Exotic Animals

ghoti said:
Not sure, I got over my fear as a kid. I guess I became more and more familiar with them. Only someone who has done a course in venemous snake handling should try catch a venemous snake. A good place to start would be to learn the difference between the venemous ones and the harmless ones as 90% of them are harmless.

Get a little girl at the snake park to let you hold a harmless snake. Just chill there with a bit with it. Familiarity will start making you more comfy.



You normally always have food out for them. They eat when they want to. 2/3rds of a sloths weight comes from the food in its tummy. Luckily they are easy to feed.
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That will never happen :o

That being said, I suppose you have been bitten before. Is it sore? I saw some massive fangs on a Discovery series on Dangerous animals. When I saw those fangs (Can't recall what snake) I figured, that has got to hurt like hell :eek:
 
Pitbull said:
That will never happen :o

That being said, I suppose you have been bitten before. Is it sore? I saw some massive fangs on a Discovery series on Dangerous animals. When I saw those fangs (Can't recall what snake) I figured, that has got to hurt like hell :eek:
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Ive been bitten many times. 99% of the bites hardly even draw blood. Since most of the snakes I work with are harmless their bites are benign. Sometimes, very rarely, they draw a tiny drop of blood. Its not sore at all. If one bites me I dont pull it off. I wait for it to see that its bites are futile and eventually they give up themselves.

There are exceptions. Like a bite from my boa constrictor can hurt. Not because it has fangs (its a constrictor) but because of the sheer size of the animal. Any large animal that bites you will hurt. My boa is an ******* snake (snakes have personalities, some of them are chilled, some of them are satans little helpers). It bites at any heat signature and its bite can be a little painful.

Ive only ever been bitten once by a venomous snake. I was still in school and giving an oral on the venomous snakes in the Eastern Cape. I was free handling a night adder and it turned around and bit me. I was given the rest of the day off. My hand swelled up and I had a bad headache. Luckily night adders are not deadly so that was the extent of my injury.

I have had a couple of close calls as well. One time I was removing a large male boomslang from someone's garden and I had it by the tail. It turned around and bit my pants (pretty much where the crotch area is). Luckily it missed my body and just got a mouthful of clothing. Thats about the closest I have been to a serious incident.
 
ghoti said:
Ive been bitten many times. 99% of the bites hardly even draw blood. Since most of the snakes I work with are harmless their bites are benign. Sometimes, very rarely, they draw a tiny drop of blood. Its not sore at all. If one bites me I dont pull it off. I wait for it to see that its bites are futile and eventually they give up themselves.

There are exceptions. Like a bite from my boa constrictor can hurt. Not because it has fangs (its a constrictor) but because of the sheer size of the animal. Any large animal that bites you will hurt. My boa is an ******* snake (snakes have personalities, some of them are chilled, some of them are satans little helpers). It bites at any heat signature and its bite can be a little painful.

Ive only ever been bitten once by a venomous snake. I was still in school and giving an oral on the venomous snakes in the Eastern Cape. I was free handling a night adder and it turned around and bit me. I was given the rest of the day off. My hand swelled up and I had a bad headache. Luckily night adders are not deadly so that was the extent of my injury.

I have had a couple of close calls as well. One time I was removing a large male boomslang from someone's garden and I had it by the tail. It turned around and bit my pants (pretty much where the crotch area is). Luckily it missed my body and just got a mouthful of clothing. Thats about the closest I have been to a serious incident.
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Eish, imagine being bit by a boom slang on the slang :D

Yoh man, seriously, utmost respect. There are very few things I fear in life. But snakes, they have me beat.
 
ghoti said:
I have had a couple of close calls as well. One time I was removing a large male boomslang from someone's garden and I had it by the tail. It turned around and bit my pants (pretty much where the crotch area is). Luckily it missed my body and just got a mouthful of clothing. Thats about the closest I have been to a serious incident.
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:wtf::cry:

Imagine if it didn't get clothing!
 
SYNERGY said:
:wtf::cry:

Imagine if it didn't get clothing!
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The boomslang bite while deadly, is not as bad as venoms go. You get a headache and then 24 hours later you die. There is a monovalent antivenom to deal with a boomslang bite and generally there is enough time to get it treated.

I would prefer to be bitten by the more deadly boomslang than I would by the deadly (but less so) puff adder. A puff adder uses a cytotoxic venom. When that venom is injected into you it starts breaking down your tissue and digesting it. The wounds generally look like a large burn wound.
 
Pitbull said:
How the fk does one build up the courage to hold a snake? Not even to mention catching venomous ones ?

I go to the snake park in Harties and I feel like I want to pass out just taking the kids through the glass enclosures the snakes are in. I normally just shoot at them from a distance on the farm. Those Black mamba's are some seriously large snakes... You have to be born with this kind of snake handling thing I suppose?
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The farmers around here that I made friends with all had similar attitudes. I think me calling them pussies one time to many changed that as now they either catch and release or call me.
 
AstroTurf said:
The farmers around here that I made friends with all had similar attitudes. I think me calling them pussies one time to many changed that as now they either catch and release or call me.
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I know for a fact I'm a Pussy when it comes to snakes. We had a guy in Zeerust that used to come catch them. However as of late I think the kid moved on to other things. Would be so funny, seeing grown men cover and hide while a laaitjie of around 14 - 16 come and catch the snakes. No one can be bothered now though. Once a month you're sure to find a Mamba hung over the fence by the gate with it's head bashed in but the farm workers.

Why do they hang them over the fence though? Anyone know? I was taught to burn them as they attract other snakes :o

Anyway, probably just some old folks tale or superstition. I would love to be able to catch and release them, however I'm not trained nor do I have the balls to risk it. What would your advice be? Try and catch it untrained or rather kill it?
 
Pitbull said:
I know for a fact I'm a Pussy when it comes to snakes. We had a guy in Zeerust that used to come catch them. However as of late I think the kid moved on to other things. Would be so funny, seeing grown men cover and hide while a laaitjie of around 14 - 16 come and catch the snakes. No one can be bothered now though. Once a month you're sure to find a Mamba hung over the fence by the gate with it's head bashed in but the farm workers.

Why do they hang them over the fence though? Anyone know? I was taught to burn them as they attract other snakes :o

Anyway, probably just some old folks tale or superstition. I would love to be able to catch and release them, however I'm not trained nor do I have the balls to risk it. What would your advice be? Try and catch it untrained or rather kill it?
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My advice?
Go to SAreptiles.co.za
Ask for a contact number in your area.
Put on phone and call them when you need a hand.
 
AstroTurf said:
My advice?
Go to SAreptiles.co.za
Ask for a contact number in your area.
Put on phone and call them when you need a hand.
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How quickly does one die from a Black Mamba bite? Odds of dying? Worth the risk?
Maybe I should try catch the next one but I'm scared shyteless :o
 
Pitbull said:
How quickly does one die from a Black Mamba bite? Odds of dying? Worth the risk?
Maybe I should try catch the next one but I'm scared shyteless :o
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Do not mess with black mamba. Even when shooting, you miss, just tag or piss it off it will go for you.
Call an expert.

In fact if I were you I would go on a course (venomous snakebite treatment and handling course) if you have so many of them in the area.
 
Pitbull said:
How quickly does one die from a Black Mamba bite? Odds of dying? Worth the risk?
Maybe I should try catch the next one but I'm scared shyteless :o
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Dont try catch a venomous snake unless you are qualified. I would be fsking scared of a mamba bite. Avoid them. Odds of dying are pretty good with a mamba.
 
ghoti said:
Dont try catch a venomous snake unless you are qualified. I would be fsking scared of a mamba bite. Avoid them. Odds of dying are pretty good with a mamba.
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Ok so scratch that idea. I want to try and face the fear head on by catching a snake. But the ones on the farm is mostly Mambas. Is there a place one can do these courses? Maybe just for safety?
 
AstroTurf said:
Do not mess with black mamba. Even when shooting, you miss, just tag or piss it off it will go for you.
Call an expert.

In fact if I were you I would go on a course (venomous snakebite treatment and handling course) if you have so many of them in the area.
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Sorry missed this. As per post above.
 
AstroTurf said:
Enquire on www.sareptiles.co.za forum.

It's a really good idea to do this.
Not just for yourself but for your workers, friends, family, neighbours etc.
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I personally think I'm scared of the bite itself not so much the snake. I'll check out that forum, I do think it's a good idea. I just don't want the workers to put themselves in danger but a little course can do them the world of good as said above, maybe even just the safety aspect.

Appreciate the info Astro :)

edit: FFS, website blocked at work. Will check from home.
 
ghoti said:
What you said to me is the number one thing people tell me about snakes. A conversation normally goes like this:

Me: Hey I like snakes.
Person: I killed one
Me: :(

hehe
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I have no problem with them. In my previous house, I had a small snake living in my garden. Don't know what he was, but he was very welcome. I will never kill a snake if I can possibly help it. There are organisations of reptile fanciers I believe that can remove snake to safety if you call them. I have a number on my fridge. Alas, snakes are rare in suburbia, poor things.
 
I used to catch Rinkhals in high school, that was pretty fun. Hyperama hill in constantia kloof, back in 1995-1998
 
Pitbull said:
Ok so scratch that idea. I want to try and face the fear head on by catching a snake. But the ones on the farm is mostly Mambas. Is there a place one can do these courses? Maybe just for safety?
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Its fun, until they bite you or spit in your eyes, then its not so fun. Been hit by a few snakes. Got tagged by a red lip, instant migraine lol.
 
semaphore said:
I used to catch Rinkhals in high school, that was pretty fun. Hyperama hill in constantia kloof, back in 1995-1998
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Jirre dude, I stayed on that hill in Constantia Kloof. I'm glad I moved now :p

semaphore said:
Its fun, until they bite you or spit in your eyes, then its not so fun. Been hit by a few snakes. Got tagged by a red lip, instant migraine lol.
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I saw a kid with one of those at a resort once, he caught it. Small little thing but I didn't want to get near it. Well he said it was a "Rooi lippie" as it was an off silver colour with a red lower jaw. A KID CATCHING A WILD SNAKE! WTF is up with today's kids?
 
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