Advice needed for Red-bellied black rescue

[Fennwick]

i got called this evening to recue a red-bellied black snake from the local pub/motel. when i got there it had hidden in a little burrow in the garden outside the motel rooms. the owner really wants it gone cos he has kids sometimes playing around there. i said i'd come back on saturday during daylight and have another go. it looks like a deepish little burrow, and i dont want to go poking my hook around in there, so my only other option is to wait for it to come out.
does anyone have any advice to coax it out. i was thinking about a nice warm mouse nearby. also, in case i cant catch it, any advice on what to tell the guy so he's not so worried about having a snake living in his garden.
thanks

[moosenoose]

Flood it with a hose

[-Peter]

Is the little burrow near a wall or building? You might find that there is a cavity of much larger proportions down there.
Its probably going to stop feeding very soon if not already and has found a nice place to hole up for winter.
Its a case of being ready and nearby when it shows again. Then be prepared to move quickly.
Some people use tape on boards but one of our rescuers had a nasty experience with that method when he found a snake with its intestines hanging out from a trap set by someone else.

[nuthn2do]

90% of the time the snake is not where the caller says it is. If you didn't see it go in there forget it and wait for the next sighting

[deadflesh]

For reassurance of the property owner: tell them that there have been no deaths for RBB; symptoms last for about 5+ days for adults maybe more for children... I know it doesnt sound very reassuring but that's a good piece of knowledge to give.

[urodacus_au]

Dig it up?

[midnightserval]

Rat on a string, snake fishing. Ha ha, not really. Might hurt the snake.

[ssssnakeman]

Just tell the pub owner that the snake was probably just passing through and wont hang around if it has been noticed by people.
The snake has probably vacated anyway and if it hasnt, they will get you to come back when they see it.
Ensure they keep a visual of the snake untill you arrive on the scene or at least know where precisely it is.
Flooding it out as moosey said may work but it could also do more damage than good..
Digging it out sounds like a lot of hard work for a "possible" capture.

[alex_c]

if the hole has 2 ends or if you can safely make one. you could get a stick or a piece of wire or a piece of that yellow strip used on chipboard flooring and tape a piece of cloth to the end and put some metho on the cloth and push it down one end of the hole.that may be a good option. good luck.

[Fennwick]

thanks everyone. we'll see how i go on saturday. the guy seems pretty arrogant. i'm worried if i cant get the snake, he might do something stupid, like fill in the hole or try to dig it up. does anyone have any ideas on fines or punishment for doing something like that? also, if it is about to start hybinating there, roughly how long will it stay there?
thanks again.

[Tatelina]

Originally Posted by alex_c

if the hole has 2 ends or if you can safely make one. you could get a stick or a piece of wire or a piece of that yellow strip used on chipboard flooring and tape a piece of cloth to the end and put some metho on the cloth and push it down one end of the hole.that may be a good option. good luck.

May be a good option if you want to risk damaging the snake and stressing it out to ridiculous proportions!

What a world we live in. We take over the native animals' habitats, ruin the ecosystem and then when they pass through 'our' yards we use completely unnatural and harmful chemical warfare so to speak. *shakes head*

[nuthn2do]

Originally Posted by Fennwick

thanks everyone. we'll see how i go on saturday. the guy seems pretty arrogant. i'm worried if i cant get the snake, he might do something stupid, like fill in the hole or try to dig it up. does anyone have any ideas on fines or punishment for doing something like that? also, if it is about to start hybinating there, roughly how long will it stay there?
thanks again.

Sadly you can't stop him doing stupid stuff like that, no one would or could prosecute. If you're going to do snake calls arrogant, stupid and irrational are things you'll get use to. As for staying there i doubt it, if it's a high traffic area it's probably already gone

[waruikazi]

A trick i got told was to use some really really watered down dettol and about as much as you can fit in a shot glass poured down the hole.

I haven't tried it but was told by someone who is def not a cranker.

[alex_c]

Originally Posted by Tatelina

May be a good option if you want to risk damaging the snake and stressing it out to ridiculous proportions!

What a world we live in. We take over the native animals' habitats, ruin the ecosystem and then when they pass through 'our' yards we use completely unnatural and harmful chemical warfare so to speak. *shakes head*

metho is alcohol and alcohol is produced by fermentation which is a natural process.which is something that has been going on for millions of years.
and from what fennwick has said it sounds as if this snake is at risk of the shovel treament from the property owner.sure something the snake dislikes the smell of will upset it a bit but it will also possibly save that snakes life.

[Jozz]

I have set bird netting traps over holes and successfully caught them that way. But, they have to keep an eye on it and ring you as soon as the snake is caught, and then you have to untangle the snake from the netting