Snakes
 

Is anyone clued up on which snakes are in Portugal and which are dangerous?
I think its very rare here that people die of snake bites but I seen on the news the other day that a 90 year old Portuguese man died from a bite the other day. I have only seen a few here and they have been very small but I did find the skin of a fairly large one last year in our garden:eek:
Ok it probably was not that large.....but ewwww......I hate them!!

Re: Snakes
 

You may have already seen this but:
http://www.valegrifo.com/snakes.htm

This site states that there are 8 different species of snakes found in the Algarve region. I read somewhere of similar numbers of species in Spain.

As a rule, most european reptiles are non-poisonous although some are and like any living creature, they will attempt to defend themselves if provoked. Some of these snakes have their fangs situated at the back of their mouth which makes biting and injecting venom into larger objects (like a human leg) much more difficult and unlikely! Trick is, leave them alone and avoid allowing pets (as much as practically possible) from snooping around areas where snakes are likely to be.

We actually had a cat who was bitten by what was eventually presumed to be either a mating adder or it's offspring during a sunny period around March 2000. This was especially rare for a number of reasons:

1. Cats are considered more cautious than dogs (for instance) and are therefore less likley to get bitten.

2. Snakes are rarely seen in March. It is presumed that the exceptionally warm climate for that year woke hibernating/dormant snakes and they confused the time of year as late spring - when they commonly mate in good weather.

3. This was not in Portugal or Spain but in Surrey!

He was a fairly robust young cat and the Vets think that his size and age helped him through the organ failure that followed. He survived another few years of relatively good health until his kidneys finally gave up on him and he had to be put to sleep. He caused quite a commotion in the Vet World and became a minor celebrity amoungst Vets as far afield as Bristol who clammered to have a look at the cat that was bitten by a snake in the UK in March!!

He was the coolest cat we've had the pleasure of owning.

RIP Jasper:thumbup:

Re: Snakes
 

There are quite a few snakes in our local bar :) :)
luckily I manage to avoid most of them,especially when they have been on the medrohna :) :)

Re: Snakes
 

Hiya Cleri:) Long time - no speak. Hope you're well and getting ready for the warmer weather:thumbup:

Re: Snakes
 

I bloody am..............and Im in house hunting mood.
Im off up north to have a reccy,if I like it,the house price will be dropped and off i go :)

Re: Snakes
 

Oh good luck with the hunting :):)

You should have gone up there when it was colder though ;)

Re: Snakes
 

Yep I suppose.
I was speaking to one of my friends who is from Coimbra and he swears that the weather is similar to here,dont forget I am in the West,so its say 10 degrees cooler than central Algarve,and much more windy.
Anyone else have comments on the weather there I would be pleased to hear them Thanx:thumbup:
Cleri x

Re: Snakes
 

weather in central Portugal is great..:) we lived on the Algarve for about 6 months and have now lived in Tomar area of central Portugal for 2 years and dont find any problems with the weather, except its sometimes a bit too hot in the height of summer but plenty of lakes for a cooling dip:D

Re: Snakes
 

Are you getting tired of waiting Cleri - or don't you like VdT anymore?:confused:

Re: Snakes
 

VdT not for us...............most people love it,for me tooooooo english (sorry) I dont want to live in little britain,as much as I love matt lucas :thumbup: :D

Re: Snakes
 

Oh mate that's a shame:(

You really seemed to like it there too. So much so that you made me consider it as a possible option. But, if like you say, it's full of the type of people you probably left the UK to get away from, then I can fully understand it.

As mush as I'd like the occassional 'fix' - usually that would be something like mixing with a few Brits to watch major sporting events - then such a home-from-home with sunshine isn't what I want either. I might as well re-decorate my UK house in pastel colours, eat chicken piri-piri at Nandos and buy a sunbed:unsure:

Re: Snakes
 

Ah,I said it was a beautiful area,and it is,the scenery and beaches are stunning,and not at all touristy.
Since we moved here over 2 and half years ago they have built 14 house around us,and on it goes,there are currently 1500 houses here,the projection for the next ten years is 4000,we live on a constant building site.Of course we knew there would be construction,but never imagined the scale and the day to day living with it.After the closest one was finished,I had to get the builder to steam clean our house!!!!!! unluckily for me I had to deal with the inside!!!
Also when we first came there were hardly any brits,just a few,mixed with german,dutch,etc and Portuguese,now the brits are outnumbering all.
Most love it,its just not for us,but I dont regret it for a second,it has been a good learning curve,and we are now in a far better position to know exactly what we want,and also know of the dos and donts inside the houses etc,ie heating,is the fireplace in the right spot,floors etc etc,it was a good first step,but now for us its time to move on:thumbsup:

Re: Snakes
 

Derby thanks for the link, I will go have a look now.....(my main concern about the snakes is for my dog and in a few years my son will no doubt be exploring all in the garden)

Regarding the weather...... I think the weather in the north is exagerated, ok its a bit colder up here in the winter and we sometimes get snow on the mountains which adds to the affect of the scenery here(im in Minho/douro area), the last week and today has been around 22ºc which is around the same as down south?! In the summer it can reach 42ºc although normally around 10ºc cooler as you head to the coast, too bloody hot at times! Me, I love it up here!! Ok I have few English speaking friends but that has also forced me to speak Portuguese. House prices around my town are probably not that far of those in the south but if your willing to go a bit more rural and your not looking for a brand new house......there are some bargains to be had!
Clerigio, where ooop north are you heading?

p.s I have already added some pics in the Portugal photo gallery of the north, for anyone who wants a look, even if the north is not for you to live in it is in my opinion.....a must SEE for anyone who lives in Portugal

Re: Snakes
 

Not sure yet Ged,but leaning towards Coimbra area,I like the look of Arganil,and a few others,but have to go and have a look and see where seems "right"
Im in a catch 22,if I go before we sell,no doubt I will see the house of my dreams,and then it will sell before we can buy it.
If I leave it until we sell,I will try not to rush into anything,but thats not human nature is it? hummmmmmmmmm
what shall I do????
Love confused Cleri x

Re: Snakes
 

But isn't that going to be happening to Coimbra once it has been discovered ;) You'll have everyone flocking there (though personally, I'd never move further north than Tomar!! but that's me ;) Minho? God forbid - those Minhotos are too bloody backward for me....heehee):lol: Tras-os-Montes? I'd rather move to darkest Africa.. lol