Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[slippery42]

As a 17 yeard old and at college my parent abandond me and went to live in Saudi Arabia for a while. Priot to leaving they invited the local Crime Prevention Officer to call and advise me on home security.

After Inspecting the house he noticed the 9ft burmese in a viv in the spare bedroom and asked to look at it. As she was dog tame I thought no problem.

I opened the viv doord and peered inside when the snake literaly flew at me and clamped it gaping jaw onto my face

After a brief chew she let go and I put her back inthe viv

When I turned to look a the Police officer he looked mortified and muttered I didnt need security!!!

It was then that I fely a warm wet feeling and realised I was pooring with blood.....it took weeks to get all the teeth out.

Parent went abraod and I party'd for 2 years
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Live for today as your dead for a long long time

Using Nikon D300's and pro lenses

[SteveL]

HAHA
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[Ataria]

We have all kind of insects in our home and sometimes it happens so that we accidentally take them with us. We were at Subway when a beetle dropped from inside my mans trousers. It dropped and rolled in the middle of floor. So there we were, me and my boyfriend an our bug....having a fun time at subway.

Oh my good you should have seen the faces and thoughts - a beetle just dropped from that mans leg..they must live on the street.


Once I putted wet papers in garbage bin. Crickets had been laying eggs in them and pretty soon we had a bin full of small crickets. I sprayed every kind of shampoo and stuff in bin trying to kill those bugs. No, they just kept going on. While I was busy killing bugs I accidentally dropped a box full of adult crickets and finally whole floor was sizzling bugs. Then something snapped in my head and I took a vacuum cleaner and vacuumed those poor bugs in to heaven...and burned the bin with a smile on my face.
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It is nice to be important - but more important to be nice!

[trueviper_UK]

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You can't trust the snake......but you can always trust the snake to be a snake.

[Lumo]

I did the exact same thing a couple of days ago Ataria! dropped a new box of number 2 crickets on my bedroom floor! I just grabbed a book and started smushing them into my carpet, then got the hoover to get rid of the strays. Vile creatures! I'm still finding odd ones...

[trueviper_UK]

10 years ago I was keeping T's and i lived in a small building with 4 flats. I occupied the top floor flat and one night I left the lid slightly open on a whole box of adult crickets after feeding.
They ALL escaped and I spent the next 6 months eating s**t from my neighbours who just couldn't understand that it was the same crickets they were finding and not newly escaped ones!!

Last time I keep anything insectiverous......
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You can't trust the snake......but you can always trust the snake to be a snake.

[arietans]

I have the odd one or two...


This happened last year:

I went to visit an old colleague of mine in the Northern Province (Southern Africa). While there, he got a callout for a snake removal. He asked me if I wanted to do it for old time's sake (since I live in the city now, I don't get much chance to catch wild snakes anymore).

We get to the complainants farm, and he points us to a piece of corrugated iron. Lifting up the plate, a gorgeous 3 foot Snouty makes her presence known.

After pinning her, we realize we forgot a bag (yes I know, but I was too excited to think of everything). I approached the farmer (to ask for a bag)with the snake in my hands, but he can run faster than I can.

So I decided to hold it until we can find a bag. But walking with a pinned snake can be very exhausting.....

so...

new plan...

His girlfriend's handbag.

Picture a big man walking through the bush with a black handbag



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This happened last year as well:

A few months ago we were out doing a game count (its necessary to know what animals are breeding, healthy etc.) when we got a call from the neighbouring farm to fetch a snake.

We get there, and the mother of all mambas is trapped in a corner of the barn. She must have been close to 12 feet. They had obviously tried to kill her, but she was the clear winner, attesting by the two dead fox terriers lying nearby.

She was livid.

I wasn't even close and she already opened her mouth, showing me her silver tips.

I knew that there is no way that we were going to catch this snake using conventional methods.

New plan....

I asked the farmer for a pipe and a bag (our bag was a tad small). He brings me a 6 inch pvc pipe and an old....

dog food bag

As you say, work with what you've got. I strapped the bag to the pipe with a cable tie, and tied the pipe to a long pole. Placed the opening near my feisty friend, and like lightning she was in. Tied the bag with another cable tie, pulled it off the pipe and voila! caught mamba.

This is where life got ......... strange......

Driving to our farm, my colleague makes a quip like "What would you do if this mamba gets out the bag?". We go through scenario after scenario, really cracking it up, when I notice some movement over the handbrake of the Land Rover.

Staring at me, with a very inquisitive look on her face........ Miss polylepis.

At 60 km/hour on a dirt track, we both climbed out the car. Letting it come to a stop against a little shop on the side of the road.

The people, wondering why two men would jump at of a moving vehicle, go to investigate.

When they saw the snake, we were alone in the world. People scattering into every direction!!!

We left her to find her own way back into the bush, at her own pace too.
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ngiyakuthanda Sonvanger

[arietans]

Some other rather chaotic experiences.... (fond memories though)

Cobras have this nack of really making life difficult. While they aren't as quick as other large Elapids, they are still pretty fast. They are very intelligent too.

A few years ago I was working at a snake park, part - time. Just for some extra money. I knew the owner very well, since he helped me with completion of my venomous snake handling course. He was also a good friend of my father's. He let me do demonstrations and callouts.

My first "nasty" experience at a demonstration came from a very big Snouted Cobra affectionately known as Bubbles (yes, the powerpuff). She had a very docile nature. She would hood up, but never attempt to bite. The perfect demonstration animal.

Yeah right!

I had done a few demos with her, and she had been fine. Then comes the all natural complacency syndrome.

One Sunday afternoon, through the Christmas holidays I had a packed house for a demo. As always, I ask the first two rows to be kept empty, and as always no one listens.

But today Bubbles would help.

When I took her out, she was still calm. She reared up, but she was calm. I walked around so she can face the audience, and she was calm.

Then she saw a fat man with a hot dog.

She charged through my legs like the seven dogs of hell were after her, heading straight for the fat man with the hotdog, who in turn spat it out and tried to clamber up the stairs of the grand stand (being very unsuccessful at it). The more I yell for the people to stand still, the more the chaos ensues.

Bubbles, not be outdone as the star of the show, decides she wants to climb up and greet the people. Luckily I got to grab her by the tail. She voiced her displeasment by attempting to end my illustrious career as a snake handler with a nasty bite to the arm. But she was way too off balance for a proper strike. After a little argument, she admitted she was wrong, and settled down.

The chaos settled down to a nervous, twitchy audience. An audience that could not be induced to sit anywhere near the first four rows

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My second chaotic moment involved a large wild caught Snouted Cobra, an old Toyota and a policeman.

The snake park is called many times during a day to remove a problem animal. Sometimes it happens that a few guys are already out, leaving you no transportation except your own private vehicle.

Such was the case on a lovely december morning in 2002.

Climbing in my old, really beat up 1983 model Toyota corolla, I head out. Forgetting I have no bag or hooks or tongs in this car (the excitement of the snake usually causes my brain to shut off).

I get to the complainant and realise the error of my ways. But now I have to look professional. Using a stick as a hook, I tail my large new friend and proceed to put it in the boot of my car, much to the confusion of all the onlookers.

Now I want to drive. The longer this snake stays in the boot, the more unpleasant it might become. My car touches the tar only here and there, and on of the "there's" I touch a speedtrap.

The pork storms out the bushes, getting me to screeching halt. He asks "Where are you going in such a rush young man?". I explain that I have a fairly nasty cobra in the boot and that I am in a hurry to release it. He give me that "yeah right" look. He explains that I look suspicious and that I have to open the boot.

I hand him the keys and told him to do it himself.

When he opened the boot, I released the cobra (or rather it released itself), and he "relieved" himself. From his incoherent speech I assumed I can leave.

Gazing in the mirror, he was still standing exactly as I left him
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ngiyakuthanda Sonvanger

[lol93]

Great stories!
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[trueviper_UK]

Priceless thanks for sharing
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You can't trust the snake......but you can always trust the snake to be a snake.