Now I don't know Net::SNMP and I'm to lazy to look it up :)

However it looks to me like the key to this problem is finding out what the ->get_request method is expected to return! If you are expecting a scalar then you are having problems, if the method actually returns a hashref then your problem is fairly clear, you need to access the data in a different manner than using it as a simple scalar.

Use the debugger and set a bp after the ->get_request, then try printing and dumping your var in several different ways until you get what you want, alternatively step through the ->get_request code in the debugger and find out what it is doing.

"Nothing is sure but death and taxes" I say combine the two and its death to all taxes!