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Carol
03-23-2009, 03:29 PM
Yesterday I took the compost bucket out to the back yard, lifted the lid and there was the skin of a brown snake - about 4 feet long draped across the top. Of course I screamed but no-one at home or next door to hear me! Lately there had been a few mice as I lifted the lid, so I guess the snake was having a feast. I now have to be a little more careful walking around in the yard and veggie patch. We have a number of happy resident frogs which I guess a re an attractant to a hungry snake. It is illegal to kill snakes in Australia but I do have a shovel against the shed and will break the law if I see it!!!!!

andrew
03-23-2009, 07:25 PM
Mmmmm! I love snakes........on the BBQ :D

Doug
03-25-2009, 06:36 PM
:mad: I had a family of garter snakes (nonpoisonous, small, probably never grow much longer than .25m) in my garden. They ate slugs, grasshoppers, that sort of thing. I knew they were beneficial, but my first response when I saw them was pretty much Carol's. I'm certain there are snakes in the US on the Federal Registry of Endangered Animals, but this not one. I came to appreaciate these wee beasties for how they cleaned up less desireable critters in the yard, saving me chemical warfare and money, but I bet the shovel would have come out if they'd been rattlesnakes (poisonous, the classic poisonous snake of Hollywood Westerns). Instead. Are brown snakes poisonous? I know there are lots of poisonous Aussie snakes. :eek:

Doug
03-25-2009, 06:38 PM
Like your new avatar, Andrew! Those your pooches?

andrew
03-25-2009, 07:09 PM
Yuppers. Those are our babies. From left: Cara, Nancy (the boss) and Rosie

coffeelover
03-26-2009, 03:59 AM
Andrew,

I thought I was the only crazy Weggie with three dogs.
Lisa

andrew
03-26-2009, 05:39 AM
Haha...nope I'm sure there are plenty of us. I (very) briefly thought about getting another one but figured that three was plenty in a three bedroom house :D

Carol
03-26-2009, 04:00 PM
It was evidently a Brown snake - quite shy but quite poisonous as are most Aussie snakes. We think we'll empty the compost bin to see if he's still in there so I don't get so nervous every time I lift the lid.