Snake menace

[Doug]

My lovely lady walked round the back of the house this morning and almost stepped on a huge western whipsnake, don't know who was more startled her or the snake.
Know they are here as we have seen them for a long time, last year one was squashed on the road.
We also have grass snakes nesting in a compost heap.
Apart from hoopoes today have been watching a linnet and a serin, many nightingales singing in the far hedges, luckily no bird scarers going off this year.

[Veem]

Most of my driving is on very quiet country lanes and it was just as well yesterday when I saw a glorious shiney snake slithering across the lane directly in my path. I swerved one way to get ahead of it but then realised I was on a collision course and swerved again and hoped that I would miss the creature by it being between the car wheels. A check in the rearview mirror confirmed that it was still continuing on its slithery crossing. Phew. Hard to tell, but I think it was a whipsnake.

[Bayleaf]

In our early days in France, we still had a dog, Cuthbert, who loved picking up anything he found lying in the road. When out walking one day, probably pushing a toddler in a pushchair back then, Cuthbert saw a lovely big stick up ahead, and made a run for it. As he got nearer, the stick started moving and slithered into the undergrowth - he seemed very excited to discover a stick that had a life of it's own, but luckily it disappeared before he made a grab for it!

[hughnique]

2 juveniles found Monday one definite grass snake but the other just a dark brown with a few indistinct black lateral lines along the body, believe that might have been an adder, both released in a more appropriate place, beautiful little critters.

[exile]

The juvenile adder is more likely to have been a western whip snake.

http://www.planetepassion.eu/SNAKES-IN- ... rance.html

where there is a picture of a juvenile.

Unfortunately there are no pictures of Juvenile Adders on te site, which perhaps points to the juvenile being more like the adult. Additionally the adder is relatively rare in your departement and you are more likely to come across an asp viper.

http://www.planetepassion.eu/SNAKES-IN- ... rance.html
http://www.planetepassion.eu/SNAKES-IN- ... rance.html

[Blaze]

We regularly found shed skins at our old place. There were Aspic Vipers, western whip snakes, grass snakes and slow worms and tried to photograph them when I could - they're beautiful creatures. During the very hot summer (2003 ?) we heard one of our dogs barking in the kitchen - she had cornered an aspic viper. He was gathered up in the rubbish bin and deposed well away from the house. He reappeared the next day, sunbathing under a tree by the kitchen so he was given a free ride to the forest and fortunately he didn't return.

I haven't seen any snakes round here, only in the forest about half an hour away. Perhaps that's fortunate for the snakes and slow worms because the mentality of the farmers round here certainly doesn't give any consideration to wildlife.

[Wilbro]

One of our cats was bitten the other day by an adder for the second time in two years. He's got away with it again. Came in with his right foreleg swollen and obviously very painful, couldn't put down. Off to the vet's and she saw the fangs marks and a graze from another attempted strike. Antibiotics and a pain killer, thenclean the wound and he went ape when she touched it. Kept in overnight and right as ninepence next day.

Our other cat was bitten last year and he got away with it as well. Bitten through the soft skin between his toes. He left the snake, bitten in half, on our patio.

[niemeyjt]

Sometimes Adders give dry bites to conserve venom.

[Wilbro]

Yes I had considered that but he came in, seemingly ok but was then suddenly sick. Within an hour his leg was swollen, he couldn't use it and he couldn't bear for it to be touched. I doubt it was dry but somehow not a full whack. The vet tended to agree but considered that venom had entered his leg.