Big scarey snake!

[InTheAir]

I came across a great big -probably- brown snake under our outdoor table on the patio today! I didn't hang around to identify it, I showed my true kiwi colours by screaming and running away. It looked brown and fast moving, but not as fast as me!
The poor parrots are caged in the dining room adjoining the patio, so I am now scared the snakey was stalking my babies. I don't think the birds noticed it, they were calm when I came inside, unlike myself!

When I told my lovely boyfriend about it he asked me to put the birds in each others cages when I went out, which I did. He explained later that it was because Nilas cage is not snake proof. poor little Sapphire, though the chance of a snake that big getting into the house is pretty small. Unusually, she wouldn't step up for Dave when he came home for lunch...

[pattiB]

yikes!!! Go away Sneaky Snake!

[MissK]

Unusually, she wouldn't step up for Dave when he came home for lunch...

SHE KNOWS!!!!!!! (gasp!) I *knew* they were smart.........

And, now that Dave's home from work, he can set about tinkering with Nila's cage to up the safety standards.

As for you, just how big was this snake? What kind was it? Constrictor type? Something else? Have you got any ideas other than "brown"? I know you have different beasties than I have, and they could be mighty fearsome. Still, not every snake is a baddie. And maybe he was hunting vermin? On a side note, maybe you should have a sacrificial hamster? I'M JUST KIDDING! Put out some Root Beer for a decoy.

Perhaps you can spend a day filling foundation crevices outside one day soon. How about mounting a nice statue of a raptor near the window outside, someplace where outdoor snakes can see it an be afraid, but indoor Ringnecks have no clue. Lastly, I think you should keep eyes well peeled to get a more satisfactory glimpse of your snake.

Best wishes!

[InTheAir]

I like the ideas, especially the raptor statue! Can't get hamsters or bunny's over here
Barry bush turkey would deal to that snake if he finds it near his nest. I hope it doesn't get his babies!
What does root beer do?
I went out and bought a weather strip for the garage door, which has a little gap under it. Dave installed that after lunch, we have had some decent sized lizards in the garage of late.

Brown snakes are quite venomous and some sources say they are aggressive. I didn't want to test that theory or double check what species it was! I'm even scared of the baby pythons in the pet stores. It looked over a metre long, but it was wiggling around and I didn't hang around to verify that either.
I really hope I never get a chance to tell what kind it is!

[Redzone]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_brown_snake

[MissK]

Gee, that's too bad. Isn't it funny how some animals end up with the simplest names? Your brown snake being one, and my black snake being another. As if those are the only brown and black snakes!

I can see now why you would not want to hang around interviewing it.

Here's a look at one of my favourite snakes, the Black Snake. They lived in my house growing up, though usually we only saw their shed skins. It was an old house in the woods. They were there for the mice. My mom kept Canaries in small cages on vertical metal stands and they were never bothered. Sometimes we would get paranoid and wrap duct tape (sticky side out) around the stands. I kept various small pets in tanks, and they were never bothered either. I stepped on a big one once and it was kind enough to just slither away. I get the impression our snakes are overall sweeter than yours..... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_rat_snake

The root beer was a reference to this song. Looks like Patti knows it, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMxv7onpdCY
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/t/tom+t+hall ... 38712.html

[AJPeter]

What you need is a mongoose.

But here in England spiders with great hairy legs that are in the bath when l want a shower are bad enough but last year Billie shrieked when a housefly got into her cage. Slugs wiil do anything to get at beer they queue up to fall in and drown it is a good way to protect your cabbages.

I wonder what the plural of mongoose is? Mongeese? Hardly!

[InTheAir]

Missk, the snakes over here have to be tough so they don't get eaten by the spiders
Your snake was a gentleman! How sweet of it to not bite you. I was hoping the root beer was like beer for slugs! lol

Aj: I don't think you've thought the mongoose through. If you were a mongoose and you had a choice between two sweet little meal sized caged birds for lunch, or a bloody great big poisonous snake, which would you eat?

[AJPeter]

Snake every time Claire, birds have too many feathers besides if l was a mongoose would I be typing this?

[InTheAir]

Pick again

[MissK]

Sp... Spiders? Don't love Spiders!

[Our baby]

I was watchin on the news a few weeks back about the snake in the tolite bowl after the news i went into the garage an in the corner was a green tree snake easy 2 meters long my main concern was my ollie i went into stress mode what could i do to make him safer i screwed a hook in the center of the room the cage is on a chain well out of reach of anything

[MissK]

Kinda makes you want to stay home all day, doesn't it?

[InTheAir]

Kinda makes you want to stay home all day, doesn't it?

Yep!
I still do my snake scaring stomp every time I go outside the house, not to mention panic if Nila doesn't call back to me when I get walk in the front door. He's getting fed up with me waking him from a nap because I'm scared he's been eaten

[AJPeter]

I would flush the toilet.

Over here we have lids on the toilet bowl, people think it is too keep the smell in but in fact rats in the sewers can see up the pipe when the lid is open and they will come up and into your house, keep the lid closed and keep rats and snakes out of the toilet bowl.

[pinkdevil]

You would be surprised where snakes can fit.
I had a small 3 foot long brown snake in my aviaries a few weeks ago. Took a few days to finally get him. My partner used to keep snakes as pets but he ended up killing the baby brown as we didn't have a safe way to capture and release elsewhere. He sold all his snake gear when he sold his snakes. I didn't like to see the snake go to snake heaven but we didn't have much choice at the time.
Luckily for my birds they were all accounted for.
Glad your birds were also unharmed.

[Our baby]

Gday amonth or so i wrote about a snake i came across in our garage well yesterday i caught him again tryin to have another go this time he went into the treadmill he just was not quick enough he ended up second best