This Is A Worry.... Look Before You Leak

Here in Australia we have lots of things that bite and there is the old problem of outside toilets or toilets in the laundry having highly venomous redback spiders hiding under the toilet seat and ready to pounce but this takes things to a new level...............everybody panic
A woman was bitten by a snake while she was sitting on the toilet. The snake was inside the toilet bowl and initially she went in and didn't turn on the light until after she felt a bite on her backside. She first thought is might have been a frog or maybe a turtle but shock horror it was a snake Luckily the snake was a nonvenomous python but it was 1.6m long and they needed to get a snake catcher to remove it from the toilet. She treated the snakebite with antiseptic and then went to the doctor to get a tetanus shot. It could just as easily been one of the many highly venomous snakes that inhabit our land

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Be vigilant and look before you pee.....

https://www.theage.com.au/national/...-canberra-woman-s-bottom-20190125-p50tkn.html

 

Look before you leak............ or anything else, similar...........

I wonder how many using the old 'outhouses' had similar encounters! I've known people up till the 1980's that finally had water first put into the home.

 

They are snaking the drain....Get it snaking the drain.It got backed up.

 

Imagine it was a man... Sitting down for a number 2...

 

Yeah the article says 1.6m and then you see the snake catcher pulling it out and it looks so big...... if it was me sitting then I guarantee that I wouldn't be too pleased and I am sure the lady was overly happy either.....oh well it is a good story to tell the grandchildren

We just moved to a rural area last year but our new house is only 18 months old and both toilets are inside the house but my uncle's farm still has an outhouse as well as a toilet in a room off the laundry and in his area the most common snake is the Eastern Brown snake
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_brown_snake and then the next most common snake is the tiger snake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_snake
both these snakes are highly venomous and both have been found inside his house on many occasions, although they usually only make it to the laundry at the back door or the lounge room at the front door. My aunty has a house chihuahua and it is a cranky little dog and it doesn't like any critter coming on his turf so he barks at the snakes until someone kills them. After reading this article I will be sure to check any toilet before I sit and will definitely always turn the light on to be sure

 

I'm on vacation in a place where scorpions are not uncommonly found in houses. I don't go anywhere without turning on a light, but most particularly the bathroom!

 

Cripes.......I am not keen on scorpions and luckily they aren't in my area but when we went camping in some of the more arid places they were a bit of a worry because they often come out at night. When we took our boots off to go to sleep, we used to grab a dirty jumper or windcheater and stuff each sleeve into our boots so the scorpions can't get in your boots. Thanks for the tip as I didn't think scorpions were found near water because over here they are usually only found in desert habitat when it is really dry. Surprisingly the scorpions over here don't kill you but they have a very painful sting and you can get some very serious secondary infections that will require a trip to hospital and to be put on a drip with some hefty antibiotics.

 

I live in a city of more than 1 million people. To the south is one of the busiest roads and a national road. And to the north is an open area that leads to a valley. I have spotted more than 50 bird species in and around our complex.
But, I have found a mole snake (harmless) in the kitchen, a puff adder (you're more likely to be bitten by a puff adder than any other snake in SA ), and a boomslang (SA's most venomous snake ) in the garden. When I turned around to look at the weather forecast on TV the mole snake disappeared, I killed the puff adder, and the boomslang got away from me when I chased it.

 

Sure does.........and you don't mean the one eyed trouser snake although they can give people a fright......for other reasons

 

Really it is not too bad once you are aware of things in your area and you just take a bit of care. The big worry are young kids who are curious and don't realise the risks. I remember the people several doors down were european and hadn't been here long and had put their toddler in a playpen in their backyard only to later find a 1.2m tiger snake under the blanket that was on the ground That is when they knew they had to do a much better job of supervising their children and also keep their garden clean and tidy to discourage critters
My last house had several places in the yard that were homes for a significant number of redback spiders and we got by without using too much pesticide. We just pour boiling water over the nest areas several times a year and that keeps them in check. We also had a couple of huge yellow jacket wasp nests in the garden, one in the ground under a large bottlebrush and another in the trellis that was covered by a very large passionfruit vine. For wasps you are supposed to call the council and they send people out but they weren't going to come for a couple of weeks and we were having friends over for a BBQ in the yard. I read some articles and the wasps don't respond to red light so for the nest in the ground I went out at night with red cellophane taped over a torch and I poured Bayer Wasp Dust down the entrance hole and then covered the hole with a brick. Two days later I checked and all were dead. The one on the trellis I puffed the Wasp Dust into the opening at night and gaffer taped a plastic bag over the hive then under the plastic I sprayed a whole can of Raid and taped it back up. Next morning lots of dead wasps but still some active so did the same again that night and success.

The big problem Dave is when foreigners come here and they come from places that don't have too many nasty critters and so they don't know the dangers until they are bitten or stung and although most poisonous things now have antivenom, the recovery after the antivenom is still very slow and painful.

BTW high voltage bug zappers are very popular over here as well as pyrethrum candles

 

Scorpions aren't usually found near water... I'm in Las Vegas visiting my other half. Apparently the newer the complex, the more likely scorpions will come inside. Luckily, it rained for about a week before I got here and his condo isn't that new, so they usually don't come in here according to him. Me, I prefer to be safe... and always shake out my shoes before I put them on!

 

I am with you on being better safe than sorry. Yeah Las Vegas is very hot and dry and it is interesting that they like new buildings. Where I am it is too wet for scorpions to survive so the only ones in our area live in heated tanks as pets.........which reminds me, a neighbour of my previous house had a wildlife permit and used to keep pet snakes, lizards, giant spiders and scorpions in large heated glass tanks.........ugghh He had quite a number of really venomous snakes that he used to milk and then give the venom to a local University for research......luckily his house was across the road and half way down the street so not too close

 

They (scorpions) don't like water?............
When I was in Sardengia Italy, they were everywhere. Usually found after overnight in either the bathtub? or your boots! Why the bathtub, unless the critters came down a vent pipe to the roof?

 

I have torn off cedar shake roofs in florida where the bottom 3 or 4 feet were infested with the green/orange variety. We'd just keep pushing the things off the roof with the rest of the debris. You should have seen the folks in the dump bed jumping to get away! Did a Water Management compound with 5 or 6 buildings, all cedar shake and every building had an infestation!

 

I think it's because they're running out of places to live where there aren't buildings, so they end up in the ones put up most recently.

Most of them prefer desert, but there are a few varieties that prefer tropical-like locations.

 

I presume a "cedar shake" roof is the same as what we call a shingle roof. So are they flat thin pieces of cedar overlapped and nailed in place? Over here shingles are rarely used for roofing because the timber cracks in the hot Aussie sun but they are sometimes used on walls where having cracks is less of an issue.

Hmmmm.....you mention Italy and last year my son went on a tour to Venice and then Rome then Naples in Italy. While in Naples they went on a cruise to a town called Cagliari on an island off the mainland and they stayed overnight so they could go bush walking in some National Park on the island. He said the accommodation was supposed to be 4 star but it barely had running hot water and everything was very dilapidated and rundown. He said not only were the beds really uncomfortable and the rooms not particularly clean but one of the other people on the tour staying in another room put their shoes on the next morning and squashed a scorpion inside their shoe. Lucky they were wearing thick socks and weren't stung......... That is when they realised there were scorpions all over the place and they had been to busy whining about the crappy rooms to notice
After hearing about the scorpion in the shoe, my son was a lot more careful and he thoroughly checked all of his clothes, shoes and inside his backpack when they left the island ......just in case

 

I would move!!!!!!

 

Yes the same cedar here called 'shakes' or shingles. With a layer of felt paper between each run. The scorpions seemed to congregate under the paper.



In Italy we always saw small black or brown ones.
In Florida on these roofs were large 3" green and orange.

 

Found this on a pest control web page -

"Scorpions will crawl inside homes while following their insect prey and are usually found in crawlspaces and attics. They are also often found in newly built homes. These critters will sometimes get stuck in a sink or bathtub while searching for water during the night, giving people a scare in the morning. If a scorpion makes its way into the living space, it will take shelter anywhere it can when the sun rises. This is why scorpions have been found in shoes, folded clothing, blankets and bedsheets."

 

The scorpions I have seen over here are mostly quite small (smaller than 2") but up in North Queensland we have them up to 12cm or 5".
Here is some info https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2016/05/scorpions-of-australia/

Hmmmm.........note to self, avoid Florida in future

 

Italy had some strange and often times backward ways when I was there. The first pizza I got to go was first folded in half and then folded in quarters before being stuffed in a brown paper bag.
My first day in Rome I checked into The Hotel Americana. After a 9 hour flight I was ready for a shower. Having ate my folded pizza with a few beers, I opened the bathroom door. And no shower. No tub.???? I wandered the whole floor looking for maybe a common shower room. Nothing. So back to the room. Another beer. And I'm looking in the entry to the bathroom and wondering 'wtf'.

After a minute, a floor drain caught my eye. Why a floor drain when you can't do much i here? And I notice a toilet and a bidet side by side. Nice. And I see the towel and soap and paper, all the common stock for a hotel room. Still wtf!

After a few I finally noticed a little fixture on the wall above the fixtures. And a couple small knobs almost hidden by the towels. ---------- A shower head! No curtain! No divider! Nothing.

So - take everything out of the room. Don't bother bring in you change of clothes. Don't leave your old clothes laying there ----and have a go at it.

And the water went everywhere. All over the mirror, sink, plumbing fixtures, the other walls...........
Then I knew the reason for the floor drain.
After my shower I remember I had another beer!

 

Hmmmm.......I have never seen a scorpion anywhere that I have lived although we have encountered them several times when we have been camping in the bush but they were only very small.
Many years ago when we were camping in Lake Hattah National Park, the ranger came past our campsite and told us to watch out for the scorpions because even though they are only small, they can still give a painful sting. He said the sting won't kill you but there might be a problem of secondary infection from the bacteria on the scorpion's stinger. He suggested if stung to immediately clean with rubbing alcohol or an alcohol wipe and then apply Iodine solution.......we just checked our clothes, shoes and bedding regularly which is just as well because we saw about a dozen of them over a 5 days stay.
At my previous address, the neighbour that keeps spiders and snakes etc also had a couple of large black scorpions for a while but they had a fight and both died......as far as I am concerned one less thing to worry about escaping

 

My son had similar tales.....the place he stayed in Venice was 400 years old and he reckoned they were still using the original furniture. His room was on the fourth floor and the stairs were really narrow and went up one floor at a time and no landings. There were no handrails and after the second floor you had to hold your case in front or drag behind you because the staircase was too narrow to carry a case by your side. The stairs were very steep and nearly as steep as a step ladder with every step being over 12" high. After struggling all the way up to his room he then found you could only stand up straight in the middle of the room because his room was in the roof space under the gable roof. The wardrobe against the wall on one side was only 4 feet high and the low double bed was on the other side pushed against the other wall and if you were the one near the wall then you could barely sit up straight in bed without hitting your head. They also had bathroom worries because the shared bathroom and toilet was one floor below and had no locks on the door and no privacy if someone entered the room. When his girlfriend took a shower he had to stand guard outside because as you found, there was no shower curtain or privacy. He also said the water pressure was so low, it barely dribbled out...........when he was telling me his exact words were "The shower was pathetic and always cold, jeez, I could have a piss with more pressure and it would be much warmer...."

They went to Venice for a romantic getaway and he says the pictures look really nice but when you go for a gondolier ride late on a hot afternoon without much wind then the rotten smell of the waterway is overpowering.........he said that the locals don't seem to notice as they are used to it but they found it oppressive

Pizzas in Italy are different as they have hardly any toppings maybe two or three things and lots of olive oil and he wasn't so keen but says the fettuccine bolognaise or the lasagna was delicious

 

The food on Sardenga was great. I never tried pizza again while I was there. But some of the local restaurants on the island were great. I had spaghetti so many varieties, but never with meatballs like we have here. Spaghetti al coze' (steamed with clams), al carbonara (ham,cheese and egg sauce) were my favorites, whole steamed fish on a bed of rice, insalata di mare (salad of the sea)-- anti-pasta --hard to find here so I get it when I can! Dinner at friend's was always at least 3 course meal and with the wine always great!

But the roads were small. You wouldn't get a fire truck anywhere. Fires were fought bucket brigade style. People just dropped their trash sacks out the windows or by the door. An old man came around in the morning with a bicycle with baskets and picked it all up. He kept a hose to just hook up to bibs everywhere to wash the night's dirt off the walk and the square. He had a stick broom looked home-made for sweeping everything to the drains.

I also learned that cats don't speak english! They have no care for 'kitty kitty'. All my cats have all learned over the years to come to my whistle. Even the wife whistles, and they come running.

 

If I woke up and there was a scorpion in bed with me it wouldn't have time to sting and kill me, I'd die immediately of heart failure!

 

Hehehe yep me too.......many years ago when I lived in a house without a/c, on a hot night with the fan on high I went to sleep but I woke up to something crawling on my face and I thought it must be a spider so I slapped it quite hard...........turns out the fan had blown a soft fluffy flower head out of the dried flower arrangement and it was caught in my beard and flapping near my eye so I gave myself a black eye for nothing DOH!!!

 

As it turns out, while I have not yet encountered a scorpion even though my vacation has been extended from 14 days to 18 days due to flight cancellation, I am apparently in a place where crickets of absurdly immense size often come into the house. This is a thing with which I am unfamiliar in January, since I live where the country is currently closed due to winter weather. Tonight I'm minding my own business sitting on the couch with a glass of wine when something crawls across my foot. I'm not sure who was more scared when I leaped straight up in the air: me, the cricket, or my guy! http://i.imgur.com/d4r8m.gif

 

Hmmmm.....hunt down some more big crickets and you could have this for dinner http://i.imgur.com/d4r8m.gifhttp://i.imgur.com/d4r8m.gifhttp://i.imgur.com/d4r8m.gif
yum yum yum
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Yeah we get big crickets in my area and around Christmas we also get cicadas and giant Christmas beetles that make clicking scratching noises when they walk on the wood floor
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Ha! We stopped at the tax-free store on the reservation today and they were selling packaged crickets along with all the other candy. Blech!!

 

Fish bait!

 

Mmmmmm.........somebody must be buying them or they wouldn't be selling them ......I can't see myself ever eating these kind of things .............lucky I'm not starving I guess

 

And have catfish or bass for eating!

 

Sounds like a better plan and I guess it would taste better too although I am not keen on catfish because it always tastes dirty or something

 

Some people / cultures might consider it an aphrodisiac. Don't think I'll ever need it myself!

 

Scarab!!

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/BENEFICIAL/BEETLES/Phanaeus_vindex01.jpg

 

Either or both of those would work, but no way in he** I'm eating them from a package!

May I never need an aphrodisiac so badly I consider eating insects!!

 

Just like kitchen nightmare.
What is the chef's favorite thing to do? Cut the cheese.

 

You get used to the bitey wildlife but I haven't heard of a snake in a toilet biting someone so this tale was a surprise

Lucky our new place is quite new and has good seals on all the doors to keep out pests because we are in an area known for eastern brown snakes, tiger snakes, black snakes, red bellied black snakes and copperhead snakes so we need to keep an eye out for Shiloh our rhodesian ridgeback.......I keep the grass in the yard very short which discourages them from hanging around. When snakes are out in the open they get attacked by the kookaburras because they think a bit of snake makes a very tasty dinner and they can easily kill small to medium sized snakes with their big and powerful beaks and the bigger snakes they grab and drop them onto a hard surface from a great height

 

You ever seen the movie snakes on a plan...Well this is snakes in a toilet part one.

What do you do if you find a black mamba in your toilet? Wait until he’s finished.

 

Yeah I remember snakes on a plane .............and yes they had snakes in the toilet too

 

You won't.
But if you do, and you get bitten without access to antivenom, put your head between your legs and kiss your @$$ goodbye.

https://www.tripsavvy.com/africas-most-dangerous-snakes-1454122

 

Way to go......but I've seen clips over here on the news of gators on the golf course and you play more than just a few rounds .........yikes

https://a.abcnews.com/images/US/HT_alligator_golf_course_1_jtm_150311_16x9_992.jpg

Take your chances......it's your putt

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Who says golf isn't an exciting sport

 

Hmmm.....ticks yep ........luckily our new house is about 100km west of a designated tick area so we are OK but if we visit Bairnsdale or any further east then we have to go to the vet and get the dog injected and depending how much you spend your dog is covered for either 3 months or 12 months. You can take your chances and just use Spot On or Frontline but sometimes these don't work too well against ticks so we go for the injections as they work much better on large dogs......

Speaking of foxes, our previous house was near a National Park one way and the opposite way was a government designated wetland habitat reserve and between the two we used to have foxes and in really hot weather kangaroos roaming our suburban streets.............in our new place not so much because it is mostly a rural area and the farmers shoot them to protect their chooks

 

How do you get the ticks to stay inside their designated areas??

 

The areas where the paralysis ticks live are more coastal and I live inland. These particular ticks need sandy soil to breed and where I am the soil is a heavy loam which means they don't survive here.
We do have ticks in other areas but these species don't cause paralysis
https://boroniavets.com.au/index.php/helpful-info/36-paralysis-tick-in-victoria