weird acting snake

**chiangmaimav** · 05-11-2009, 11:53 PM

Yesterday during the afternoon I went with my wife and her mother to San Kampaeng Hot Springs. It was afternoon, and I had a cooler and a backpack with me. My wife yelled and pointed behind me and there was a yellow lipped green pit viper behind me on the cooler. He was up in striking position and I should have just stood still but it surprised me so I just jumped back. Surprised it didn't strike then. I took an umbrella and chased it away, but it did not leave quickly. Then it was off like a shot and went straight for this old lady. Never saw a snake move this fast. I chased it and swatted it with umbrella and it took off into the brush. Later while I was swimming my wife is sitting on a blanket doing crochet. The snake crawls right up onto her lap and raises its head as if to strike. She said she screamed and jumped up and it fell off, and still did not strike. This is odd as this species is very quick to bite. She had a hard time chasing it away with a stick. This was also strange as although they are aggressive when cornered they are generally nocturnal and althought hey live near human settlements they usually try to avoid people. Fortunately, thought they are venomous their bite is not usually fatal, but it is very painful and sometimes leads to necrosis. Anyway I tell this story as it was a pretty weird snake.

**crashdive123** · 05-12-2009, 06:21 AM

Glad nobody got hurt.

**nell67** · 05-12-2009, 06:55 AM

That is wierd chiangmaimav,really glad no one got bitten!

**erunkiswldrnssurvival** · 05-12-2009, 08:39 AM

they do that when are pregnant "she" was about to lay eggs.

**chiye tanka** · 05-12-2009, 05:48 PM

I raised snakes for many years and still have friends to do still.
I'm not sure, but here in the states, there is a disease going through pit vipers causing them to do weird stuff and then dying. Just a thought.

**erunkiswldrnssurvival** · 05-12-2009, 06:24 PM

i have heard about that,chya tanka. thay develope mouth sores impeading thier ability to eat, and they starve to death.that must be terrible.

**chiye tanka** · 05-12-2009, 07:36 PM

Naw, that's just mouth rot. It can kill them, but in the wild I don't know what the mortality rate is.
This is something that only effects pit vipers. I have a friend in Summerfield who specializes in rattlesnakes. Five years ago, he lost 90% of his collection which consisted of over 100 animals.

**erunkiswldrnssurvival** · 05-12-2009, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by chiye tanka

Naw, that's just mouth rot. It can kill them, but in the wild I don't know what the mortality rate is.
This is something that only effects pit vipers. I have a friend in Summerfield who specializes in rattlesnakes. Five years ago, he lost 90% of his collection which consisted of over 100 animals.

wow! i have seen a couple snakes with the mouth thing, and i watched an indigo rolling over sideways in the sand, that was two weeks ago. i went to that texas rattle snake roundup about six years ago,i thought i was going to hunt them! silly me, they round em up to milk them then they release them.injuring one gets you the village riot. so dont try that! we "Milk" the snakes we dont eat them! i guess thats what your friend does with his snakes right Milk them?. its a shame that he lost them.

**chiye tanka** · 05-12-2009, 07:54 PM

He's a private breeder. He doesn't milk them, just sells them to individuals who are properly licensed. There's a big reptile following in FL. I used to breed pythons and boas, had over 300 animals about 15 years ago. I just got burnt out and sold them all.
I've handled 13 of the spieces of rattlesnakes, dang near every type of python and boa, and a good amount of crocadilians. When I first got out of high school, I did volenteer work at Silver Springs in the reptile house.
I'm full of useless knowledge.

**snakeman** · 05-12-2009, 09:06 PM

Chiye tanka, you said you knew someone in summerfield that raises snakes. Would that be in north carolina because i know someone around there that has a few hundred. Mostly venomous. One of my friends has over 50 snakes and lots of lizards. But anyways, I dont know whats wrong with that viper. Lucky no one got hurt though.

**erunkiswldrnssurvival** · 05-12-2009, 09:12 PM

Originally Posted by chiye tanka

I'm full of useless knowledge.

only to those who dont listen. anybody can learn from a wise man: but a wise man learns from everybody.

**chiangmaimav** · 05-12-2009, 10:33 PM

Thanks for kind words and also information. Perhaps the viper had the mouth problem and that is why it didnt bite. Perhaps also she was pregnant. I have a dvd here from discovery network in Thai language about a Burmese python who had eaten an alligator and died and was found in everglades. They say it must have been brought there as a pet and released. TV show saws many foreign reptiles in everglades now for same reason.

**chiye tanka** · 05-13-2009, 12:42 AM

Originally Posted by snakeman

Chiye tanka, you said you knew someone in summerfield that raises snakes. Would that be in north carolina because i know someone around there that has a few hundred. Mostly venomous. One of my friends has over 50 snakes and lots of lizards. But anyways, I dont know whats wrong with that viper. Lucky no one got hurt though.

Nope, FL.
How did you come by your forum name? Are you one of us crazy herpers?
No folks, not herpies.

**chiye tanka** · 05-13-2009, 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by chiangmaimav

Thanks for kind words and also information. Perhaps the viper had the mouth problem and that is why it didnt bite. Perhaps also she was pregnant. I have a dvd here from discovery network in Thai language about a Burmese python who had eaten an alligator and died and was found in everglades. They say it must have been brought there as a pet and released. TV show saws many foreign reptiles in everglades now for same reason.

Yeah, our friends from D.C. tried to pass a law to ban ownership of snakes like that, but it didn't make it.

If anyone has any questions about snakes, feel free to ask. I've been playing with snakes for 20 years.

**chiangmaimav** · 05-13-2009, 04:28 AM

I respect anyone who deals with snakes for a living. Personally, even though I deal with them from necessity, and I don't have a phobia against them, I do my best to avoid them and try to keep my home free of them and give them plenty of room in jungle. There are 56 species of venomous snakes here, but fortunately there is usually antivenin available in local hospital. I work on mountain rescue team in area where there are many snakes but hilltribe guides are very good and have yet to hear of any trekkers being bitten by them, but there are occasional scorpion or centipede stings. The centipedes are the worst.

**snakeman** · 05-13-2009, 07:41 AM

Originally Posted by chiye tanka

Nope, FL.
How did you come by your forum name? Are you one of us crazy herpers?
No folks, not herpies.

I just like to catch and learn about snakes and have for most of my life. I just can't help catching a wild snake I see. You seem to be very wise in the field.

**crashdive123** · 05-13-2009, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by snakeman

You seem to be very wise in the field.

He is also very wise in the acre......get it.....wise......acre?

**mountain mama** · 05-13-2009, 10:01 AM

I used to have a small ball python, but my young daughter kept trying to crawl in the cage with it. It wasn't very fond of that and kept striking at her, so I eventually had to give him away for his own good (my daughter could piss off the Pope).

When I was in Texas we went to the rattlesnake round up. We were watching them milk one of the snakes and the guy dropped it. It came slithering right toward me, and I ran like the sissy that I am!

When I was in college, I worked at a camp out in east Texas. My brother worked there as the rowdy and it was his job to gather up any snakes that came onto the camp grounds and relocate them. He caught this little copperhead once and put it in a large mayonaisse jar. That weekend we were scheduled to go home, so he hands me the jar and says "here, hold this." "NO WAY!" "Fine, I'll just stick it in the back seat and then every time we hit a bump you can wonder..." I held that d@mn thing all the way home.

And that, folks, is my entire collection of snake stories. *tada*