Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have only fairly recently actively started looking
for snakes. Each time I go out
I am excited and apprehensive as to what I might find
but each time...no luck.

I am living in the south of thailand and I know that there
are snakes around I just don't seem to be able to find them.

Can anyone help??
The area that I live in is surrounded by really thick grass and
rice paddies, that sort of scenery.
I know for a fact that there are plenty cobras around here, but
how do I find them.
Any tips would be great.
Thanks

First of all, since you have little or no experience with snakes, going out in the padi fields where you are likely to encounter cobras doesn't seem very wise. Particularly when some of the Thai cobras are spitters. I have done some padi herping in Indonesia and the other common padi snakes I have seen are kraits and sunbeam snakes.

Herping around padi fields is best done at night. Try walking the dikes with a flashlight. Walking along/driving dirt roads next to and between padis can also be productive. If you can find a field that runs between a padi field and a forested area (difficult to find in Thailand, I'm sure), you could have even better luck.

Hedges and bushes in residential gardens often held small specimens of Long-nosed Treesnakes (Dryophis sp.) in Indonesia. I found that if I searched at night with a light, I could usually turn one up. I don't know if the same is true in Thailand or not.
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Chris Harrison

Cheers Chris, I think I'll give it a go.

Not planning on handling anything really, just wanna take
photo's so I will be keeping my distance at all times, hopefully
giving whatever snakes I come across the respect they deserve.

So now any tips on what to do when finding a cobra and where and how to get experience??
I think the only way to get that is by doing it is by doing
so I think it's off to the paddies tonight, but really any more advise is welcome, afterall no-one wants to get bitten.

Thanks again Chris.