Phil. Cobra in our Home! Warning: Graphic Pics

[Ding Carpio]

Got a text message from my wife over lunch saying there's a big cobra in our house. Thought "Yeah, yeah. Probably the same little snakes I keep catching under flower pots and throwing back into the forest."

I then called up the maids. They were all excited and told me how the three village guards worked together to kill it. When she said it was brown and the neck flared as it poised to strike, I got worried.

Apparently, while Bitchay (our ever bubbly maid) was cleaning our sungka in the family room (right beside where teLyds, Neon, and Bobby had breakfast), it slithered about 2 feet from her. She screamed and it coiled its body and raised its head and hissed. She ran.

My wife called the guards. Two came but were too scared. The third one came, apparently experienced in these matters, calmly got a pointed piece of bamboo and speared it.

I now ordered a few kilos of sulphur and will sprinkle it around the house tomorrow. Some say it works, some are not sure. Heck, it's worth a try. Anybody got any ideas, let me know, pls.

Here are the photos:

[Lydia Robledo]

Yikes! Yeah. I remember the nice sunkaan. Gosh, this is the same kind Del and I saw in Palay-Palay, just at the yard of the DENR house, about the same size as the one you got, Ding, longer pa ata. It was moving ever so gently as always and then when
I scrambled for my cam... it looked at me and then moved away. WAs I able to photog.?
He, he... as I was taranta to make it fit the frame-ye, head to tail...ambisyon... yun umalis na.
I did not have a single shot. Del was also taranta - she was trying digiscoping- the cobra put out its tongue--- beh!

Your dogs did not notice it? Will it be able harm your dog?

[Ding Carpio]

Dogs are always in the garden and garage downstairs. Maybe that's why the snake prefers the serenity of our main level.

And I always take an afternoon nap in the Lanai where the snake probably came from. Maybe I should catch that owl from Flor's place and keep it in our Lanai. ;D

[Farmer Nestor]

Ding, the sulphur works but you have to do it once a year.

[Carmela Balcazar]

How does the sulphur work? I'm tired of cleaning snakes trapped in mouse clue traps.

[Ding Carpio]

I may need to do it more frequent than that. I suspect the snake entered from the garden through the Lanai door so I'll have to sprinkle suphur on the garden edging into the Lanai. Since this ground gets wet, will have to refresh the sprinking every now and then. I hope sulphur's not bad for the grass.

Feb 11, 2008 22:57:04 GMT Farmer Nestor said:

Ding, the sulphur works but you have to do it once a year.

[Neon Rosell II]

That's one big cobra!! :oYou don't know how!! That was probably the reason why the Crested Serpent Eagle was there the other day!! Sayang, that's another wasted food for the eagle

Better to have a serpent eagle around than the toxic chemicals

Cheers,

[Ding Carpio]

Checked out our Lanai and pond last night and noticed something strange: All those nice, slender brown frogs are gone. Either they ran away when the cobra came or they're all in the cobra.

[Romy Ocon]

Wow.... that's a 4-footer Ding, good that it didn't harm anybody.

[Ding Carpio]

Hi, Carmela. Sorry for the very delayed response. Somehow neglected this thread.

You just sprinkle sulphur on the ground to form a line (pretty much like the clay tennis court lines) on your perimeter and snakes are supposedly wary of crossing it. I don't know if this is old wives' tale/solution or scientifically proven but I tried it and have not seen any snakes lately.

I see from your profile that you live in Quezon. Do you also live in a wooded area like me?

I'm never afraid of snakes in the forest. In fact, with my work, I encounter them a lot and they never bother me. But when you get a deadly one in your home, it's a life-changing experience.

Feb 12, 2008 6:18:45 GMT Carmela Balcazar said:

How does the sulphur work? I'm tired of cleaning snakes trapped in mouse clue traps.