Tigers in my shed

[kanga66]

Hello everyone, I need some expert advice and assistance. I'm at Tallong near Goulburn NSW. We have red bellies and the odd brown and copperhead pops up in the area, but yesterday I discovered we have two tiger snakes (that I know of) in and around our shed.

A mechanic came to service our ride on mower and as we stood at one roller door talking, a 4ft (approx) snake made it's way from the other side of the shed towards us. I dropped the F bomb and he jumped onto the back of his ute. Snake diverted under a pile of fleeces in bags I had on the floor. I rang wires. Snake went on the move and hid under bales of hay. A few minutes later we saw another (same one?) curled up just outside the roller door looking at us, after about 5 mins it went around the side of the shed and disappeared.

Wires arrived and we took the bales apart and no snake, so presumed the one outside was the original. Standing there chatting to her when wires lady said "it's right behind you and coming towards you" (F bomb again). This one was much fatter and longer - 6ft (measured it as it went past a hay fork lying on the floor). Even the wires lady was gobsmacked by the size of it.

I think the lady was out of her depth. She tried to catch it when it was on the move (it didn't try to strike) but it kept going past her and went under the baleboards of hay. She grabbed it by the tail before it disappeared and asked if I new first aid because snake was now really pi$$ed off and would go her when she got it out. Turns out, snake got some purchase under the baleboards and she let it go.

So now I have a very cranky 6ft tiger in and around the shed; plus a friend (or more?). I breed alpacas and they are naturally inquisitive; a bad, bad combination around poisonous snakes. Red bellies are one thing but tigers!!!

I know why the snakes moved in (mice - though they are all but gone) but we also have a lot of frogs around. We don't have any shrubs around the shed. There is grass, though it's not that long - still, I'm going to hit it with glyphosate so I've got a clearer area.

Are there other recommendations you can make? I would really like to relocate these guys; they're scaring the (you know what) out of me, but think I need someone with some serious expertise. Is there anyone in our area that you may know of that can help?

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

Chris Porter is not far from you and he is well experienced i think.
Mr Porter can be contacted on 0432 175 513.
Id love to have a big tiger living in my shed, eating the rodents,better the devil you know than one you dont i always say.
You say they didnt show and aggression toward you.
Have them removed and the new tenants may not be so frindly.
Also, the tigers reputation as an aggressive snake is not really true, they dont want to bite you or the alpacas.
Id wager the alpacas and the snakes have already met and have an understanding to keep out of each others way.
Cheers and good luck.

 

[JasonL]

How long have you been on that property for? as the Goulburn area is a known Tiger / Copperhead haunt.
Just remember that snakes don't chase people eh? they will always take flight if possible, corner one and stir it up and it will defend itself.

 

[redbellybite]

I am more concerned about the lady trying to catch the snake !!!!!!!!!!
She either needs to get more training help or give up ..cause that is just crazy talk what she said to you ..
All the best with it ...can understand your fear of snakes and why your not comfortable having them around ,and appreciate your efforts in getting the snake caught instead of going for the lead or shovel ..try Baz's advise hope the guy can get them for you and move them along to a safer place ...but as Jason and Baz said wouldnt mind a few tiggies either ...(I dont get tigers where I am from ,well rare as rocking horse poo anyway )

 

[dtulip10]

hey my parents have alpacas up here in newcastle and we have had the odd death to snakes but not many over the years. if you get your hands on a good handler they should be able to track the tiger. but you may have a problem with it coming back if there is a good food sauce for them there. so maybe look at removing the food sauce for the snakes.

 

[JasonL]

I am more concerned about the lady trying to catch the snake !!!!!!!!!!
QUOTE]

Hey, I'm sure she did the WIRES snake handling course, she'll be right :lol:

 

[redbellybite]

I am more concerned about the lady trying to catch the snake !!!!!!!!!!
QUOTE]

Hey, I'm sure she did the WIRES snake handling course, she'll be right :lol:

:lol::lol Jason.....No disrespect to WIRES but thats what worrys me ...holy crap :shock::shock::shock::shock:

 

[-Peter]

I dont think WIRES run a handling course. I am pretty sure its a catch and release course. Unless you mean the one that David Vella ran. Though that was about injury/health management.

 

[moosenoose]

Saying that "I hope you know first aid" certainly must install plenty of confidence in the person hiring you to remove an animal :lol: :lol:

Tigers are given a terrible reputation. They are prolific breeders and have been labelled because of their past history of fatal bites. A liltte bit of common sense goes a long way with these guys, and with that you won't have too many dramas.

Good to see someone coming here for advice rather than reaching for a shotty. Shooting them is like holding back the tide IMHO. "First Aid" knowledge on a property like this is of a massive benefit, and will ensure you/others have almost zero chance of becoming a victim of a snakebite.

 

[redbellybite]

I dont think WIRES run a handling course. I am pretty sure its a catch and release course. Unless you mean the one that David Vella ran. Though that was about injury/health management.

As I am unaware of how they do this Peter ...can you explain their teaching of catch and release? ....
It worries me that there are people out there sadly ,suppose to be catching ...and if the run of the mill caller experiences a so called catcher do this ..what faith do they have in them ?
No use putting people in a room with a few calm snakes ,show them how to drag it by the hook into the bag or place bag in front of the snake hoping it will go in to the dark cavity of the bag and expect that to work everytime ...then in this poor woman's case it wasnt the simple procedure she obviously was shown ..and she couldnt do it and was worried about being bitten whilst holding the tail as she knew it was pissed off :shock::shock::shock:.......freaking bizarrre and crazy ...if WIRES and who ever else are not confident and capable of catching vens in all situations THEN LEAVE THEM BE ....and call someone that is ...just asking for another blow up by the media when a WIRES person gets bit by a ven due to not being able to do a catch properly ...the person that wrote this thread could tell the woman was out of her depth ...How the hell she was given the OK to go forward and catch vens in the first place is baffling to me ...please in all truthfullness I hope they get it right ..the media dont need any encouragement to over dramatise our venomous snakes anyway ..without headlines reading WIRES snake catcher bitten blah blah blah thrown into the mix ...

 

[mysnakesau]

I did Peter's course a couple years back. I wanted to do it again last year but it was cancelled and nobody told me when you did it this year. Never mind. But we didn't have drugged, sleepy or tame snakes. Well, we were told they were freshly wild caught snakes we used for our training. We chased them, grabbed them by the tail and up into the bag they go - all in hopefully about 5 seconds. I had an absolute ball and am busting to do more training, when funds allow

I wish the snakes would visit my shed. I have wild rodents housing in their and want them gone. Snakes are welcome in my shed.

 

[redbellybite]

Kath ,this wasnt a shot at anyone in particular ..I am not saying Peter isnt a good trainer either ...was simply making a point about this situation and I know of a fair few other similiar types of situations..
That woman ,could of held on to the tail and played the waiting game ..you can feel the snake let loose a bit and as that happens you pull a little more out ,then wait again till you feel it loosen up keep repeating this it could take 2 mins it could take up to 20mins (as I have had with some snakes) she would have been able to feel it release itself and finally pull it out ,obviously she was very scared to do this all snakes will usually hiss in this type of situation but your still in control as you have the tail end and know the bitey end is underneath where ever it is ..standing very still whilst in this situation and having the corrective gear on ..she would have been ok ..sounds like more she wasnt confident in her ability to handle a cranky snake and chose to let it go ..which Ironically was probably the best call she made ..imo she should have never been on a ven call in the first place .

 

[mysnakesau]

All is sweet, Nat. Just telling the course I did. I loved it and ready to do it again I have had others deem my training inappropriate but whilst my call outs have been minimal, I have never been close to being bitten, and sadly but lucky only one bad catch - when I failed to ask someone to restrain their dogs when catching a red belly and the snake got bitten. But, beautiful big girl recovered and was released.

But I do respect your point. I did my training 2 years ago and have only had probably a dozen calls and all have been red bellies. I haven't handled a single brown, tiger or anything else apart from pythons, couple of marshies and tree snakes. I am yet to test my confidence with against an angry brown. I just wish I could do more to gain more experience. Unfortunately, me owning my own vens is out of the question while I have children at home, but I am keen to keep on pottering along where I can.

But I did stop to say hello to a brown snake crossing a road. I was safely in my car, he was at a safe distance from my tires. I was slowly creeping closer to get some photos. Then a car come up behind me and he scooted off. He wasn't real big - maybe bigger than 3foot, but not more than 4.

 

[moosenoose]

Unfortunately, me owning my own vens is out of the question while I have children at home, but I am keen to keep on pottering along where I can.

That's why they invented locks Besides, my kids know if they start messing around with the doors or tubs there is a good chance they won't see Christmas :lol: ...with that knowledge they have a very healthy understanding of the potential dangers snakes can pose, yet absolutely love them! My youngest is 8 and she's a budding herpetologist!

I find it funny that my boy is the most apprehensive out of my kids, yet the two girls are pretty head-strong when it comes to snakes...even the venomous ones.

 

[kensai]

I like the SA catching system at least 12 months keeping vens before you can even apply for a catching permit

 

[kanga66]

Thanks for your responses. I have left a call back number on Chris Porters phone; will hopefully hear from him soon.

We've been here about 6 years. I should qualify that Tallong is actually in the Sthn Highlands but we use Goulburn as a reference point as it's the nearest town that everyone knows of. Our environment is different to Goulburn (although it's as dry as chips everywhere). As the crow flies, we're about 10km from Bundanoon on the shoalhaven escarpment. I bumped into a long time local yesterday afternoon and they were shocked that we had tigers; they've never experienced them.

I confess I don't like snakes but I respect them. They have their place; just preferably not at mine! With the exception of funnel webs, red backs and white tails; I avoid knocking anything off, unless it's for humane reasons.

We have a lot of bird life and usually the native minors will indicate when there's a snake around. They're ballsy little birds (I've seen them take on a wedgie); I appreciate their presence more than the pretty (but vacuous) parrots.. The minors will harrass snakes and goannas; usually until they leave. Our new residents did well making it to the shed; unfortunately for me the minors don't frequent the shed, so I'm not to know when the snakes are out and about.

My concern with these snakes is that they blend in so well; unlike the blacks.

The mower man came within a foot of the one outside the shed roller door before we noticed it was there. It curled up into an s shape and flattened itself out (srike position?) then looked at us for about 10 mins before it decided to leave. Had the mower man been intending to go outside the shed, he would have stepped on it for sure.

I'm often here on my own and mobile coverage is dodgy at best. Even wearing boots, long pants and sleeves, it does give me cause for concern.

Thanks again.

 

[redbellybite]

kanga your best response when encountered with a venomous snake , is to stand absolutely still ...as hard as it may be ,you can throw your head back and scream on top of your lungs if this helps you ,but remain still ..
Most times the snake will venture on its way and not even bother with you ..if you find that the snake isnt moving and your in a close proximity of the snake say around 3 footish ...caution must be taken ,and always walk backwards from the snake ,never taking your eyes off it.
Take a very small step back then stop ,see for any reaction if there is some interest say as a S pose ..stand still ..wait it out and then repeat ..if you have no reaction from the snake when taking a step back ,keep doing it ,till your around 5 feet away then you can up and tail it out of there ..
Snakes know you are not a prey victim ,so you then must be a threat and in saying so, will react as if you are, if given the need to do so ...
If people understood that, they would find their encounters with snakes less intimidating(unless you have an utmost paranoia with snakes ). As with anything , you know yourself, if you feel threatened , you will take the actions needed to protect yourself ...
Wearing the correct clothing when entering the shed is great stick with that ,the fangs on our beautiful venomous are quite small ,and by having boots, long pants and long shirts on, you have taken the right actions of at least trying to do the right thing by you ..
If you put some first aid bandages, the elasticated type small stretchy weave ,not the old type of crepe .
In all honesty, I use the horse bandages, the ones that are self adhesive ,that way you dont have to worry about it slipping but can re do if you have to ...two of them in your shed would be good ..as first aid is essential in a snake bite ..
I hope you can get in touch with Chris ,and maybe get him out to take a thorough look around your shed area ..all the best Kanga ...

 

[JasonL]

Keep your grass cut short, and keep wearing those long pants and boots.. and as RBB advised, invest in some high quality, broad compression bandages as you just never know... I keep bandages in numerous places, home, car, camera bag ect... they are your best defense against Australian snake bites, should give you an extra 1/2 hour plus to get yourself to hospital if used quickly and correctly. Even though you don't like them, educate yourself on how snakes operate and what to do if you or someone else is bitten. Tigers / Copperheads like to live in cool places, thus often at altitude. You often have boom times of them, as in some areas they seem to all come out at once after many years of not seeing any.. as they can spend long periods in cool conditions without eating or being overly active, though if the right weather conditions trigger them off, they all come out of the woodwork so to speak...