snake catcher Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 (edited) Thanks gillybob, i appreciate that, and i appreciate the fear that some of you have of snakes. Even the brown snake, which has a reputation for aggression will turn around and leave if given the chance. As you know, Im an animal lover, and my heart goes out to anyone who has lost their dog to a snakebite. I do know, the use of birdnetting is dangerous, inhumane and illegal and also it does nothing to decrease the chance of snakebite. This is why i have had my local Bunnings here in Mornington, remove it from their shelves. When used properly, the bird netting is fairly safe. When misused, well.I have an album of the animals that have been trapped, injured and killed by the stuff. It is heartbreaking to find parrots, bats, bluetongues, sleepy lizard, bearded dragon, possum, echidna dying, dead or stressed in the net. If a snake goes in and gets stuck in the net in the morning and you check it in the afternoon, it oould be dead already, the hotter the day the more chance of a slow death by exposure. You check the birdnet, the snake, if its not dead, will be scared and in pain. You chop of its head with your trusty long handle shovel. The body writhes and carries on because of nerves. The head, is watching and aware and still scared while you put its body in the rubbish bin. Because reptiles are built differently to mammals, the severed head will stay alive, seeing, and sensing with its tongue for up to 15 minutes. The only humane way to kill any animal, is by massive brain trauma. If you cut off a snakes head, crush the head with a rock and end its misery quickly. Edited October 24, 2011 by snake catcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic.B Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Oh how terrible, no one nor any creature deserves to die like that Thank you very much for your help and support Snake Catcher, I really appreciate it and have learnt a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Even though dogs bitten by brown snakes usually die very quickly, be aware that the venom can take a lot longer to take effect. A friend came home Saturday evening about 6.30pm to find a very dead snake in the garage with 4 of her dogs, who all seemed fine. She still has no idea where the snake got into the closed garage. The snake appeared to have been dead for some time. She rang the vet and was advised to keep them quiet and watch for any adverse signs for another 6 hours. They were all ok and were put to bed and let out again at 5am. At 6am when she went to swap dogs around one didn't come in. She was lying on a table near the back of the house, jumped down and keeled over. By the time she got to the vet 30min away the dog was completely paralysed. After 2 doses of anti-venene and being on a drip for a few days, she has thankfully improved a little but is still fighting for her life. So if you find a brown snake near your dogs watch them for at least 12-24 hours to make sure they are not affected. Why the hell did our country have to have venemous snakes, why couldn't we just have all the non-venemous ones? I am not particularly scared of snakes unless I have he dogs with me. Then I just hate them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) I generally recommend if you find your dog/s with a snake and you would want to treat them, get them to a vet, on a drip and there are some blood tests you can run which can help to let you know if they have potentially been bitten. I have seen dogs walk through the door as normal as it can be, as the owner found the dog near a snake but it looks okay. Said dog has then collapsed and gone into repiratory distress within moments. If they are at the vets when they collapse you have a much better chance of being able to save them. We had two come through the door looking normal, one sat their for about 30 seconds then vomited so we rushed them trhough, got them on the table and the other one collapsed, then the first one collapsed and it was a flurry of activity to get them tubed, on a drip and AV started. Ended up one survived with intensive around the clock care for two days, the other had a system shut down at around 4 in the morning and died. I always threaten to move to New Zealand!! Edited October 25, 2011 by OSoSwift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Snake catcher - Out of interest, why would a snake be trying to actively be trying to get into a dog run with dogs in it, that is snakemeshed and then shade clothed??? (By active I mean going backwards and forwards and tapping the barrier higher and lower over and over) They had to cover a large area of mowed ground with no cover, and take the birds harassing them. It was not a one off, it happened 4 times in a week, 4 different snakes. There are no mice or birds, the only attractant I could think of was water. The Whippets just stand there and look at them, my Dobes used to go off and thunder around barking so they were more likely to move away I suppose. I am trying to figure out what they would be attracted to and why they would cover a vast amount of open space to get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake catcher Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Water could be the reason and like Persephone said in the netting thread, placing water away from the vulnerable areas not only stops a thirsty snake from coming in but the other native wildlife will appreciate it to. When you saw the snakes trying to get in, did they know you were there? Tiger snakes are not to bright and they will panic easily. In the heat of the day all reptiles will be more flighty and will bump into things in their panic. The behaviour you are describing sounds a bit like a snake in a hurry to move away. Being not a hell of a lot smarter than a goldfish they will do silly things in their effort to get away of get a feed or a drink. Also, when you say there are no mice, mice are attracted to dog kennels because of the warmth and the safety from birds, cats and snakes. As well as the eating dropped food, feaces and dog hair. You dont always see them but the scent of a mouse will lay on the ground for days in the right conditions. Can you videotape this or photograph it next time it happens ?? Then i will be able to answer you better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake catcher Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Somewhere cool/sheltered? That's one problem caused by lots of clearing etc .. the only shelter/shade spots are then your house and outbuildings I am in teh process of getting 10 or so chooks to let loose in our yard ..we did have about 3 doz. guineafowl- and rarely saw a snake near the house.Since some pups /wedgetails ate most of the guineas .. there have been more snakes about. I am hoping some chooks scratching around will help deter the snakes from setting up camp in the shrubbery. Thanks Pesephone. Chooks and guinea fowl love to kill and eat snakes. Not only because snakes steal eggs and chick but this is what they have been doing for thousands, or millions of years,depending on what you believe in, All birds have a natural aversion to snakes and the ground dwelling bird like the ancestors of all our poultry have the speed and the abilty to deal with the snake. Just watch what happens when a snake appears in the chook shed. They are faster, and smarter and have the advantage of hearing and are a great "barrier" There is the other side of the coin in that chooks can attract rodents. So its a catch 22. But the rodents can be controlled by the way in which the chooks are fed. No grain on the ground means no rodent. A mouse would never enter an area with a giant mouse eating bird unless it smells the grain. You can use a homemade herbal spray to stop the smell of the grain or mouse as well. You can even make a safe spray that will turn a snake around in its track and i have personally tested this recipe and it does work on all snakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Thanks Snake Catcher Typed a reply and it went *poof* So here goes again!!!! On really hot days I put a sprinkler on for a few minutes at a time for the birds so I would understand if they were there. No the snakes were not aware I was there. When they did the moved off and around the back. I pull everything out of the dogs runs reasonably often and clean everything out and disinfect and spray for Redbacks and have not seen any evidence of mouse droppings or urine. The dogs are fed inside so no dropped food in the dog runs Two occasions the dogs were in the dogs runs, twice they were not and I was going to put them in there. There are water troughs in paddocks that are around the house so there are multiple water sources away from the house. We have trees and mowed grass/weeds on the 5 acres around the house. No woodpiles, no junk heaps - I am VERY concious of having nothing a snake might like to live in!!! I was wondering if they may be seeking the coolness of the concrete??? Although sometimes it was hot and other times overcast and warm. The snakes I have seen around the farm in the last few weeks have actually been out when it was jumper weatehr and drizzling so not sure what the go there is???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 You can use a homemade herbal spray to stop the smell of the grain or mouse as well.You can even make a safe spray that will turn a snake around in its track and i have personally tested this recipe and it does work on all snakes. What is in these??? I have used Shoo snake and it smells like cloves, but is very expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake catcher Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Snakes hate the smell of cloves and a packet of cloves from the supermaket is the base for the spray. Cloves work, they cover the smell of the rodent and the snake hates it. How you make the spray depends on you. Some people add oils like eucalyptus and teatree and lavender. and some will add soapy water to help it stick.but the main thing is the cloves. Shoo snake is just a rip off and you can make much better in your own home. Bring 2 litres of water to boil with a bag or 2 of cloves in it and let it boil for as long as possible, do it outside, because it stinks. Top up the water as it evaporates. Your water should be almost black, add the oils if you want and the soapy water. This will need to be resprayed every week or more often if its raining and depending on wether you are putting out of the elements Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 thank you very much for that, will get the camp stove out I think!! Cloves are on the shopping list!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake catcher Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Obviously you need to spray it and we do that by using a normal hairdressers squirt bottle. On killing the snake, guess what, snakes have different personalities and the snake you kill could be the well tempered one that was keeping more dangerous or "meaner" snakes away. In a lot of farm situations the dogs and the snakes are aware of each others existance and this reduces the risk of surprise meetings. They have met and understand the natural way of things., "dont mess with me and i wont mess with you" Kill the snake on your property and the next snake that comes may not be so friendly to farmyard animals, they are not smart but they do remember bad experiences. If you are having a problem with your dogs killing normal animals such a poultry, s uch as Pavlovas dogs in the netting thread, then dont you think this issue needs to be addressed. rather than killing protected wildlife. Please tell me if im out of order here in saying that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake catcher Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Keeping hares in captivity is not illegal in Victoria, But it is totally irrelevant when talking about the illegal killing of native animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 What does "actively trying to get in" mean? If the snake was on its way somewhere and hit an obstacle, it's likely to go back and forth looking for a way through. They are kind of used to being able to find a way. If one snake went through and it's breeding season, it wouldn't be surprising to see other snakes of the same species come the same way. They are looking for mates after all. Given your yard is clear, maybe the snakes were trying to find cover. Sometimes I wonder if you could funnel snakes through a little mini corridor. Our Blue-tongues can get from one end of our block to the other with very little exposure and we don't see them in the open much at all. Blue-tongues are slow, though, and maybe more careful about open areas than snakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 If you are having a problem with your dogs killing normal animals such a poultry, s uch as Pavlovas dogs in the netting thread, then dont you think this issue needs to be addressed. rather than killing protected wildlife. Please tell me if im out of order here in saying that. out of order, that is not what was said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Obviously you need to spray it and we do that by using a normal hairdressers squirt bottle. On killing the snake, guess what, snakes have different personalities and the snake you kill could be the well tempered one that was keeping more dangerous or "meaner" snakes away. In a lot of farm situations the dogs and the snakes are aware of each others existance and this reduces the risk of surprise meetings. They have met and understand the natural way of things., "dont mess with me and i wont mess with you" Kill the snake on your property and the next snake that comes may not be so friendly to farmyard animals, they are not smart but they do remember bad experiences. If you are having a problem with your dogs killing normal animals such a poultry, s uch as Pavlovas dogs in the netting thread, then dont you think this issue needs to be addressed. rather than killing protected wildlife. Please tell me if im out of order here in saying that. Where did I say I have a problem or that my dogs are killing poultry ? I don't have any issues that need to be addressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake catcher Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) Pav Lova said Fowl would be Stafford and Greyhound food here, otherwise I'd have fowl of some kind. i might be misreading the comment of yours....dont think so Edited October 25, 2011 by snake catcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Most dogs would kill free ranging ground birds? Or at least harrass them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Pav Lova said Fowl would be Stafford and Greyhound food here, otherwise I'd have fowl of some kind. i might be misreading the comment of yours....dont think so I don't have pet rabbits or cats either, as I have racing Greys in work and dogs with very high prey drive. I don't have any problems, as I don't keep predator and prey on the same property. Free range chooks/fowl would be a no go, incase one flies over a fence. It's called a bit of common sense and responsible dog ownership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flame ryder Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Snake catcher would snakes be more active at night or during the day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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