# 2.5m python at rental with 18mnth old kid



## beewing (Oct 6, 2017)

Hello,

This might be a stupid question, there is a large python at the the place we started renting on the mid north coast nsw, the elderly owner said it has been there for years. The place is in town, so fenced, a lot of plants and nearby creek.

We have an 18 mnth old boy who likes to play outside alone, and it's a big snake in diameter should I get rid of the snake?

thanks, thinking of calling WIRES but maybe I could grab him alone if he has to go? I'd relocate him further upcreek in the bush


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## pinefamily (Oct 6, 2017)

Do you have a dog? It could be a guard against the python. Do you know where the python actually is, in the house, yard, or nearby. It's very likely it lives in the creek area, and comes looking for rats or mice. Can't say I've ever heard of a snake taking a child. Maybe in India, or South America.


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## danyjv (Oct 6, 2017)

I'm a helicopter dad ,I'll admit that. I don't let my 4 year old to far out of my sight ( snake or no snake ) but if I did know there was a local 2.5 meter snake around he's play area , I'd probably relocate it ... 
the chance of the snake even wanting to get close to the kid is remote but I don't like taking chances with kids .. that's just my opinion. 


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danyjv said:


> I'm a helicopter dad ,I'll admit that. I don't let my 4 year old to far out of my sight ( snake or no snake ) but if I did know there was a local 2.5 meter snake around he's play area , I'd probably relocate it ...
> the chance of the snake even wanting to get close to the kid is remote but I don't like taking chances with kids .. that's just my opinion.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Or keep the yard super tidy and look around before play time , eliminating the chance of snake and kid encounter . 


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## GBWhite (Oct 6, 2017)

beewing said:


> Hello,
> 
> This might be a stupid question, there is a large python at the the place we started renting on the mid north coast nsw, the elderly owner said it has been there for years. The place is in town, so fenced, a lot of plants and nearby creek.
> 
> ...




No mate, it's not going to harm your kid. Just leave it be.


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## danyjv (Oct 6, 2017)

beewing said:


> Hello,
> 
> This might be a stupid question, there is a large python at the the place we started renting on the mid north coast nsw, the elderly owner said it has been there for years. The place is in town, so fenced, a lot of plants and nearby creek.
> 
> ...



And definitely not a stupid question. Most people I know unfortunately would put a shovel through it with out a thought. So it's good of you to think of moving it not harming it... 


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## vampstorso (Oct 6, 2017)

I'm on team leave it.
I have a 2 year old and a 4 month old,
Have had big snakes, the only danger a big python would pose is you putting it around their necks.

A wild python is not going to be cruising up to your kids, and even if it did, though it won't, a 2.5 year old is way larger than its pray.

It'll move on the second it gets sight of your kids coming near it Id suspect.

Let it keep the rats and mice down for you.

I'd be stoked to find that in my yard lol.


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## Pauls_Pythons (Oct 6, 2017)

Sorry if I'm being critical and not looking to cause any arguments but do parents these days actually allow 18 month olds to play outside unsupervised?
Not something I would be doing, my eldest granddaughter is 5 and she is not on her own outside for more than 2 mins at a time. (And our back yard is fully fenced, 6ft high, all the way around)

I don't think we are over cautious but in this day and age is it really a wise/normal thing to do?


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## Smittiferous (Oct 6, 2017)

I guess that depends on the OP's situation. It pisses me off to no end to see kids wrapped in bubble wrap these days, so I guess I lean more toward the other end of the spectrum.

EDIT: Derp

Leaving an 18 month old unsupervised outside is probably a bit far though, but the wee one could still play "alone" while under a parent's watchful gaze


Edit on edit: Also not looking to start any arguments


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## Bl69aze (Oct 6, 2017)

Smittiferous said:


> I guess that depends on the OP's situation. It pisses me off to no end to see kids wrapped in bubble wrap these days, so I guess I lean more toward the other end of the spectrum. But judging by the OP's comment about being a helicopter dad, I doubt an 18 month old would be unsupervised around him.


OP didn’t say that, danjyv did 


Pauls_Pythons said:


> Sorry if I'm being critical and not looking to cause any arguments but do parents these days actually allow 18 month olds to play outside unsupervised?
> Not something I would be doing, my eldest granddaughter is 5 and she is not on her own outside for more than 2 mins at a time. (And our back yard is fully fenced, 6ft high, all the way around)
> 
> I don't think we are over cautious but in this day and age is it really a wise/normal thing to do?


you think that’s bad, I see kids in my street (not a very nice place) 2-3yo playing in front yard where people who have been to prison live next door

I agree 18mth is WAY too young but I’m only 20 so who knows.. I’m not a parent


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## danyjv (Oct 6, 2017)

Smittiferous said:


> I guess that depends on the OP's situation. It pisses me off to no end to see kids wrapped in bubble wrap these days, so I guess I lean more toward the other end of the spectrum. But judging by the OP's comment about being a helicopter dad, I doubt an 18 month old would be unsupervised around him.



No he probably wouldn't !


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## Smittiferous (Oct 6, 2017)

Bl69aze said:


> OP didn’t say that, danjyv did
> 
> you think that’s bad, I see kids in my street (not a very nice place) 2-3yo playing in front yard where people who have been to prison live next door
> 
> I agree 18mth is WAY too young but I’m only 20 so who knows.. I’m not a parent


Teach me for not reading the thread thrice...


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## Wally (Oct 6, 2017)

"Team leave it"

I like it vamps!


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## beewing (Oct 6, 2017)

Thanks for your replies.

Wifey saw it on the roof today and later it was gone, then the owner said it has been around a long time. Don't know if it lives here or what their range is.

No pets, I'd like to leave him, nice fat blue tongue lives here too. It is that small element of risk I'm weighing up, I think if the lad was a bit bigger I wouldn't worry. I read a couple of stories of fatalities in America.

He plays outside with Mum and big sister often there, but sometimes alone outside with door open for a few minutes in a locked yard playing with swings and toys. Only used to worry about redbacks which there is/was a few around. 2.5m white pointer at the beach today too lovely place Oz. 

I start typing one decision, then delete and go the other way, can't do anything until we see him again so thanks everyone.


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## GBWhite (Oct 6, 2017)

Beewing.

I can guarantee you 100% that the snake poses no threat what so ever to your youngen. The lad and the rest of your mob will be fine. If it is as the lady told you and it's been living around the area for a while it could actually be detrimental to the welfare of the snake to have it taken away. They have defined territories and it will know every inch of it, where it can shelter and bask safely and where it can find water and food. All you have to do is reinforce in your family to just leave it alone and it will do the same.

Cheers,

George.


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## vampstorso (Oct 7, 2017)

Also the fatalities in America probably involved MUCH larger snakes like the Burmese python that is feral there...non comparable to our natives.

Your kids will likely love watching it and grow very fond of a game of trying to spot it.
I know I was like that as a kid much to my mums horror lol


Edited to add: and others have mentioned, unfortunately tracking in research has shown relocated snakes, like most other animal it seems, soon die after being released to new territory.


Do you know the species?

Perhaps a quick colour description and rough locality will help?
Then we can all have a better idea of what you're dealing with.

IE, Oh it's a coastal, it'll be fine.
Oh it's a bredli, they're super sweet.
Oh it's a scrubby...yeah that's a big snake haha.
Any of our snakes would not be praying on kids, but we may be better able to put your mind at ease knowing more about the species.


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## beewing (Oct 7, 2017)

Python



__ beewing
__ Oct 7, 2017



saw him this morning pretty big fella





saw him this morning


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## Prof_Moreliarty (Oct 7, 2017)

There's been incidents in America involving Burmese and the Rock Python in Canada... much larger snakes. that looks to be an eastern carpet python i wouldn't be worried.


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## Yellowtail (Oct 7, 2017)

Looks well fed, must be lots of possums or rodents around.
There was a study done with diamond pythons captured in the Belrose area in Sydney, they fitted radio trackers and released them back in the bush, a few weeks later they tracked them and found most had taken up residence in local house roofs much to the surprise of the home owners, they estimated that up to 80% of homes adjacent to bushland in these areas would have a diamond or 2 in their roof. They are often there for years and only move around in mating season.
Think about it, if you were a python, house roofs are warm year round and the rodents attracted to household rubbish are a smorgasbord, possums a bonus.


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## Bl69aze (Oct 9, 2017)

beewing said:


> Python
> 
> 
> 
> ...


He’s so fat  he’d definitely have no interest going for your kid with a belly like that!


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## cement (Oct 11, 2017)

They are a completely harmless snake, and it is much more beneficial to have it there then to move it on.
Pythons are a placid, slow moving animal and easily handled by someone who knows snakes. 
Around your house, pythons don't destroy property, don't spread disease, and don't make noise. All they want to do is eat our rats and mice. 
If you move the snake on, the rats will boom and quickly spread out, spreading their scent which will attract more snakes in, and they could just as easily be highly venomous ones. Pythons live in a world of smell. Humans don't smell like rodents, so they are not interested in us.They fear us and even your toddler is way to big an animal for a python to see as a food source, it see's larger animals as a threat. BUT,.. even wild pythons can become used to human presence IF they are left alone and not disturbed by us. Case in point- we had a 9ft diamond here at the start of winter, it was coming in and out of the roof, one day on the balcony next day the roof, it spent two days trying to get comfortable in the down pipe spreader, in short I could tell it was out of sorts for some reason so I put one of my breeding boxes out on the deck picked her up and showed her the entry. She went in no problem and lived in it all winter, coming out to sunbake next to my wife and it was not unusual to see them both out there basking and its not a large deck. The two of them just left the other alone, and did their own thing, with the snake having her spring shed a week or two ago and now she's gone off feeding. We need to educate the public on the differences in snake species and that pythons in particular are very good to have around.


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## vampstorso (Oct 11, 2017)

cement said:


> They are a completely harmless snake, and it is much more beneficial to have it there then to move it on.
> Pythons are a placid, slow moving animal and easily handled by someone who knows snakes.
> Around your house, pythons don't destroy property, don't spread disease, and don't make noise. All they want to do is eat our rats and mice.
> If you move the snake on, the rats will boom and quickly spread out, spreading their scent which will attract more snakes in, and they could just as easily be highly venomous ones. Pythons live in a world of smell. Humans don't smell like rodents, so they are not interested in us.They fear us and even your toddler is way to big an animal for a python to see as a food source, it see's larger animals as a threat. BUT,.. even wild pythons can become used to human presence IF they are left alone and not disturbed by us. Case in point- we had a 9ft diamond here at the start of winter, it was coming in and out of the roof, one day on the balcony next day the roof, it spent two days trying to get comfortable in the down pipe spreader, in short I could tell it was out of sorts for some reason so I put one of my breeding boxes out on the deck picked her up and showed her the entry. She went in no problem and lived in it all winter, coming out to sunbake next to my wife and it was not unusual to see them both out there basking and its not a large deck. The two of them just left the other alone, and did their own thing, with the snake having her spring shed a week or two ago and now she's gone off feeding. We need to educate the public on the differences in snake species and that pythons in particular are very good to have around.



Lovely to see you reply Graham! 
Sounds like the diamond was lucky to have you


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## Buckey (Oct 21, 2017)

Having a residential snake is great. When we lived at our last house next to the bush we had green tree snakes everywhere. One large 2m snake lived in a wall cavity of our house, being the wall cavity of the nursery where we had our baby twins who at the time had just come home from hospital. Our twins were then 7 week preme so I did give that a lot of thought...having a 2m snake living a few feet away from our kids with only a wall between. Our twins are 14 now so they survived. It was funny, we had lived in the house a couple of years and not seen a snake but after we discovered "GT" and started looking out for snakes we would see them everyday sometimes 3 or 4 at a time, in the bushes, or trees or going across the pagoda into the roof or cavities.

I would just be teaching your son to respect and keep his distance from a snake as next time, as you live near to a creek it could be a venomous snake.

Question, I have seen a large brown snake eat a diamond and a large black eat a eastern brown so would a large diamond eat a smaller snake, I suppose so, so I would definitely leave your diamond alone.


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## Yellowtail (Oct 21, 2017)

Not aware of any reports of Diamonds feeding on snakes. Serious reptile feeders are Red bellied blacks, King browns and Black headed pythons but others are known to do it.


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