Snakes alive!!

Living in the country is quiet, peaceful, gentle, serene, slow. Yeah RIGHT!
We have all kinds of wildlife on the farm. Some cute and cuddly. Others, not so much!
Summer is ‘watch out for snakes’ season. Middle son and the Grandies, 4 and 21 months, were fixing a lamp in the lounge. Big G went to the plug to turn on the repaired appliance when he called out “Daddy there’s a snake!” A Puff Adder was curled up under the curtain within easy strike distance! Middle son trained as a Field Guide (or Game Ranger) and has his “snake stick” in another corner of the lounge.
Puffy was placed in a box for safe-keeping overnight. Baby Grand decided to take another look and poked a large hole in the box with a pen! Puffy was not happy and went off to hide in a corner of the linen cupboard outside the boys bedroom! Middle son tracked him down and used another box!
Puffy has been relocated to the Snake and Animal Zoo at Hartebeespoort Dam.

Not long afterwards, a Rinkhals stopped for a look outside the office door. He paused long enough to rear up and show his hood, then slunk off round the corner of the house. Hubby went for the camera you see, and then lost him!

A Stock Photo

“our” rinkhals

The next was one Middle son found in a chest freezer, used as storage for various things. At first he thought it was a rein from a bridle. But it did something no self-respecting piece of leather would do. It moved, and spat into his face! Aha! thought the trained Field Guide! So armed with a good stick, he caught the Mozambican Spitting Cobra and deposited it in an empty fish tank to be dealt with later.

The amount of venom this dear snake stores is unbelievable! All over the camera lens, the fish tank, and sons’ shirt! He also escaped, but was found behind the tank. Hmm! He was let go in a far corner of a field.
The first two photos are of “our” snake – see the venom on the fish tank glass!

A stock photo

Middle son and Big G were moving young chickens to another chicken house. Grandie once again spotted a snake in a corner. A gorgeous African Rock Python! Big G was so excited at being able to hold a snake at last! He held it up for a photo, then it decided to be belligerent and bit him on the knee! Big G took it in his stride after being re-reassured that it was not poisonous. Python took up residence for a few days in the fish tank too. A living educational tool for the little ones. Then he was also released unharmed.

This is Big G and the snake, followed by The Bite!

A Stock Photo

We had the young girl cousins for the Easter holidays. They have a zoo at home! A Tarantula, 3 Bearded Dragons, 3 snakes, 4 cats, 4 dogs, hamsters, rats (for the snakes). Ummm, I think that’s all. We’d been exclaiming over Big G’s snake bite story that afternoon. I picked up some dirty laundry in the bathroom, and out popped a rapidly curling teeny Brown House Snake! Feisty little guy! The girls were horrified! Hmm. They only like the furry pets apparently! Well after a brief “check-it-out” session, youngest son took him outside and shoo-ed him away. The next night we had to do it all over again – from the kitchen this time! A nest? Hmmm!
The first photo is of “our” snake

This is a stock photo

I wonder what’s next?