Black spitting cobra angola

[Black spitting cobra]

Man, do I have problems with the real black spitting cobra. I live on a farm in Angola, 200 km south of Luanda and in this time I have black spitting cobras in my kombuis, on the roof, all around my farm house etc. I don t like to kill them, but in my house I have small children and have to kill them. They have spitted at my children, wife etc. I see they are on the red list of endanger species. What can I do for them not to come to the house, any ideas. They are very agressive and stubben.
cheers

[greggo13]

It sounds like something out of a horror movie! I dont have experience with venomous but assure you that you have come to the right place.

I am sure someone will respond soon.

Good luck!

[Pythonodipsas]

The Black 'colored' spitting cobra you will find in Angola is better known as the Black Necked Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricollis). They are often jet black with reddish bars on the throat. They are not endangered and not on any Red Data List. The one on the red list is the true 'Black Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricinta woodi) of South Africa and Southern Namibia. So dont worry you are not killing an endangered species.

If they are 'endangering' your family by all means do what you need to do to get rid of them.

There is a snake removal guy in Angola and a member of these forums called Herphabitat but he is usually stationed in the north, near DRC. He is not in Angola at the moment but should be soon. Send him a Private Message and see if he knows of anyone in your area that could help.

Regards

Craig

[nyami]

Firstly let me say that it heartening to hear that you do not want to kill the snakes. Unfortunately I am up in Northern Angola otherwise I would have gladly come around to assist you.
One thing you can do is to reduce any possible hiding places for the snakes and their prey in and around the house.(remove wood and rock piles and keep the lawns well mowed ect..) Situational awareness is perhaps your best defence against avoiding an incident. You are welcome to pm me and I can give you further information and advice.
regards

[eyelash viper]

Try keeping windows and doors closed as much as possible . Its not the solution but a start !!!

[Bushviper]

Usually when you have a whole bunch of small dogs like Jack Russels or cats in and around the house they keep the rats and mice away which reduces the chances of a snake arriving trying to help you with your rodent problem. They will also often alert you to the presence of snakes before an accident can occur.

You can try making a noose (with a leather strap instead of rope) or obtaining a proper snake grabbing stick which will make it easier for you to remove the snakes. Never try to actually pick them up. Grab them and drag them to a bucket or deep container and allow them to "escape" into the container and place the lid on immediately. Take this down the road a few kilometres and tip the snake out.

However if there is not a way for you to get the snake away then at least kill it humanely which includes crushing the head as this serves two purposes as the venom glands are still there and even a decapitated head can spit or give a fatal bite.

[Westley Price]

I've heard of many people using mothballs to repel snakes from their houses.

I'm not sure how effective it is, but it's a cheap experiment and worth a try.

Just throw mothballs behind all your cupboards, in the ceiling, and anywhere else you might find them.

The garden is a bit more difficult, but as Nyami said, try keep clutter and piles of wood, old bushes (anywhere they can hide) etc. to a minimum.

I hope you can sort something out before you or a family member get's hurt.

[Black spitting cobra]

Thank you for all the intrest, I am new to this site and you guys makes one feel very welcome.
Cheers

[CLSmith]

Keep snake food (rodents, frogs etc.) away from the house, but please think before you use any poisons. A poisoned prey item will cause other predators (like birds of prey) to get poisoned as well. And keep all nooks and crannies closed up. Make sure windows and doors make a tight seal.

And find out what procedures the local hospital has on snakebite and if it is any good. Just ask on this forum to confirm, as allot of solid info is available right here. Better be prepared for that unfortunate event.

And please, if the snakes occur so often, keep a camera handy, just be careful. We all like photo's.
Some of us here are jealous of you getting the scaly visitors.

[Long John Silver]

Or you could always attend a snake handling course next time you happen to pop into South Africa. Then you will be prepared to actually treat a snakebite if one should occur and you would also feel confident in handling them.
I know this is a bit of a hassle but if I could have my way it would be great if you could attend a course. Murphies law says that once you have attended a course you will never see another snake.