I dont know if this is the appropriate category to post this question, but i am asking anyways. My sister's family lives in a remote township in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. The place is surrounded by huge trees and has a dense forest in very close proximity. Due to this, they have a serious snake problem and she tells that she sees a lot of snakes around her housing complex. Anyways coming to the point, I spoke to her this morning and she casually mentioned that when she opened her backyard door this morning she saw a big black snake(most probably venomous) and she immediately closed the door. I was shaken at her casual remark about the snake, although I know she is equally terrified but trying to remain calm. They have a 1 year old kid who is very active and seems to run around the house while playing. Now, I am really frightened thinking about what if a snake enters the house somehow and I have all wild imaginations because of this :bang. Do any one know if there are any snake repellents available in the market or if there are any tips to keep the snake from coming? Please do share if anyone have suggestions...i really appreciate any tips kneesmiley
Reading this was scary...please ask them to move away from this place if possible...it is better to be safe than to be sorry...how can you repel a snake? Snakes with an active toddler...cant even think of it...
Mongooses (mongeese?) work in South Africa, but I'm not sure how you could deliberately introduce them into this environment, or whether it's legal to do that (they have been known to turn into pests themselves). But as far as repellant solutions go, it's pretty safe and eco-friendly.
Thanks for your reply Ramya, I agree this is very scary and serious issue. I have told them the same, to move from there ASAP but it seems the housing is company provided and there is usually a waiting list if someone wants to move. Apart from this company provided quarters, there is no housing communities near the location where my BIL works. It is a very remote location and very far from the actual city.
Thanks Ansuya....mongoose can be introduced to catch snake, but the problem is this is an ongoing issue and mongoose cannot be left in the open all the time. I was reading that moth balls can be used as snake repellents but not sure how effectively they work. There seems to be chemical repellents in market but they are poisonous and pose health risks.
Ansuya: pray tell....when I need a mongoose from where should I get it? Our small mall here does not carry mongeese. (eMongoose.com?) Mongoose mailed in brown paper wrapper. Mongoose shipped in air freight from undisclosed location? From local mongoose rescue center? Friends of the Mongoose club? Howsaboutamongoose shop? Smile Mongoosey franchise?
Tashi, I will be glad to help with your inquiries. First, locate and colonize a verdant, tropical area. Then, plant a massive area of sugar cane, and rejoice as your crop goes better than in your wildest dreams. Then, despair as your laborers (preferably imported from another country, when the natives of your colony prove completely unmoved by your attempts to "motivate" them to slave for you) experience a sharp drop in morale* due to increased snake activity in the sugar cane fields. Then, rejoice again as native mongooses, who happen to just love a snakey snack, move in to the fields in great numbers and keep the snakes away. Granted, it's a little more work than driving to your mall, but it worked very well for the British along the north-east coast of South Africa * My husband's favorite T-shirt reads, "The beatings will continue until morale improves". The Mongoose Dilemma: What Is The Plural Of Mongoose?
Even the most poisonous snakes are very shy animals. They don't see humans as their enemies. In my place, there are plenty of snakes. Once a snake entered my neighbor's home, in the day time. It was hiding behind the sofa. Some one sitting on the sofa heard the 'hissing' sound and saw it. They all panicked. In that melee, the snake started running here and there. We contacted the GSPCA (Gujarat Society for Prevention of Cruelty Association) guys by phone. The idea they gave us on phone was brilliant : They asked us to throw a bed sheet near the snake. We did so. Immediately, that big snake went into the folds of the bed sheet on the floor and hid itself. Then it did not move for another half an hour. Within that time, the GSPCA guys reached the house. Very young guys in late teens and early twenties only. They lifted the bed sheet on the floor and took the snake into a gunny bag with them. Snakes normally do not enter the house. It does so, sometimes, when it is chasing a pray of it like rat. The rat enters the house, so does the snake which is on the chase. You can advise this 'throw bed sheet on floor' technique to them, for the time being. As I saw how the snake went inside the bed sheet and hid itself, I was greatly impressed. And ask them to have the phone numbers of your locality's Society for Prevention of Cruelty against animals, ready in hand. In Gujarat, these guys are very active. They reach within 30 minutes of calling them.
You can ask her to sprinkle liberal amounts of garlic peel mixed with turmeric powder around the house. This needs to be replenished as you see it diminishing. We had a snake problem, in the flats where we stay on the ground floor, and thankfully have not see anything so far, after sprinkling this mixture on the ground. Also, you get a chemical powder to ward off snakes, not sure about brand, name etc. The apartments I stay in use this powder to keep them at bay.
Thank you so much premprasannan & vmtaurus :thankyou2: I will definitely share these ideas with my sister. Yes, I have read that snakes are shy animals and do not harm us until they feel harmed or threatened.
