Letter from non member

[lutzd]

Can anyone advise please?

Hello

We saw you site and can see if anybody has an answer its probably going to be you.

Four of our horses have died through snake bites.

We wanted to put our rat bait but I guess the other wild life would get it as well.
I read where you said to put mud over the rocks.

Is there anything else I can do please?

We do not like to kill snakes but we dont want our horses dieing in agony either.

Appreciate any ideas what so ever.
It is a 50 area property on a mountain next to a rain forest with a creek down the back

 

[Sdaji]

The snakes were there first, I'm on their side. More people are killed each year by horses than by snakes, maybe we should cull the horses. I don't particularly want horses dying in agony, but to me it's preferable than wild snakes dying in agony. Just my feelings, feel free to ignore them.

 

[SLACkra]

imo train the horses with a very strong fear of snakes. all you need is a ruber snake and a riding wip. i did this with my younger dog as i notice he took interest in my birds and like having them fly around in peace so i go thim to associate the birds with a light tap on the nose.

though i overall agree with john, snakes there first.

andrew

 

[Reptilegirl]

no you shouldnt put out any baits.. you'll end up killing all kinds of wildlife..
maybe try moving your horses to another padock where there is no debris.. rocks, fallen branches.. places where snakes will hide.. try and keep the grass short etc..

Megz

 

[peterescue]

not much locality information, could be anything from Tassie tigers to taipans. Rat bait would work wonders. the horses would love it.
My first suggestion is dont supplement feed in the paddocks. The snakes are there for the food which is rodents, reptiles, birds and small marsupials. They bite the horses when they tread on them or take a bite at them while munching grass.
There is no repellant that keeps snakes away. Perhaps you could place a grain store in a neighbouring paddock and lots of rodents will congregate there and attract tyhe snakes.

 

[NinaPeas]

I love both, and find it interesting they have lost so many? My dads property agists horses out in the bush, and had only ever had a cow die from one.

I would suggest clearing away any junk they have laying around (old machinery, rubbish piles, iron sheeting etc etc). The snakes wll go elsewhere hopefully. Then its a slightly happy medium.

 

[JasonL]

try and keep the grass short etc..

try and keep the grass short etc

try and keep the grass short etc

 

[peterescue]

but if the grass is short what will the geegees eat.

 

[NinaPeas]

And how do you keep the grass short on 50 acres? I would love to see you out there with the mower!

I really don't think there is a solution. I think the owners will just have to keep a closer eye on their stock, to reduce the amount of deaths.

 

[jordo]

try and keep the grass short etc..

Even if this isn't practical, try and limit their habitat - clear any wood piles, old farm machinary, leave nothing lying around.

 

[NinaPeas]

I would suggest clearing away any junk they have laying around (old machinery, rubbish piles, iron sheeting etc etc). The snakes wll go elsewhere hopefully. Then its a slightly happy medium.

 

[jordo]

Sorry i'm to lazy to read :lol:

 

[NinaPeas]

hahaha lol :lol:

 

[crackers]

that almost sounds like foul play.........must have a breeding colony near by or something??
most horses can sort out a snake no worries, or they at least keep clear of em and vice versa
the best you can prob do is go with ninas advice of clearing the area of anything that a prospective snake would like to take shelter under /
alternate sides for the stock to run on to allow critters access to the creek / are any other animals housed in the area (eg the sort snakes like to eat)

 

[Casper]

I've grown up on a farm with cows and sheep and horses and dont ever recall any being bitten. I agree with NinaPeas that it sounds like a junk clearance thing and peterrescue is onto something with moving grain supplies & therefore moving rodents/snake food. I'm not sure there is a real solution. Maybe the electronic rodent repellants that emit electronic pulses??

Now my bitch....

I think that the anti-horse comments are a bit over the top. How would you like it if it was thousands of dollars of "YOUR OWN" horses or stock. Or your children for that instatnce. And don't try to tell me that horses and children different matter, because for some people it's not. Would you just say "oh well the snakes were here first, maybe we should cull children"!!!

This person has appealed to this website as a collection of people with strong intrest and experience in Snakes, and when they log on to see if someone can help them, to save their own animals from the risk of dying, the first thing they will see is someone telling them that their investments are better of dead than the snakes.

Have a think about it before you type a reply or run the risk of looking more idiotic and immature than I hope you really are.

 

[Magpie]

I think that the anti-horse comments are a bit over the top. How would you like it if it was thousands of dollars of "YOUR OWN" horses or stock. Or your children for that instatnce. And don't try to tell me that horses and children different matter, because for some people it's not. Would you just say "oh well the snakes were here first, maybe we should cull children"!!!

Actually Casper, i would just about cull anyone who let four of their kids get bitten and did nothing to modify the situation.
The snakes do not need to be killed, the horses need to be moved or taught to avoid snakes.
No one said anything at all about culling horses anyway, the comment was simply made that the snakes were there first.
I have a friend had a car accident... how do I stop cars from driving on the roads?

 

[NinaPeas]

I've grown up on a farm with cows and sheep and horses and dont ever recall any being bitten.

That's why this sounds so odd to me. My dads property has at most 15 horses on it at any one time, and 10 cows, 2 dogs and a goat, and have ben there for at least 20 years, and have only every lost one cow, and that was a SUSPECTED SNAKE bite. Now their property is surrounded by bush, and while there are lots of snakes there, the stock never seems to get bitten. generally, snakes will stay right out of the way of horses and cows.

Just seems odd to me

 

[NinaPeas]

More people are killed each year by horses than by snakes, maybe we should cull the horses.

 

[Casper]

The snakes were there first, I'm on their side. More people are killed each year by horses than by snakes, maybe we should cull the horses. I don't particularly want horses dying in agony, but to me it's preferable than wild snakes dying in agony. Just my feelings, feel free to ignore them.

 

[moosenoose]

Send in the DEFANGINATOR! Roy Hoser!!!

Oh and from all the things I've read about contraptions and baits and traps, it appears that none of them work well, if at all. That is a very high loss rate with those horses and a real shame. I think as most have mentioned, it'd be best if the horses environment was re-assessed.