So how big are these snakes? Like how long , and how fat in the middle ? What do they eat .

This is all cool shit since we dont have snakes at all , and in all the trips I have made to Oz over the years I havent seen a live snake in the wild yet . ( and I have been in some pretty wild bits of Oz )

Childrens pythons grow to about 1 meter ish. My male, Bob, is nearly fully grown. They are not a fat snake, if you make a circle with your thumb and finger Bob can fit through it. They eat animals, rats, mice, birds etc. In the wild they start off eating small lizards, skinks and gecko's. As adults they will also hang down in front of caves and snatch small bats on the wing! I breed rats to feed my snakes as it works out cheeper than buying frozen ones all the time.
Below are some pages on them for you mate.

http://www.mark.org.au/pages/cs_carpetpython.htm

http://www.mark.org.au/pages/cs_childrenspython.htm

http://www.smuggled.com/chicom1.htm

I was hunting red deer near Berry in some of the beautiful hillside country. Each day when returning to the farm we were staying at, I would see this chap in the hay barn. I tried to pull him out to get a better look but was not able to do it.

Gidady Guys,

WHERES THE DAMN SHOTGUN!!!!!

Those things give me the screaming shits. Muzza I'm so in love with this country simply because we don't have those creepy bastards here.

I totally blew an ambush one night when I was in the J because one of those creepy shits decided my back was a good place to park up.

The boys thought it was a hell of a joke seeing the Troop Sgt dancing around trying to shoot the bloody thing in the process screwing up a 3 day ambush. Writing the please explain for the Squadron OC was no fun either.

Nah you can keep the crawley things.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

Hamish pal - I am not in love with snakes but I dont have any personal experience with them either . My theory is that if I can find a bit out about them then the day I come face to face with one when I least expect it I just might be able to avoid getting bitten.

Plus they are interesting to observe from a distance....like the width of the Tasman sea.....

That looks like a Dimond Python Bill. The same species as the carpet pythons only a different color.

quote:

Originally posted by Bakes:
That looks like a Dimond Python Bill. The same species as the carpet pythons only a different color.

It was a diamond python...and as the fine man Steve Irwin would say, "Crikey, Bill, that's a beaut!!!" I do have a keen interest in reptiles in general, snakes in particular. In Arizona we have a good many nasty ones, and a great many harmless ones. But as the New Zealand chap mentioned, when stalking through the bush it would be nice to know there will be no surprises.

A few weeks back i was in the NT then we spotted this fellow!!!!!


I love Australia also, but the snake/spider thing!

But the most dangerous snake is spreaded worldwide, including NZ!!!!

Stepping on snakes while out hunting really is not that much of a problem. Up this way we have tiapans and browns and I have seen none of them out hunting. I have seen pythons and tree snakes. Tree snakes are rear fanged and are venomous but its more like a bee sting to humans.

quote:

Originally posted by Bakes:
Stepping on snakes while out hunting really is not that much of a problem. Up this way we have tiapans and browns and I have seen none of them out hunting. I have seen pythons and tree snakes. Tree snakes are rear fanged and are venomous but its more like a bee sting to humans.

You forgot the death adders and file snakes

The only bonus is that File snakes taste pretty good

I had a file smake in my fish tank for awhile. My mate owned it and his tank had a crack in it. Cool little snake. I used to sit on the couch with a bourbon and watch it hunt down and smash the fish I put in.

Bizzare
Damn snakes give me the willies!!

Bakes old mate .. I need to catch up soon, have a new pup and could use your doggie training expertise

You didn't get one off Gary did you?

Hell no ..I only look silly in pictures

I called into Shoe String Safari's HQ the other day on my way home and he had another one! Now if he could just remember to feed the good meat to his guests and not the dog meat

quote:

Originally posted by Bakes:
Stepping on snakes while out hunting really is not that much of a problem. Up this way we have tiapans and browns and I have seen none of them out hunting. I have seen pythons and tree snakes. Tree snakes are rear fanged and are venomous but its more like a bee sting to humans.

I have to be careful to not step on a brown snake in my front garden, let alone about when hunting ....

As for the NT we had a lovely Taipan come sliding right past us while butchering a young buffalo calf.


If Bakes is ever drunk, be careful how you answer if he asks you "Wanna see my snake?"

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:
I have to be careful to not step on a brown snake in my front garden, let alone about when hunting ....

Forget about the front garden, the dog was barking on the verandah this Sunday afternoon and investigating we caught a small baby brown snake two feet away from the back door. About 15 inchs in length. It was under his bed and he was NOT impressed.

How dangerous or venomous would a small brown snake of this size be? Kill a dog? Make a human very sick or worse?

NitroX, the answer is: very, yes, yes and depends.
Sometimes a snake will only deliver a 'dry strike', more of a 'piss off mate, you're annoying me' warning.
However, you can't count on it......

Dave is right. Just because you get hit doesn't mean you cop a dose....so to speak But even a small brown can pack a wallop. Unfortunately most dogs get tagged around the face (as they lead with their nose) and that makes putting on a constrictive bandage a tad difficult. I have heard of a big dose of vitamin C injected under the skin (animals only) can help with snake bite and even our vet said it couldn't hurt.

There is an awful lot of anecdotal evidence on the efficacy of mega doses (4gr+) of VitC in snakebite... VERY important to remember that it will prevent death if your best mate has copped a lethal dose though.

Pick pooch up, keep him calm if at all possible and get him the hell to a vet with a description of the bitey if possible.

Texas used to have many snakes, venomous and non. But we have a big problem with red ants now, who take the young as soon as they hatch. Not just snakes, all kinds of wild animals.

are they the Argentine ant?

quote:

Originally posted by muzza:
are they the Argentine ant?

They are Fire Ants. Our big red town ants have dissapeared. Guesss the fire ants got'em too.


The fire ant bites will fester up in a day or two with puss.


Hog Killer

quote:

Originally posted by Bakes:
.... big dose of vitamin C injected under the skin (animals only) can help with snake bite and even our vet said it couldn't hurt.

Can you buy Vitamin C as a liquid?

What does a small snake like that eat? Moths, ants, insects?

I can answer the Vit C question ... Yes you can, however, the largest dose I can find online in a brief search is 500mg/10mls. Realistically given that 4grams is the recommended dose it would mean 80mls of liquid under the animals skin which is way way too much to be comfortable.

I am a nurse rather than a vet (talking to one would be a good idea) but could see that such a large volume would be safer, faster and absorbed far quicker as an IV infusion.

For a shepard sized dog I was told about 15ml but even then it means carrying two bottles. Do you remember Bwana Smakai from the SSAA mag? I wrote him a letter asking him to explain its use as I saw it memtioned in an article of his. I asked out vet and he said it couldn't hurt and in any case it would make the handler feel like he was helping his dog out. I made up some kits containing two bottles and a needle for the boys to take out on excercises and such. I would still get the dog to a vet ASAP BUT anti-venom is VERY expensive so be prepared for a big bill. Vit C in liquid form is called ascorbic acid I think?

The young of most species of snakes start off eating skinks/Lizards. In captivity you start small pythons like childrens on pinky mice. If they don't eat them you can scent the pinky with a skink tail. I believe the only snake in Australia that eats insects is the blind snakes, they eat ant eggs and larva.

Good-O,

I found five frogs and a skink today. The little fellow must be getting hungry soon.