Snakes in a Cave !

Sorry in advance if this frightens anyone. Im still shaking !

My husband was thirsty in the middle of the night so went to the kitchen to get some water and trod on something ! This 4foot snake wrapped itself round his leg ! It then went under the sofas and then darted into one of the cave bedrooms diving under a carpet. My husband then started jumping up and down on the carpet but still it would not die so he then got a pair of scissors but it was too tough so in the end throttled its neck with the scissors.

Still cant upload photos so its the last photo on our cave house photos...

https://picasaweb.google.com/111881489302275794506/OurCaveHouse#

Dont look if you dont like snakes ! Anyone know anything about this type?

Ugh !!! we had exactly the same experience a month or so ago . I went into a blind panic because all 3 dogs were barking at it and quite close. I am afraid to say ours had very much the same ending as yours , thanks to a shovel. Felt a bit guilty afterwards as having looked it up afterwards, it was a harmless laddersnake, but not having the nerve to capture and take it away somewhere, it had to go.

I can't really see the markings on your one, they are quite obvious with dark lines going across - like a ladder - . If it is diamonds - whole new ball game me think they are not so nice .

I had a baby snake in the cave a few weeks ago. No idea what kind it was or if it was dangerous. It was able to slither up the wall - never seen them do that before! It was only a kid and I don't think it actually had fangs yet! It was about a foot long. I took it outside and let it go it's own way with a polite request not to return...

Most definately had diamonds on it, what does that mean ?

Looks the same as the one we had earlier in the year. I was told they are harmless and eat frogs and birds.They will rear up and spit if really upset & threatened though.
'Im indoors managed to guide it in the right direction, i.e. outside, with the aid of a sweeping brush and it went on its way.
We believe it came in for the coolness of the cave and/or the dog's water bowl. Had no further visits. We have since always made sure that there is a bowl of water in the garden, for wildlife. I did take a pic at the time & put it on fartbook, but I can't find it on this computer.
Kirsten of this forum might confirm its ID it for you. She is very knowledgeable about local wildlife.

Is anyone else out there, like us, having more than the fair share of scorpions this year?

We are having more than our fair share of huge spiders - no scorpions (YET)

pebbles wrote:We are having more than our fair share of huge spiders - no scorpions (YET)

No, 'cos they are all at ours!!... but you can keep yer big hairy spiders at your place thankyou!



(Puts the snakes into perspective for Wilma)

Pebbles, what did Ramon say 'our' snake was called... PLEASE don't say Sid.

wilma wrote:Most definately had diamonds on it, what does that mean ?

This is the website I used to identify ours

http://www.ruralspain.info/snakesinspain.htm

We have one snake but it got squashed in the hinge of the swimming pool lid and had a lizard in its mouth.




This is another insect we had but was very frightened

First we had a scorpion on the garden path I unwittingly squashed in with the sole on my shoe.

Gee Peter open a reptile house you could make a fortune - your pics make me shudder somewhat though

Don't ill the snakes, please, most are constrictors in this part of Spain, the only venomous would need you to stick your fingers down its throat.

Ken wrote:Don't ill the snakes, please, most are constrictors in this part of Spain, the only venomous would need you to stick your fingers down its throat.

Ken already made my mind up to try harder to move it somewhere else if it happened again - I think first time when you are face to face with a hissing 2 ft snake the self defense mechanism clicks in but you are quite right they really have the right to live here just as much as us.

wilma wrote:
Sorry in advance if this frightens anyone. Im still shaking !

My husband was thirsty in the middle of the night so went to the kitchen to get some water and trod on something ! This 4foot snake wrapped itself round his leg ! It then went under the sofas and then darted into one of the cave bedrooms diving under a carpet. My husband then started jumping up and down on the carpet but still it would not die so he then got a pair of scissors but it was too tough so in the end throttled its neck with the scissors.

Still cant upload photos so its the last photo on our cave house photos...

https://picasaweb.google.com/111881489302275794506/OurCaveHouse#

Dont look if you dont like snakes ! Anyone know anything about this type?

Please dont go around killing the wildlife, this is just a juvenile racer snake, will do you no harm.

Trap and release much better way Karma

Anybody got any good ideas for the easiest way to trap ? I am determined to do it this way if there is a next time and have given it a bit of thought but as yet not really come up with an ideal plan.

jars for the smaller beasts, buckets for the bigger beasts, anything that comes to hand in a moment of panic, put on upside down n slide something flat under it till its secure and get a brave person to dispose of

We do have some uses then glad to know,any bigger than a buket and your on your own

From my time in India, the local snake capturers recomend the most effective way of capturing a snake to release it later is to try to coax it into a dark bag, if they spot darkness they are likely to head for that as a secure hideaway for them, once inside the top can be tied and they pose no threat. They can them be released anywhere & anytime.

Mind you it is easier said than done especially if it is venemous. Good Luck.

I had a snake come visit a few years back,here in the UK. It had been a very hot day and I was standing at my patio door,I looked down and my first thought was 'bloody hell,thats a big catapillar!!' (it was late - an I was tired !!!) Of course it was'nt a catapillar,it was a snake,yellow and black bands and about 2ft long. No sooner had I noticed it,both my dogs did too.Herded them back inside and started to ponder over what to do about it,no way did I want to kill it. Finally phoned the police,who were quite helpful and got a 'reptile expert' to phone me. He told me to get a box,shread some newspaper and try and coax my unwanted visitor into it. I finally got it in the box,and put it out of harms way untill the following morn,when the expert was going to come and collect it. By this time I needed a couple of cigs,5mins later went to check all was ok,to find both of my dogs, heads buried in the box !! They were fine,and the snake was ok ! Me,I need more nicotine !! The next day the expert arrived, 'Yep - just what I thought, its a King snake - someone round here is in trouble - you need a permit to keep and breed these - not quite big or old enough to be dangerous yet !! Kings snakes live in the American dessert,and their natrural diet is the Rattle snake !!! Well - thanks for that - more nicotine !!!!

hi, i keep snakes (corn) so hate to think of killing one and like kirsten would try to save them, jut cover with a large cloth, when calm(both of you) scoop up and put outside. m

We've had a 3ft long ladder snake at ours. On Thursday it ate some very small baby sparrows - didn't see the snake eat them but the bulges in his body and the lack of tweets from the nest ...... Then on Sunday he/she was back - wanted the larger, just ready to fly older fledglings - needless to say the birds had no chance. Dislocated it jaw and swallowed whole! Don't know where it is now. Hopefully had enough of a banquet at ours and is 'vegging out'. Not a great fan of snakes (or scorpions - had two of them too) but would have liked to have saved the baby birds - impossible - in the end just nature's way I suppose.

I asked my neighbours not to kill a snake, but it was after their baby rabbits - which they keep for food not as pets.

My son disposed of a snake that was eating the broody chickens eggs.

I anm a snake (in the grass)