# unwelcome visitor



## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

I went out to one of our storage sheds and found this guy crawling over a window grill. Does anyone know what type of snake it is and if it is venemous or not?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I wouldnt hang around long enough to find out !!!! AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHH

Jo xx


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

jojo said:


> I wouldnt hang around long enough to find out !!!! AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHH
> 
> Jo xx


I go along with that!!!!!!!!!

I don't know what kind of snake it is, but this website may help you.

Montpellier snake

Snakes

But I would take these photos to a vet or the police or the town hall (anywhere just to get out of the house!!) tomorrow first thing in the morning!!


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

dunmovin said:


> I went out to one of our storage sheds and found this guy crawling over a window grill. Does anyone know what type of snake it is and if it is venemous or not?


Probably a Montpellier if its more than a meter and a half long.
Loads of them around here,..just killed one 2 weeks ago.
They are poisonous but generally not dangeously so.
If its not one of them,maybe its someones pet got loose.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Ah thats a Lord Mandlson Willie, just tell it that you will not be voting


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

Thanks for the answers, on one hand it would seem to be a montpellier from the photos, but the belly has a red tinge. My pics don't give any indication of the the actual size, so I guess it was about 4ft long. It's not a viper as the head is the wrong shape (vipers have a triangular shaped head)

Pesky, thanks for both of those sites, very informative and a google image search turned up similar results.

Littleredrooster, for me,it is a normal reaction if the snake is going one way, I will go in the opposite and leave it be. It dines on mice, rats etc., and that is why I try to avoid killing them (A last resort if I can't convince it to leave)

Jojo, you must have seen the pics I had on the "other place" of the large cobra with a mouthful of frog, which is the best time to get a pic of one, as the business end is occupied (when I lived in HK) So I'm not scared of snakes, just keep a safe distance from them.


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

playamonte said:


> Ah thats a Lord Mandlson Willie, just tell it that you will not be voting


Brian,if it was a "lord madelson" , do you really think it would still have a pulse today?.....some snakes should be dealt with EXTREME PREDJUDICE


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

the trouble with "political jokes" is they tend to get elected.... or slip through as humans


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## owdoggy (Jul 23, 2008)

We had a snake in the pool gear pit last week. It gave me a bit of a start when I first opened the lid (didn't think they could move that quick!).

It wasn't very big but bonny lookin' all the same. I just set the vid camera up & let him get out by himself.




Doggy


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

dunmovin said:


> Thanks for the answers, on one hand it would seem to be a montpellier from the photos, but the belly has a red tinge. My pics don't give any indication of the the actual size, so I guess it was about 4ft long. It's not a viper as the head is the wrong shape (vipers have a triangular shaped head)
> 
> Pesky, thanks for both of those sites, very informative and a google image search turned up similar results.


Glad the info was of some use. 
You have a definite advantage over me as you're not scared of snakes.
We had one in the garden a couple of years ago and I got the dog in, closed everything hermetically and phoned everybody I could think of. The thing is, I find them very difficult to identify - especially at a distance of half a mile!


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

playamonte said:


> Ah thats a Lord Mandlson Willie, just tell it that you will not be voting


Thought it might be,..thats why I decided to whack it with a big stick.

Should be about 4 or more cms diameter.
Thats a Montpellier,..not Mandlesons Willie.


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## country boy (Mar 10, 2010)

It's not a very clear photo, but my guess is an immature Ladder Snake; not harmful or dangerous ( unless you are a bird) but scary if you don't like snakes as the adults can grow to two metres!


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

country boy said:


> It's not a very clear photo, but my guess is an immature Ladder Snake; not harmful or dangerous ( unless you are a bird) but scary if you don't like snakes as the adults can grow to two metres!


Possibly,..looking at the photo again it does seem a bit slim to be a Montpellier.
...and also maybe a tad too long to be Mandlesons willie.


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

littleredrooster said:


> Possibly,..looking at the photo again it does seem a bit slim to be a Montpellier.
> ...and also maybe a tad too long to be Mandlesons willie.


I dare not go there. 

William......


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Did you get rid of "*it"*??


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## mickybob (Dec 31, 2008)

littleredrooster said:


> Probably a Montpellier if its more than a meter and a half long.
> Loads of them around here,..just killed one 2 weeks ago.
> They are poisonous but generally not dangeously so.
> If its not one of them,maybe its someones pet got loose.



It's called a "Smack it over the head 20 times" ..... After that they are not poisnous, but the Chinees think they are great on a BBQ, skinned. For instructions on skinning and cooking, see Bear Grills. What an apt name.


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Did you get rid of "*it"*??


yes, it just slithered off. I did tak your advice and took the picture to the vet.... I gave her the picture...she looked at it ...dropped it screamed and jump about 6 ft back. Apparently she hates snakes.

Mickybob, I tried snake soup when I was living in HK...not that great


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

dunmovin said:


> yes, it just slithered off. I did tak your advice and took the picture to the vet.... I gave her the picture...she looked at it ...dropped it screamed and jump about 6 ft back. Apparently she hates snakes.
> 
> Mickybob, I tried snake soup when I was living in HK...not that great


Really?? So it was a baddie then??

(Spain must seem very tame after HK..??)


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Really?? So it was a baddie then??
> 
> (Spain must seem very tame after HK..??)


never did find out if it was posionous, but since there are only five types of posionous snakes in Spain and 3 of them are vipers(easily spotted by the shape of the head triangular)another one is blue, the chances are this was harmless.

HK had it's good points and it's bad ones. Spain is just fine for us right now


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

I used the word 'serpiente' whilst explaining to my Spanish teacher that ,whilst stripping roof tiles we had come across a sleeping snake. She looked at me in confusion & eventually realisation dawned & she said " No, no es un serpiente, es una culebra ! " 
"What's the difference ? " " A 'serpiente' is poisonous but a 'culebra' is not." 
" So it's no problem then when he sinks his fangs in me ?" " No, it is not venomous..... but the heart attack might kill you !! "  
She then said that the poisonous ones are mainly in the north of Spain.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

gus-lopez said:


> I used the word 'serpiente' whilst explaining to my Spanish teacher that ,whilst stripping roof tiles we had come across a sleeping snake. She looked at me in confusion & eventually realisation dawned & she said " No, no es un serpiente, es una culebra ! "
> "What's the difference ? " " A 'serpiente' is poisonous but a 'culebra' is not."
> " So it's no problem then when he sinks his fangs in me ?" " No, it is not venomous..... but the heart attack might kill you !! "
> She then said that the poisonous ones are mainly in the north of Spain.


I read somewhere that there are two kinds of venemous snakes in Spain and that they are found in the South-West...
Do they often stray/slither/crawl into built-up areas? I have seen a couple on the campo, probably venemous as they both had a V-pattern.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> I read somewhere that there are two kinds of venemous snakes in Spain and that they are found in the South-West...
> Do they often stray/slither/crawl into built-up areas? I have seen a couple on the campo, probably venemous as they both had a V-pattern.


Unfortunately yes they do. I've had 2 or 3 here but none lately .Once when renovating a friends house we turned up one day to find a snake in the house that had entered through an electrical duct & was sleeping entwined in a roll of tubing that I picked up .  Dont know who moved the quickest.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

gus-lopez said:


> Unfortunately yes they do. I've had 2 or 3 here but none lately .Once when renovating a friends house we turned up one day to find a snake in the house that had entered through an electrical duct & was sleeping entwined in a roll of tubing that I picked up .  Dont know who moved the quickest.


I don't know whether to thank you for that information or not. Our gardener is coming to mow the lawns tomorrow so I think I'll tell him to carefully inspect all possible entry points and seal them!!
At least snakes can't climb stairs......can they????


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

I'm not sure but would have thought they could.


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

ohhh yes they can climb......trees, walls, stairs just about anything.... I think this might prove that point

This is a vertical wall, so stairs are not going to be a problem to them


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

mrypg9 said:


> I read somewhere that there are two kinds of venemous snakes in Spain and that they are found in the South-West...
> Do they often stray/slither/crawl into built-up areas? I have seen a couple on the campo, probably venemous as they both had a V-pattern.


There are 5 types of poisonous snakes in Spain.

Seone viper,
Asp viper,
Latast viper,
False smooth snake,
Montpellier snake,(*******a de Montpellier),..well named,..the biggest at 2 mtr. long and thickish body,..lots around here.

Ha,ha,....can you believe it,...they have snipped the correct Latin name of the Montpellier,
Maybe "bar-steward "will give you a clue.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Rooster, gus and dunmovin: after reading your posts, I have made a thorough inspection of our garden with a long pointed stick to hand. Now I am considering erecting some sort of barricade across the bottom of the stairs as well as some kind of electric fence around the bed.
I am also considering sleeping with a small hatchet on the bedside table..
Thanks a bunch, guys.....:yuck:


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

littleredrooster said:


> .
> 
> ,
> Montpellier snake,(*******a de Montpellier),..well named,..the biggest at 2 mtr. long and thickish body*,..lots around here*.
> ...


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Actually around here in the ferreterias you can buy tins of snake repellant. I can't remember what the name is but it's in yellow tins with a snake on! ( gives you a clue )
Dangerous Reptiles and Toads in Spain This might reassure you.


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

mrypg9 said:


> littleredrooster said:
> 
> 
> > .
> ...


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> Actually around here in the ferreterias you can buy tins of snake repellant. I can't remember what the name is but it's in yellow tins with a snake on! ( gives you a clue )
> Dangerous Reptiles and Toads in Spain This might reassure you.


Good link.
I could swear we had an asp viper in our garden a couple of years ago. A bird attacked it and it rose up like a cobra!!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

gus-lopez said:


> Actually around here in the ferreterias you can buy tins of snake repellant. I can't remember what the name is but it's in yellow tins with a snake on! ( gives you a clue )
> Dangerous Reptiles and Toads in Spain *This might reassure you.[/*QUOTE]
> 
> 
> Very slightly.........


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

According to those odds, it's about the same as winning the lottery ! So if you do win, keep an eye out for snakes !


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

mrypg9 said:


> gus-lopez said:
> 
> 
> > Actually around here in the ferreterias you can buy tins of snake repellant. I can't remember what the name is but it's in yellow tins with a snake on! ( gives you a clue )
> ...


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

dunmovin said:


> mrypg9 said:
> 
> 
> > try not to surprise, disturb, or trap a snake and it will be more keen to get away from you than are to get away from it.
> ...


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

dunmovin said:


> mrypg9 said:
> 
> 
> > Which do you think is the more scared when a human and a snake meet?
> ...


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

Quite a few year ago in Croatia we were warned about the local poskoks,...(the most venemous snake in Europe).
Walking along a country path when 3 of them came out off the grass towards my 7 yr old son.
No, he didn't panic,shout,scream or run away,.....he simply froze to the spot,just like a pillar of salt,....while 2 of them slithered across the path and went right between his legs,and one just behind him, before disappearing into the grass again.
Half a minute later he was still standing there frozen to the spot,wide eyed and absolutely petrified in a state of shock, not quite able to take in what had just happened.

Who knows maybe he did the best thing,..had he been able to move, he could well have trod on a one and been bitten.


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## mickybob (Dec 31, 2008)

Toads
Toads in Spain are very poisonous to animals. If molested they exude a poison from their skin or produce saliva 

I cant say that I have ever contemplated molestering a Toad.


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