my best mate & companion ..... I just dont want to lose any more of my babies to these horrid evil things. I am willing to do anything to protect them as I know they are only trying to protect the kids & myself

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by John McMaster

Snakes cannot get past 5mm mesh,even more so when its buried 100mm into ground,unless they are very young snakes they won't get past 10/12 mm mesh either.

Probably not but they will find another way in, you can't mesh your whole property from nature???????.

[MO]

Ok start with the back fence and then work up each side,remember bury it about 100mm into ground.
Slowly but surely you will reptile proof you turf.

Good luck Lisa,I still miss my Rotty and he's been gone for about eight years now.

[MO]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

Probably not but they will find another way in, you can't mesh your whole property from nature???????.

Without trying to seem arrogant you can it just takes time and effort and dollars.
As I have said I only have 35 mtrs to go to cane toad proof my block and that also includes venomous reptiles.

Consider this how big is a 5mm square mesh hole,just big enough for an ant to get through.

[MotherNatureVer2]

galaxy xr8 ... you are right .... I am rural ...... on a farm of a few thousand acres ........

As far as Im concerned the snakes can have all the other acres except my little acre ......

There has to be a way to keep them out & away from the dogs ..........

[RED_EL_XR8]

Working bee time! Keep everthing well mown, no wood heap etc. the are basically timid (yess even those bastard browns), so the less hidey holes on the home acre the better.

Not many thing s will work absolutely, but the more preparation the better off you are. Black will bugger off unles you absolutely corner them, browns ans tigers wont. Protectected or not if its a question of threats to children or pets then the shovel is mightier than the snake. best to do what you can to deter the bastards!!

Originally Posted by LuvinmyEB

The only thing I can think of Lisa is to go and catch some Blue Tongue lizards and put them in the back yard too, although the dogs might attack them. :(

Blue tongues can kill snakes? My pet one use to have trouble killing the snails it ate.

[MotherNatureVer2]

Funny you mention that red ....... I rang a mate earlier & that is planned for next weekend ......... not thats theres much to clear but the tree & shrub levels are about to be raised & theres an ivy type vine thats about to be eradicated as well ..... this is where the dogs seem to be finding these mongrels ........

I have a wood box thats huge just near my back door & I am sitting here under a blanket as I was admitidly too scared to open the box tonight after this latest find :(

[MotherNatureVer2]

Originally Posted by lizardmech

Blue tongues can kill snakes? My pet one use to have trouble killing the snails it ate.

I dont think they kill them ....... more of a deterant ... or so Ive heard ...... but its near impossible to rehome them into a yard this size without them wandering :(

Usually, snakes don't go where Stumpys & Bluetongues hang out. Also, you don't usually find snakes where there is a cat either.

And the mesh & clearing working bee is the best idea. It works.

[Captain Stubing]

Lisa,
I've only just read this thread, but I've heard from a couple of sources, that if you can surround your property with a course thick rope laid on the ground(I keep thinking sisal??) this keeps the snakes out. Apparently, the snakes don't like the feeling of the rope fibres on their underbelly.

Cheers,
Swanny

[The MaDDeSTMaN]

Originally Posted by RED_EL_XR8

Working bee time! Keep everthing well mown, no wood heap etc. the are basically timid (yess even those bastard browns), so the less hidey holes on the home acre the better.

Not many thing s will work absolutely, but the more preparation the better off you are. Black will bugger off unles you absolutely corner them, browns ans tigers wont. Protectected or not if its a question of threats to children or pets then the shovel is mightier than the snake. best to do what you can to deter the bastards!!

I agree, snakes are basically timid creatures who will usually only strike if they feel they are threatened and have to defend themselves. Having said that, when I was growing up, both my parents used to always say "The only good snake is a dead one", and that is the only sure way of knowing a snake isn't going to strike - if the damn thing is dead. Protected or not, if it comes down to you (or a loved one) or them, the choice is easy - besides, who is going to dob you in for killing a protected species if only you know about it?

I may live in Melbourne now, but I grew up in the country (about 15kms outside of Mansfield in the high country/Snow fields of Victoria) where we dealt with snakes (lots of browns and the odd tiger snake) on a regular basis during the warmer months.

I still remember vividly my father beheading a snake that was near our front door with a shovel, and being shocked that the snake continued moving - now that I'm older and wiser, I know it was dying and in it's death throes, but to a 5 year old, it seemed like that snake was invincible!

But yes, ensure there are as few places for the bastards to hide, that will help. Also remember that they love to sunbake, so if there are perfect places for a snake to curl up in direct sunlight, such as on top of a large rock or gravel, then remember to be wary there because they are more likely to be there warming up.

Good luck, and while I know it doesn't help you like them any more (I know I HATE snakes myself, after so many times nearly being killed myself by the bastards), remember that snakes are natural preditors who will be going after small animals such as rats and mice and therefore keeping your house free of those disease ridden vermin.

Hi

Was looking for ways to 'snake-proof' my 'yard' & came across your thread.

How have things turned out? Did you build a snake-proof fence and has it worked. I live on a rural block & about 50 metres away from my fence line & house is a rural dam with reeds. The owners of that block have tried to eradicate the reeds without success. Water & reeds means frogs & mice & that means snakes.

Since moving here 4 years ago we have lost one dog & had the other dog bitten 3
times. Total vet costs are over $2,000. We now have a 3 year son who is getting about the yard supervised by us but we still have fears for him, and of course the remaining dog.

Can't afford to move unfortunately. Our house enclosure fence line runs for about
250 mtrs so it's going to cost a bit and take a lot of hard work to make a snake-proof
fence so I really want to get it right. Someone at the vets suggested bird netting which we tried but that failed, letting in 2 snakes since I put it along fence & trapping a few Indian Minor birds which I have had to release (even though they are a pest).

We love the rural life but not the snakes.

Regards,

[Kil4Collingwood]

I used to catch browns, tigers, blacks and copperheads and can tell you they will find a way in they are alot smarter than people think. A mesh fence would help but it needs to be pretty high as they can sort of "climb" up a fence to about 3/4 of their body length and they get pretty long also they can climb trees pretty well so get rid of any near the fence. Apart from that as someone else already stated keep the area around your house clean of debris and keep the grass short as they don't like crossing wide open spaces in the middle of the day with nowhere to hide it exposes them to predators.
One other thing I realise you live in a rural area but the browns in particular are attracted to rats and mice they are the browns main diet so if you can find a way to keep them to a minimum you'll find life alot easier because it will only be a matter of time before one does sink it's fangs into your dogs and it doesn't take long for their venom to kill a dog and it isn't a pleasant way for your dog to die believe me I've seen it.

[Kil4Collingwood]

Sorry one more thing make sure there are NO gaps in the fence you wouldnt believe how flat they can compress themselves to fit through!

[OLDFORDNUT]

just read this thread and feel i need to warn you,MOST snake bites occur when people get close enough to kill snake with a shovel,just remember never approach snake from behind as they can turn and strike full length of their body ,example,if snake is 5 foot long you need6 feet space behind so imagine getting in that 6foot space with trusty shovel, you are stuffed,also snakes love mice and rats and eggs,people who keep birds in avary or chook pen have the double bonus of eggs and mice as anywhere you have chook pens or avaries you have rodents so snack time for little snakies, you have turned your house into a snake dinner plate.and the worst thing is to have chook pens attached to house or shed in lean-to type setup.
reguards Nicholas.

[MotherNatureVer2]

Wowwwwwww it seems a life time ago when I posted this........

I have since moved from that actual house ...... but am still in the same area ...... Luckily for me the we didnt have a sighting over summer here at the new place.

IM also lucky enough to have a wonderful OH now to keep m from having to deal with these things too :P

[MO]

Bread;I will try to take pics and post over next few days my fence line is just a bit shorter than yours.

I've 220mtr fenced and 95% maybe 100% toad and reptile proof.

[MO]

OK here goes my dig cam programme is playing up but techs coming tomorrow.

Well it wont let me in will try again after techs have been.

[MO]

OK my programme is still wonky after techs....apprentice wiped temp files and am still unable to post pics...but go with my posts and you will succeed...just takes time..effort and dollars.

Sorry guys.

[BlueRaven]

I've had it with these mother****ing snakes on this mother****ing plane!

[MotherNatureVer2]

Damn BlueRaven .... not one of yours as well ????????

This is early in the season :S

[XRchic]

Originally Posted by BlueRaven

I've had it with these mother****ing snakes on this mother****ing plane!

Hahaha Andy, good point. That movie is not exactly encouraging people to fly in these current times, is it? If its not terrorism, its snakes! Maybe the snakes are a form of terrorism... I havent seen the movie.