Tiger Snakes in winter!?!?

[stepbystep]

Found this guy near Tullah. June 6! It was alive but moving extremely slowly. Never seen one in winter before...

[Strider]

Beautiful

[Walking_addict]

Nice colouring, and obviously healthy ready for some hibernation
Darker snakes will lap up some heat from the sun when they can, much better than lighter coloured species.
Look at the way it is flattened out to get the most from the path warmth / sun.
Being ectotherms, they only get their heat from external sources, needed to warm up and get some energy to move about and hunt food sources.

Nothing moves quite as fast as a Tiger snake when it's warmer, one minute they're on the ground in front of you, the next second many metres away !
Red Jacket comes to mind one walk, a Tiger about 4" long, was on the track and when it saw us it moved at an alarming speed down towards the Jordan R.

[MickyB]

Great photo. I saw one about a month ago in the Otways. I know that's not winter but I was still surprised to see it. It was curled up on the side of a track enjoying the little amount of sun that there was.

[Nuts]

No expert, have seen one in winter.. like this- low on energy, looked hungry and/or sick- to me

[Giddy_up]

No expert, have seen one in winter.. like this- low on energy, looked hungry and/or sick- to me

I was going to say that it looks very poor in condition, might explain why its out and about.

[GPSGuided]

How does one assess the health status of a snake?

[Scottyk]

How does one assess the health status of a snake?

I'm no expert but that snake looks skinny and I reckon that is a pretty good clue as to its health.

[stepbystep]

How does one assess the health status of a snake?

I'm no expert but that snake looks skinny and I reckon that is a pretty good clue as to its health.

This is what we thought also, overly thin.
I stopped to see if it was still there the next day, but it had gone. We also thought roadworks in the area may have disturbed it's hibernation.

[GPSGuided]

Ummm... Not showing its ribs yet.

[neilmny]

No but it's spine is very pronounced. They are usually a lot fatter and it doesn't
stick out like this one.

[Walking_addict]

It's just flattened out getting as much area exposted to the sun / path.
It's in good condition.


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[Lophophaps]

How does one assess the health status of a snake?

Very carefully.

[Mechanic-AL]

Often wondered where these critters actually go to hibernate? Down a hole is the obvious answer but when you consider the potential drainage problems associated with any sort of hole in the winter it doesn't seem too practical?
Not to mention the discomfort of having 3 feet of snow dumped on your favourite bolt hole as your trying to snuggle up for the winter.

I would have to agree that the snake in the image looks very thin for a creature about to take a winter hiatus.

AL

[walkon]

Often wondered where these critters actually go to hibernate? Down a hole is the obvious answer but when you consider the potential drainage problems associated with any sort of hole in the winter it doesn't seem too practical?
Not to mention the discomfort of having 3 feet of snow dumped on your favourite bolt hole as your trying to snuggle up for the winter.
AL

Tiger snakes do go into holes, trees, logs, under rocks .... Once in June when we were digging into a bank, we dug up a big Tiger snake swallowing a smaller copperhead, was about 4 foot under the ground.

Whilst mutton birding we used to feel the odd snake when reaching into the holes, they did go into the hole to eat the chicks though a researcher said they hibernated there too. Wanted me to come back when it was colder and help pull snakes out to study them, I passed on the opportunity.

[geoskid]

Found this guy near Tullah. June 6! It was alive but moving extremely slowly. Never seen one in winter before...

Nice find SBS.
Yeah, I'm certainly no expert. Seems to have a bit of a nick on it towards the tail?

I was working today near a reedy edge of a lake and the radar went up before thinking, - It's winter, don't worry.

Also, when in NZ walking thru knee high grass, telling myself there are no snakes in NZ did'nt help a lot

[Overlandman]

How does one assess the health status of a snake?

The word for a sick skinny snake is Emaciated.
A snake becomes Emaciated from a lack of food.
Snakes can also become dehydrated, from a lack of moisture.
Other health issues include parasites like ticks, incomplete shedding of skin, injuries from objects & other animals & stress.
After spending 12 weeks on & off in the 80's / 90's on Mt Chappell Island, it was common to see Emaciated tigers prior to the mutton bird chicks hatching.

The size & thickness of the tiger in the photo is healthy & normal for the Tullah region, as they feed mainly on skinks & frogs.

In the cooler months they will come out of hibernation on a sunny day, or if their sleeping spot is flooded or disturbed.
I actually put my 2 tigers (born in 2000) into hibernation yesterday,
I will wake them once a fortnight so they can have warmth for a day & a drink as well.
I wont feed them now until the end of September.
Regards Overlandman

[stepbystep]

Great info O'man thanks puts my mind at ease. I was very nearly going to call PWS or some such. I was afraid it had been disturbed and was simply going to starve/freeze to death.

[Scottyk]

How does one assess the health status of a snake?

The word for a sick skinny snake is Emaciated.
A snake becomes Emaciated from a lack of food.
Snakes can also become dehydrated, from a lack of moisture.
Other health issues include parasites like ticks, incomplete shedding of skin, injuries from objects & other animals & stress.
After spending 12 weeks on & off in the 80's / 90's on Mt Chappell Island, it was common to see Emaciated tigers prior to the mutton bird chicks hatching.

The size & thickness of the tiger in the photo is healthy & normal for the Tullah region, as they feed mainly on skinks & frogs.

In the cooler months they will come out of hibernation on a sunny day, or if their sleeping spot is flooded or disturbed.
I actually put my 2 tigers (born in 2000) into hibernation yesterday,
I will wake them once a fortnight so they can have warmth for a day & a drink as well.
I wont feed them now until the end of September.
Regards Overlandman

interesting, thankls

[MickyB]

Very interesting. Thanks Overlandman. Probably a stupid question but how do you put your snakes into hibernation? Is it just by controlling the temperature of the enclosure?

[Nuts]

So, Overlandman, Tassie Tiger snakes, they don't feed regularly over winter? Stands to reason they loose condition until early spring when they begin to hunt? Do you mean this looks typical for Tullah or for the area this time of year? (they must be looking dreadful by summer) Keen to learn more myself especially if it's not intuitive. To my (retreating) eye, they always look skinny in early spring in the park. Seen a number but only observe from a distance. Do they remain fatter in general up in the mountains (more critters other than skinks? ) or given the shorter warm season are they generally smaller snakes?

[walkon]

Overlandman wow, do you handle these babies? I take my hat off to you. They are pretty to look at but not touch for me, one bitten as they say

Are all snakes cannibals or do they eat what they can. At the time it amazed us to see one snake swallowing another

[Overlandman]

"How do I put Tigers snakes into Hibernation"
By lowering the temperature of their enclosures, turning off the heating.
I have to make sure that they have digested all of their last meal
(5 chickens each on the 8th of May), & have just shed or have no signs of shedding their skin. They are both 4 ft long.

Nuts,
It depends on what the tigers eat & their location as to their size in Tassie, ie
if their diet is lizards & frogs they usually grow to 3 ft & remain slender.
If they eat mice, rats, rabbits, mutton bird chicks etc in plentiful supply, then they can grow longer & fatter. Adult females put their nourishment into babies, where as adult males are usually more muscular.
Also with location, temperature plays a role, a snake requires warmth to digest its meal. It may regurgitate a meal if the temperature drops.
Milder weather & more sun on the coast will lead to larger snakes.
Regards Overlandman

[Overlandman]

Overlandman wow, do you handle these babies? I take my hat off to you. They are pretty to look at but not touch for me, one bitten as they say

Are all snakes cannibals or do they eat what they can. At the time it amazed us to see one snake swallowing another

You handle all snakes with care, once you have pinned the snake & have a grasp around the head, the worst thing it can do is poo.
Wild Tassie snakes are aggressive to start with but soon quit en down in captivity.

In Tasmania Copperheads are cannibalistic & it is usually the Copperhead eating the Tiger Snake, or one of its own,

I had two Copperheads in the same enclosure together for 2 years, I arrived home one day to find only 1 & he was twice as fat.

[Nuts]

Thanks Overlandman. I have 5 chickens that haven't laid an egg since February, might drop them off
Stands to reason, a number of factors determine their condition, most of those iv'e seen appear 8' long and 2' wide.. to my imagination
They do fascinate me, iv'e followed them on occasion.


It was early summer but a nice warm afternoon iirc. Finishing work near Lake Ayr, I'd sat on a log for a break and happened to look down at the same instance that a snake appeared- right next to my foot. It then decided that it too liked the position and curled up there.. near my foot.. In the lifetime it lay there I watched as it appeared to be pushing a curve or two or tail or head into the sun, out by measure. It seemed to be carefully regulating it's temperature in such a way (I guessed)? Oblivious to me (and my shaky camera hand).

I'm thinking they in turn put on condition very quickly with a meal, a week or two between emaciated and peak condition?

Here's that very one, from that day some years ago (for those who like snakes or at least pics of them ) :

[GPSGuided]

Amazing info OLM! Thank you for the education.

[Nuts]

I'll say, Overlandman knows his snakes!

[walkabout]

This is all very interesting. Snakes are fascinating creatures and quite beautiful. Although, having said that, I would rather not have them around the house and garden. I lost my darling cat to a snake bite last February and a month later there was a 4' tiger snake on my front verandah. He hung around for two or three days. One day I came around the corner of the house to find it coming around the other way - well, I don't know who was frightened the most. While I jumped back and shrieked he raised himself off the ground with neck flattened out. I watched him as he took a wide berth around me to go and hide amongst the shrubs in the garden. Hubby and I stood quietly, eyes bulging, watching every leaf and twig for movement trying to work out where he had gone until hubby, rather stupidly, said "it's right behind you" - guess who almost got knocked over in my rush to become airborne and get my feet off the ground! Needless to say, not much gardening got done for a few weeks until it finally sunk in that he had moved on.

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

Great info, Overlandman.

Still terrified of the things. If one crawled out next to my foot while I was sitting down, it would be helpful if the thing I was sitting on was a toilet.

[jackhinde]

where is my post? It was extensive? 2nd time in a week a post has vanished? I won't bother again as overlandman has covered most of it. Just a few things I'll type again, tiger snakes technically do not hibernate, they brumate. The snake looks like it has a skin worm toward the rear.