Wake Up! - Snake!
So there we were, start of the week - enjoying the F1, (yes, I know - it's an elitist sport that sycophantically panders to the ethereal whims of the 'woke' movement), but I just try to ignore that side of it and enjoy the racing. Anyway, Jo had her fresh from the garden strawberry and herb blend gin, and I had my vodka based paint-thinner. We were all set.
We watched the race - Jo is a die hard Hamilton fan, while I'm firmly in the Alonso camp, thus arguments abounded and there was the usual amount of moaning and gesticulating at different points of the race. Fun for everyone. The night past, and having been laid low with the Mexican beer flu, I was soon asleep - no doubt a ghastly picture of limbs akimbo, complete with resonating snores, when, it seemed - the world was ending.
From the foggy depths of my flu and voddy induced slumber, I became aware of quite a lot of shouting. Now, as I was asleep and the race was over - I was fairly sure it wasn't coming from me.
Bear! ... Bear!!!, (Jo call's me Bear, and while such a pet name does evoke images of large hairy mammals that like to sleep, eat and fish ... oh, hey - I get it now! ... Very bloody funny). Anyway - I was sufficiently awake to take stock - 'What's up? - You okay?', I asked. 'A snake just crawled over me and woke me up - it's by the tele', Jo replied - I thought quite matter-of-factly, for someone who'd just had a wild snake slither over them in their sleep.
I looked over to the T.V, and sure enough - there was a belt from a bathrobe laying on top of the Xbox. At this point, I'd like to point out that there weren't any lights on yet, just the glow from the tele on stand-by.
'It's just a belt' - 'Isn't it'?, I groggily opined, (quite why a belt would suddenly appear under the TV hadn't occured to me to ask)... 'No it bloody isn't babe', Jo almost hissed in exasperation. And, of course, it wasn't. As I approached it, the 'belt', obviously decided that while I may not be an actual Bear - I was just too much furry primate to deal with, and retreated into the TV stand.
I don't suppose there are many upsides to having me for a partner. I'm frequently in the wrong, (just ask Jo), I have a habit of arguing with the television, and I refuse to wash tupperware - I am not washing, what to me, are ostentatious take-away containers. However, there is one small benefit to be had by putting up with me, I'm fairly handy when it comes to dealing with wildlife.
So, after snapping a quick pic to record the event, I began gently coaxing the reptile from its retreat:
As you can see in the pic, (click to enlarge), it was a Night-tiger A.K.A Brown tree snake. I've done numerous posts which include these guys before, so here's just a quick run down on the species:
They are venomous, although not generally regarded as being 'dangerous', (larger individuals might cause some discomfort if you are bitten). They are also rear fanged, with means they tend to 'chew' the venom into their prey rather than the quick, bite and release method, employed by their front fanged cousins.
This poor little bugger was obviously frightened, it was shedding, and snakes generally adopt a far less tolerant attitude to being trifled with when they're in such a vulnerable state. Thus, she was a little testy - through using a bit of patience and a lot of gentleness, I managed to relocate her to a hanging plant outside, where she could choose to hunker down - or make her way to any other site of her choosing.
Happily, neither Jo, myself, the snake - nor, more importantly, the Xbox, were harmed in any way. And that's a win.
I would like to give Jo the credit she deserves here. We have had snakes in the house on occasion, but this is the very first who not only let itself in, but also opted to pause during its home invasion for a quick cuddle. I know plenty of men and woman who would've screamed the house down had they been subjected to such an indignity. In fact, I know people who startle at the sight of virtually any animal that enters their abode - let alone a snake.
Kudos, then, to Jo. She may be an English rose, but she has the heart of a lion, eh? ... (I'm still not washing the bloody tupperware mind you).
We watched the race - Jo is a die hard Hamilton fan, while I'm firmly in the Alonso camp, thus arguments abounded and there was the usual amount of moaning and gesticulating at different points of the race. Fun for everyone. The night past, and having been laid low with the Mexican beer flu, I was soon asleep - no doubt a ghastly picture of limbs akimbo, complete with resonating snores, when, it seemed - the world was ending.
From the foggy depths of my flu and voddy induced slumber, I became aware of quite a lot of shouting. Now, as I was asleep and the race was over - I was fairly sure it wasn't coming from me.
Bear! ... Bear!!!, (Jo call's me Bear, and while such a pet name does evoke images of large hairy mammals that like to sleep, eat and fish ... oh, hey - I get it now! ... Very bloody funny). Anyway - I was sufficiently awake to take stock - 'What's up? - You okay?', I asked. 'A snake just crawled over me and woke me up - it's by the tele', Jo replied - I thought quite matter-of-factly, for someone who'd just had a wild snake slither over them in their sleep.
I looked over to the T.V, and sure enough - there was a belt from a bathrobe laying on top of the Xbox. At this point, I'd like to point out that there weren't any lights on yet, just the glow from the tele on stand-by.
'It's just a belt' - 'Isn't it'?, I groggily opined, (quite why a belt would suddenly appear under the TV hadn't occured to me to ask)... 'No it bloody isn't babe', Jo almost hissed in exasperation. And, of course, it wasn't. As I approached it, the 'belt', obviously decided that while I may not be an actual Bear - I was just too much furry primate to deal with, and retreated into the TV stand.
I don't suppose there are many upsides to having me for a partner. I'm frequently in the wrong, (just ask Jo), I have a habit of arguing with the television, and I refuse to wash tupperware - I am not washing, what to me, are ostentatious take-away containers. However, there is one small benefit to be had by putting up with me, I'm fairly handy when it comes to dealing with wildlife.
So, after snapping a quick pic to record the event, I began gently coaxing the reptile from its retreat:
 |
| Boiga irregularis |
As you can see in the pic, (click to enlarge), it was a Night-tiger A.K.A Brown tree snake. I've done numerous posts which include these guys before, so here's just a quick run down on the species:
The Brown Tree Snake is a member of the colubrid family - who make up around 66% of all known snake species and have been dated back through the fossil record to perhaps 40 million years ago.
They are venomous, although not generally regarded as being 'dangerous', (larger individuals might cause some discomfort if you are bitten). They are also rear fanged, with means they tend to 'chew' the venom into their prey rather than the quick, bite and release method, employed by their front fanged cousins.
This poor little bugger was obviously frightened, it was shedding, and snakes generally adopt a far less tolerant attitude to being trifled with when they're in such a vulnerable state. Thus, she was a little testy - through using a bit of patience and a lot of gentleness, I managed to relocate her to a hanging plant outside, where she could choose to hunker down - or make her way to any other site of her choosing.
Happily, neither Jo, myself, the snake - nor, more importantly, the Xbox, were harmed in any way. And that's a win.
I would like to give Jo the credit she deserves here. We have had snakes in the house on occasion, but this is the very first who not only let itself in, but also opted to pause during its home invasion for a quick cuddle. I know plenty of men and woman who would've screamed the house down had they been subjected to such an indignity. In fact, I know people who startle at the sight of virtually any animal that enters their abode - let alone a snake.
Kudos, then, to Jo. She may be an English rose, but she has the heart of a lion, eh? ... (I'm still not washing the bloody tupperware mind you).
If you'd like to see more of this species, here is a post of one in action Brown tree snake preying on sunbirds or simply use the search bar to find more posts and info - take care.
Comments
Post a Comment