Neighbours freaking out about my under house python- Mr Hissy

[MrHissyLives]

I live on tropical northern Australia and have had a resident carpet python living under my house. My kids call him Mr Hissy. I’ve been here 15 years and have seen him about half a dozen times, usually sliding in or out between the slats that close off the under side of my house. Carpet pythons are famously zen and most Aussies are happy to have one in their shed as they won’t bother you and keep the rats sorted.

Anyhow, I heard dramatic screaming last evening and rushed out to see my terrified neighbour frozen in fear, looking over our fence as Mr Hissy went back in under my house. I explained he has been there forever and is harmless but she was having a proper freak out and shouting that she couldn’t sleep ever again knowing he was next door. I said that there would be dozens mores snakes in our tropical gardens that she had never seen and she had lived there for three years and clearly Mr Hissy had never bothered her. This did not help. Her husband arrived home and said his wife was terrified of snakes and Mr Hissy Had.To.Go. In fact, he would call his cousin to come and remove Mr Hissy. I said no. Mr Hissy was on my property and was welcome to stay. They gave me death stares and left.

I do understand that phobias are irrational but fuck me, Mr Hissy has never done anything to them. I’m certainly not letting some random cousin come and get Mr Hissy- he will either take him away and kill him or release him somewhere where he won’t survive. In fact pythons are a protected species and only authorised wildlife removalists can move them as they will know the release places where the snake will most likely survive.

I’ve always got on well with these neighbours up till this point. Should I tell them that if they pay for an authorised wildlife remover to come and get Mr Hissy, I will allow it? Would that be a reasonable compromise? I really don’t want Mr Hissy to go, but is it worth falling out with my neighbours over?

So YABU- let neighbours pay to remove Mr Hissy
YANBU- Mr Hissy stays

Lie. Tell them you’ve had him removed. As you say, he keeps well hidden. If they see him again tell them it’s a different one moved in, like you had warned would happen.

Well now you're just being mean 😂. I'm in SEQ & it's cold, raining & miserable.

I am terrified of snakes & no idea why considering I grew up in western Qld on a remote property. I accept they're around though. Had a stare off with a brown on my driveway last summer. Him: are you going to be a problem? Me: just fuck off & we'll be all good.....

Tell your neighbour if you move the python a huge king brown will probably move in!! 😂😂😂

Clearly things are different in Australia than the UK.i wouldn't have had chance to scream if I'd seen Mr Hissy because I would have either dropped dead from a heart attack or be well on my way running to the next stare in fear.
My phobia of snakes is irrational, I know that!
The photos of @k1233 made me sweat and feel uncomfortable!

I don’t think they would do this. They really have always been good decent neighbours and are just not the type. Access to under house is a door which is padlocked.

Edited to add- It is possible that Mr Hissy doesn’t even live under our house. I’ve seen him entering and exiting several times over the years, but it’s always possible he is just hunting there. He could even live under the neighbour’s house! Most likely under my house though, I accept.

Part of me is with your neighbours, however, if you live in hot countries, snakes are going to be around and you either get used to them or live elsewhere.

Mr Hissy sounds a wonderful house guest but I'm glad he's yours and not living under my house. I think the neighbours should move. 😄

And this is why I will never set foot in Australia!! Omg

This is a Ringed Brown Snake and it’s beautiful and it’s ready to strike at me. However, I had to tell DH that it was not moving for me because it thought it had the goods to back up its threat.

It’s not fatally toxic simply because of lack of volume but I also had to tell Mr “The book says it won’t kill you” DH I didn’t care to spend the rest of my holiday in hospital because there is a long way between perfectly healthy and dead. So I had to carefully back away.

It’s the size of a pencil.

Nah, the neighbours can fuck off. Mr Hissy is probably discouraging other, more problematic snakes from living there. As well as vermin. It's just a python and he's not bothering her, she needs to get over it.

She either needs to work on her phobia ( gradual exposure programmed have good success rates) or move.

I am terrified of heights and that’s why I would never by a house built at the top of a cliff. Moving to somewhere with loads of snakes and then demanding the snakes begone is just daft.

As a British person who thank god doesn't have to worry about snakes I'd say no way would I want to come across a python .
I have french bulldogs and do not want predators of any description close by .

I am soo jealous. I live in rural southern Europe, and our snakes are tiny little things that don't make a dent on the mouse population (which runs rampant under the house!).

I would loooove a Mr Hissy.

I love spiders too. But couldn't live in Australia, dh and ds2 start to melt at 30 degrees and whine continuously over the summer, even when it lasts about 3 weeks.

I’m in the semi-rural UK and we get the occasional slow worm my cats line up on the wall, staring in wonder as they wriggle past!

If I lived in Australia, I would accept that there would be large snakes (which I don’t mind!) and I would probably just decide not to have pet cats, as sad as that would be! I’d just have a giant, long, outdoor ‘pet’ I saw every few months instead! I also love sharks so would likely meet my own end in a shark-related manner

Your spiders can fuck off, though.

Agree. Mr Hissy should stay.

I live in France so not bitterly freezing wind in face much but I will tolerate snow and a lot of grey quite happily 😅😂

Protect Mr Hissy at all costs!

Great post

I am absolutely terrified of snakes (and Australia doesn’t appeal to me for this reason) but I stand by Mr Hissy.

Never going to Australia! But of course, Mr H should stay where he is.

Yo, neighbour, don't be a cissy
You can't get pissy
With Mr Hissy

Great thread. Makes my kitchen slug visitors seem like nothing. Team Hissy here.

Australia is just terrifying but snakes were the least terrifying thing I encountered while there . So I vote Mr hissy stays . The spiders and the moths how ever should all piss off to the moon or something. Emus are also on that list , they used to freak me out . The big massive lizard things were my favourite though and I'm sad we don't have any here in Ireland. We just have tiny lizards which are a bit boring

He stays. They are gorgeous.
I just have a LOT of slugs.

RunningThroughMyHead · Today 07:03

Oh and it's easy for posters to side with a snake on the other side of the world. I guarantee most of us would HATE to have a snake living near our property.

I wouldn't, we have adders locally and I've seen them occasionally. There was also a 3 foot long grass snake in our back yard party wall, a few years ago. I like all sorts of wildlife and it wouldn't bother me, I love the video of the huge python!

I am no snake fan but I’m team Mr Hissy. Surely if you live in Australia, then this is something you put up with?

Its a bit like my parents in Ireland complaining about the cows in the field next to their house or me complaining about the dogs in the garden next door.

Awww, poor Mr Hissy! 🐍🥺

I live in a country with seriously venomous snakes but in my decades here I’ve never come across one. And nor do I want to. Not even if it’s only on my wall sunbathing. In fact I never get in the pool before checking one hasn’t appeared from somewhere and is having a swim and the post about one swimming up the pool plumbing system gave me palpitations.

fabulous!