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

This. Reiterate he’s a protected species. You don’t want the cousin killing Mr Hissy.

I like that this is clearly a fundamental characteristic of human nature - some do it with snakes, people in the UK do it with snails (and to some extent, as they usually go a few doors down, wood mice), airlifting bears - got an animal you don't particularly want? Just lob it over into the neighbours' place.

I'm team Mr Hissy.🥰

Point out to neighbour that currently the snake house is inhabited by a helpful rat consuming non venomous snake but that if Mr.Hissy moves house then another non helpful, venomous as fuck snake might move in?

Team Hiss all the way 🐍

Team MH and I'm not even a fan of snakes.. great thread OP xx

I had to laugh at your neighbour.

It's fucking Australia! What does she expect?! There's a shitload worse out there within a 50m radius of her.

I love you for being so protective of Mr. Hissy. He's probably been close to her a few times and she was fine because she didn't see him. As others have said, she needs to move if she is that terrified of a resident species.

I spent a year in Far North Queensland and I miss it so much; even the crocs.

What a magnificent thread! I love the comments from around the world - and the variations on impressive, if terrifying, local wildlife.

And the geography of Australia is quite something. What an amazing country. I’ve never been to Aus (or NZ) but I will definitely visit. Mind, to judge by this thread if I go to Australia I’ll probably be poisoned or eaten by something with no legs or lots of legs, so I think I’ll start my tour in NZ.

Had a quick Google of carpet pythons. Beautiful creatures.

A bite from a Huntsman can be pretty painful!!

When I lived in the outback at a ranch I had a broken snake living in the pantry. They are highly venomous... I still didn't mind, though I did sometimes decide I'd get the flour later if snake (never acquired a name sadly) was too close when I went in.
Also had a bright green frog living in the cistern, she was called Emmy cos she was emerald green. 💚

OH YES!

YANBU OP.
Poor Mr. Hissy. Minding his own business and being an excellent rat muncher.
If your neighbours want him moved, then perhaps they should take over controlling the rat population 🤔
Also, I really want to knit Mr. Hissy a little winter jacket now...maybe more of a gilet style, on account of the lack of arms 😁

p.s. I have so much respect for Aussies because you love and protect your native wildlife, no matter how fecking terrifying they are!🕷🐊🐍🦃(I may look like a turkey emoji but I'm actually a cassowary...)

@merrymelodies She’s definitely a sandwich short of a picnic. 😁

Oh this is so much more interesting than the usual OP!

I live in Ireland and would probably pass out if I saw a snake, they freak me out completely however in your case I think the neighbour is completely bonkers. Surely this isn't the first time they have encountered a snake??

Any photos of Mr Hissy!?

I live in a capital city and had a baby python (picture with the door) and the legless lizard inside. The big snake was only 20 mins away.

Not unheard of here for fighting male pythons to crash through ceilings. Again in a capital city...

My first instinct is to say I agree with your neighbour.

I have an horrific phobia of snakes!

But my mum lives rurally in southern Spain and I've had to learn 'ignore, ignore and ignore some more'

During our recent trip I'd been throwing a ball for my dog when he started acting absolutely terrified.
A snake had dropped out of the tree in front of him.

Needless to say that any other balls that were lobbed that way stayed there.

My Mum and DD1 are fearless and will stand and take pictures and talk to the bloody things.

However my resolve was almost broken whenever I took my dog out he'd find a tortoise, now that really freaked me out. The bastard managed to find one almost every day.
Get near to the prehistoric feckers and try and get it from the dogs mouth, no thankyou!!!

I feel sorry for your neighbour, but she is not living in the optimum place if she has a snake phobia. Mr Hissy should stay.

I moved somewhere with snakes and was assured that no one ever really sees them. Witness this massive cobra in my garden. See them relatively often, plus jumping tree snakes.

It's a wild animal! If anyone needs to be rehomed it's the neighbours. If you can't live with the native wildlife, don't live there.

As for the TikTok video of the giant tree climbing snake,

fuck
that

Pythons I could cope with but I’d be terrified of Huntsmans 😱

I know they’re relatively harmless but they’re also the scariest looking creatures ever.

its a shame as I’d love to visit Aus but I know I just wouldn’t cope.

Can you invite your local ratcatcher with sign written truck to tea?
Neighbours can assume.....

I have visited Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) but the scariest thing I saw outside of a nature reserve was a wallaby.

Team Mr Hissy. He’s just quietly minding his own business.

Ha ha. Go team python! We were staying in a beach house north of Sydney a few years back when we noticed a diamond python neatly tucked into the gutter above the back deck. While I loved seeing him I was concerned that the next set of guests to stay would be a little upset if they weren't on team python, so as to speak. So I rang the owner as a coutesy to let her know. She said "oh so you've met George. Was he hanging off the washing line?". We spent the rest of the day admiring George's perfect fit in the gutter ( he was fat) and not telling my mother in law she was eating her lunch seated under a python overhang. # holidaymemories.

Sorry, but you have a python living downstairs? In your actual house?