First Freeloader for this Summer

[GBWhite]

Getting the thread back on track....

Had a couple more since the last one but here's a pic of another hatchling that decided to visit and help itself to a feed last night.

For those wondering how big a meal a hatchy can take. This one's got one heavily pregnant female mouse and 3 hoppers in its belly


...so much for feeding them a pinky or fuzzy in a meal....hahaha.

 

[Bl69aze]

Wait a second..

Getting the thread back on track....

Had a couple more since the last one but here's a pic of another hatchling that decided to visit and help itself to a feed last night.

For those wondering how big a meal a hatchy can take. This one's got one heavily pregnant female mouse and 3 hoppers in its belly

View attachment 325941
...so much for feeding them a pinky or fuzzy in a meal....hahaha.

Thought I was going crazy like “dejavu”

 

[GBWhite]

^^^ Same snake. My wife posted that. I don't belong to any reptile Facebook pages.

 

[nuttylizardguy]

You should be pleased to see the freeloader, it's presence indicates the local area is still relatively healthy as a habitat for them and other natives.

 

[GBWhite]

You should be pleased to see the freeloader, it's presence indicates the local area is still relatively healthy as a habitat for them and other natives.

What makes you think I'm not pleased to see them? I refer to these guys as Freeloaders because the smaller ones have a habit of poaching our feeder mice and larger ones take the odd chook. The environment where I live in Bellingen is absolutely stunning and very healthy with an abundance of native wildlife (even get Koalas show up in trees adjacent to my house). That's one of the main reasons I live here.

 

[Yellowtail]

Now have these guys hanging around my aviaries and rodents, I toss some of them a rat occasionally and this one I have educated to get a free feed away from the birds. It went from totally wild to just about eating out of my hand in one day. Now comes up to it's bowl and waits for a rat.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Now have these guys hanging around my aviaries and rodents, I toss some of them a rat occasionally and this one I have educated to get a free feed away from the birds. It went from totally wild to just about eating out of my hand in one day. Now comes up to it's bowl and waits for a rat.
View attachment 325960

Nice Lacie. I watched one getting chased today through paradise park in the Bunya Mountains by 2 Currawongs. They were harassing the hell out of the poor bugger.

 

[dragonlover1]

Some birds are just mongrels and yeah it's a good looking lacie,at least mine wont have to worry about being harassed in their 12x12x8 foot enclosure, they should have enough different things in their jungle gym to keep them amused.

 

[Yellowtail]

Different kind of freeloader, we have been blaming turkeys for the missing herbs and veggies but caught this little one in the act.

 

[Yellowtail]

Unlike other areas I've been to I'm very pleased with the condition of the native wildlife here. Mammals, reptiles, birds all well fed, glowing with good health and breeding prolifically, even the Koalas seem very healthy.
Only problem is that applies to the cane toads as well and some reptiles like RBB's are conspicuous by their absence.
[doublepost=1547290990,1546734785][/doublepost]Another nice little carpet after my rats, middle of the day too.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Another nice little carpet after my rats, middle of the day too.
View attachment 326175 View attachment 326176 View attachment 326177

Good to see that one isn't covered in ticks.

 

[Yellowtail]

I'm getting sick of this and I don't get paid for removing them like the "Snake Catchers"
My parrots think it's a game, calling me to remove them.


11:00 pm just had to remove another big carpet from the same aviary while i swear the cockies were laughing at me as I struggled with the difficult to handle python, no photos as I left my phone inside.

 

[Herpetology]

I'm getting sick of this and I don't get paid for removing them like the "Snake Catchers"
My parrots think it's a game, calling me to remove them.
View attachment 326233

Those cockatoos would make for a loud snack!

 

[MANNING]

Those cockatoos would make for a loud snack!

That would be if anything could make it thru those walls.

 

[Yellowtail]

That would be if anything could make it thru those walls.

The aviary is 100% snake proof, I used to keep young diamond pythons in it.
The cockies don't panic at the sight of snakes they just call me to remove the intruder then sit there and watch.
[doublepost=1547771314,1547684091][/doublepost]How not to hold a python. It was the middle of the night when the cockies summonsed me, misplaced my hook and could barely reach it from the top of a step ladder so all I could do was grab the sharp end at full reach.


[doublepost=1550485251][/doublepost]I recently went to a lot of trouble snake proofing my garage doors with wire mesh but it did not work, I have no idea how this one got in other than sneaked in when the door was open?


[doublepost=1567122212][/doublepost]They're back, must be spring and the local carpets are after my birds again, removed 3 yesterday. The one in the tree (I almost ran into it) had a major kink in it's tail but seemed to be agile enough.
[doublepost=1570403371][/doublepost]They keep coming, this one found the only gap in a 10x8 shed, between the roof insulation and the inside lining. Hard to reach balancing on top of a ladder, could not use a hook.

 

[Nero Egernia]

I wish I had more wild snakes at my current residence. I have seen no carpet pythons, and have only seen the odd elapid every now and then. Too bad they're incredibly shy. I haven't been able to get a decent photograph of even one so far. As soon as they see me, they're off. I guess they need to be wary of humans in order to survive.

 

[Yellowtail]

I wish I had more wild snakes at my current residence. I have seen no carpet pythons, and have only seen the odd elapid every now and then. Too bad they're incredibly shy. I haven't been able to get a decent photograph of even one so far. As soon as they see me, they're off. I guess they need to be wary of humans in order to survive.

I removed over 30 carpets and elapids in the last year from the vicinity of my aviaries and rodents, I relocated them 300 metres away in a large nature reserve which recently was the subject of an out of control hazard reduction burn and I wonder about their fate. I identify them by the patterns and some come back but as to being wary of humans I caught the carpet in my last photo late at night and with the reserve now burnt I have been moving them further away so I left it in the tub outdoors overnight only to find it gone next morning, it must have pushed the tub lid up at the side and squeezed out, something no others had done. I was surprised to see it back again the next night in the same small gap where I caught it which required a surprising level of intelligence to find the small gap in a 10x8m shed. Once again I was able to get hold of it but this time it had a firmer hold and balancing on top of a ladder I could not remove it without risking a fall so I let go. To my surprise it was back there again last night with the same result, I have now positioned a bigger ladder and will try tonight.
I live on a 5 acre property that is mostly rain forest but I suspect many of the carpets were living in the various roof spaces as they kept turning up through winter. I am happy for them to be there but they become a problem when they try to get at my birds and rodents, the carpets have pushed rodent tubs off shelves and my black cockies call me very loudly to remove them so I have no choice. I have tried to make everything snake proof but if there is the slightest gap they find it.