Reptile Forums banner

Where can i find snakes?

3K views 61 replies 26 participants last post by  Mason 
#1 ·
Me and my freind have seen some threads on here about finding snakes, i know it's pretty rare to find this but it would be pretty cool to find my own snake and bring it up, what sort of habitats do these snakes live in? im more focused on grass snakes as escaped corns etc.. are hard to find but where would they live? also, should i be causus (can't spell it) about venemous snakes?
 
#2 ·
Are you threads for real?
 
#4 ·
i thought u arent allowed to take animals out the wild, correct me if wrong
 
#5 ·
To be honest, going looking for a wild snake is pretty stupid in my mind. 1: its wild caught, im sure you know the downsides to keeping wildcaught. 2: Be very carefull as it could cost you £££££ if you take a protected species out of the wild such as the slow worm. Also its much better just to go to the shop and buy a captive bred one.

Although i would love someone to secretly catch a male and a female british grass snake (Natrix natrix) and make a long string of captive breds :)
 
#6 ·
wild snakes belong in the wild - they are best left alone. If you caught one it would probably refuse to feed and die

If you want a snake buy a captive bred corn
 
#7 ·
I suggest you get a plane to Indian, catch a wild cobra, smuggle it back into this country and live happily ever after....I've heard these tame down really well with regular handling.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Protected British Reptiles:

Snakes:

Adder (Vipera Berus); Protected under the wildlife and country act 1981. Its also Britains ONLY native reptile species that is venomous.

Grass Snake (Natrix Natrix); Protected under the wildlife and country act 1981. Its the most common found snake in britain.

Lizards:

Slow Worm (Anguis Fragillis); Protected under the wildlife and country act 1981. It one of the least common lizards found and becoming very rare!

Common Lizard (Lacerta Vivapara); Not Protected. These are very widespread across britain but still try not to catch them.

Wall Lizard (Podarcis Murallis); Protected even though they are a invasive species. Isnt a native species introduced from europe.

Sand Lizards (Lacerta Agillis); Protected under the wildlife and country act 1981. Massivly endangered species.

Green Lizard (Lacerta Billiana); Protected in Britain. Not native and very rare only seen occasionally.

Terrapins:

Red-Eared (Trachemys Scripta Elegans); Not Protected In Britain. Not native species and has became increasingly popular since the movie of ninja turtles but then the pets was released into the wild. Can be found on banks ect. Also been told that you are suppose to remove them from the wild as they are causing big changes in the enviroment!

Hope It helped i just typed it up, i think i got all the latin names right :)
 
#17 · (Edited)
Ok, here's six reasons why a slow worm is not a snake:

1. Snakes never have eyelids - they have clear scales over the eye like contact lenses. Slow worms have eyelids and can blink and close their eyes like most other lizards. (Side fact: The only lizards without eyelids have legs)
2. Snakes have two-piece lower jaws. Slow worms, like other lizards, have a single U-shaped lower jawbone.
3. Snakes do not have any external ear structures. Slow worms have a slight dimple.
4. Snakes cannot voluntarily drop their tails. Slow worms can.
5. Snakes are mostly body, with a short tail. Slow worms have tails as long as their bodies (if they've got their whole tail). This is why slow worms are pretty stiff in their movement - they don't move like snakes.
6. Snakes have wide, flat ventral scales that they use to move. Slow worms have uniformly-sized scales over their entire bodies.
Ok i changed my mind, I told you a slowworm was a Lizard :whip:

Edit: Now i do feel stupid, i even thought it was a snake even looking at its latin name o_O
 
#19 ·
Ok i changed my mind, I told you a slowworm was a Lizard :whip:

Edit: Now i do feel stupid, i even thought it was a snake even looking at its latin name o_O
Anguis actually means "worm" if I remember rightly :) Anguis fragilis = "fragile worm". They're lovely little lizards, though - ours eat slugs and waxworms.

And incidentally:

Podarcis muralis (Common wall lizards) are protected in the UK even though they are non-native - catch one at your peril from the EPS legislation.
Same goes for Lacerta (Zootoca) vivipara, the Common lizard and Lacerta viridis, the Green Lizard.

On the other hand, Red-eared Sliders are an invasive species and SHOULD be removed from the wild - they are doing damage to the ecosystem.
 
#13 ·
Youngy, wild-caught British snakes don't make very good pets.

1. Smooth snakes are very rare and disturbing one is against the law - you are not allowed to catch or keep these at all.
2. Adders are venomous and could put you in the hospital. To keep one you would need a dangerous wild animals license that included adders specifically and I am pretty sure you have to be 18 to apply for one.
3. Grass snakes are the best bet if you really wanted to try as you do not need any licence to catch and keep one as long as you have the land owner's permission to take it off their property... BUT they are difficult to convert from eating live frogs to defrost rodents. They have a particularly powerful garlicky musk if they're startled. They also need a very different enclosure to a corn or royal - you may find it's difficult to keep them cool enough indoors. In order to make a proper job of it I'd suggest you spend a few years studying how they live in the wild, understanding why they do what they do on a daily basis and THEN consider obtaining a captive bred specimen from Europe before trying with a wildcaught.
 
#18 ·
A Re-print of one of my earlier posts...

I know, I'm lazy but it's rather a sizeable post...

Myself, I am sort of ambivalent on this one.

I can exactly see why most would be opposed to collecting and keeping wild reptiles when there are so many cb species more suited to the terrarium sold in the hobby that don't put pressure on wild populations. These snakes are more likely to adapt and thrive in captive conditions, are generally better all-round pets and won't go through the stress of settling in (indeed, if the wc EVER settles in).

Having said that, I would be lying if I said I had never collected a herp and kept it in my younger days. In fact, it was growing up in Gibralter, Spain and southern France, chasing wall lizards, moorish geckos, viperine snakes and horseshoe whip snakes (amongst others) that I think I first developed a love for these animals.

I still hunt for reptiles when I am abroad or in the countryside here (there's something thrilling about seeing even a little adder or common lizard for the umpteenth time, its a feeling I don't think will ever fade) only I don't remove wild animals from the environment. Frankly I no longer see the need for it - I prefer to just watch them when I can.

Nowadays most hobbyists start with a cb corn snake or royal python that is already feeding, relatively stress-free and have at their disposal all the technological wonders currently available to keep their chosen reptile happy and in great condition. And that is a GOOD thing.

However, back home where I grew up in Gibraltar these things were just not available at the time (today there are limited amounts of heat pads and fluorescents occasionally in stock there, and not much else). I (and I'm sure a good many keepers who started with a reptile they caught themself) made do with old fish tanks and light bulbs.
Despite this, I successfully maintained for many years all sorts of little lizards and not-so-little snakes - Podarcis, Psammodromus, Tarentola etc. My first snakes were a Horseshoe Whip Snake, a couple of Viperine snakes and a juvenile Montpellier snake (DWA over here, but I still consider it amongst my favourite ever!). I also used to find Southern Smooth snakes, Ladder snakes, Spanish Grass snakes (Natrix natrix astreptophora) and Lataste's vipers, though far less frequently.

When I moved to the UK in my middling teens I managed to find and keep common lizards, slow worms and grass snakes, and even bred the latter two species with little effort.

HOWEVER I must be honest and say that this is all well and good, but nowadays there is no need for it. As I said, with so many interesting and/or easier to keep species on the market, there's little point in keeping a British reptile you might find just for the sake of it - unless it is a species you yourself have a particular interest in and really have to maintain just one or two specimens.

The key thing here is being RESPONSIBLE. I personally do not find fault if somebody collects one or two of a COMMON species (i.e not threatened on a national or, just as importantly, local scale) and tries it in the terrarium for interest's sake. This is how the hobby began, after all, back when there were no cb royals or corns or beardies sold in pet shops.

Having said this I feel I should also point out that common lizards do not do well indoors. Of the legally keepable British reptiles only the Slow worm is really suitable as a pet and does well on worms and slugs.

Grass snakes CAN be kept as well, but as already mentioned several times on this topic, feeding may be a problem. Most will readily accept live amphibians but the feeding of native amphibians (or reptiles) to a pet snake is something I will never excuse. Some of the specimens I've had have adapted to fish or mice (yes, mice!), the rest have been released.

On that note, perhaps larger female grass snakes would make better captives than the smaller males. I've had two large females: one I caught when I was young and wide-eyed and bred for me with a tiny male. The other I found a couple of years back mauled by a cat or dog which I took in and fattened up. Both adapted to fuzzy mice rather quickly (although they only ate when left well alone for the night). I also found that the smaller snakes were more likely to take fish than the larger ones.

I feel happy to say that the injured animal improved dramatically and was released at the end of that summer. Although I agree that the re-release of animals into the wild is NOT a good idea, especially captive-bred ones (even/especially if they are a native species), this was an already adult animal taken in only for a season and I like to think that I saved it's life.

:up:

Okay, many will still disagree with me and say that keeping ANY wc reptile (British or otherwise) is wrong. I accept this opinion too. As I say, there's not really a need for it. BUT does this still apply to the hobby as a whole? How many tropical snakes are imported each year to the UK that are wc? I can think of dozens of species that people drool over on these very forums - Boigas, some boas and pythons, as well as many rearfangs, spring to mind.

The truth is that we are only just beginning to understand the needs of some rarer species that previously were thought difficult to keep. There are no CB populations of many of these wonderful species and it is only with the introduction of fresh bloodlines that this is likely to change. Many of my animals arrived as WC. I think that there is a responsibility in the captive care of such species to make the attempt to breed them and release some cb animals into the hobby, hopefully in the long term lessening the pressure on wild populations.

When I decide to acquire one of these wc animals, whenever possible I will get not just one or a pair, but as many as possible. Some of these rare animals may be difficult to find again (Thrasops, Dendrelaphis, Philothamnus, etc). With these I try and form breeding groups that hopefully will produce offspring to be inroduced to the hobby. My personal ambition is to get a hold of every Thrasops jacksoni I can and start a small-scale breeding group that regularly produce young. That's still for the future though.

I know this is slightly off-topic, and I am still in no way recomending the collection of native herps. BUT I think it is food for thought.

BTW if you do manage to catch anything you intend to keep, feel free to PM if you want to share any information. Again (and I cannot say this is enough) I do not think it is necessary but I have had my own experiences with some of these species that might help you. If you are going to keep any (which I can kind of understand) then if anyone has any advice we may as well share it to contribute to their well-being.

Finally, it IS legal to collect and keep slow worms, common lizards and grass snakes. It is illegal to kill them or sell them, but you are allowed to keep them as pets.
 
#20 ·
Wow, sorry for all the trouble, i feel like an idiot now.. thanks telling me anyway, ill make sure if i see a snake, i will leave it.
 
#29 ·
as every 1 else said all native british snakes are protected under the wild life act and its a offence to kill, harm and even handel them

native snakes are

grass snake
adder
smooth green snake (very very rare)
Fat-Pat, it is NOT illegal to handle grass snakes given you have permission to be on the land and the land owner gives you permission to remove their property.

Also, you will find that Smooth Green Snakes (Opheodryas vernalis) are native to North America - the Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca) is the rarest British snake (and they're grey-brown).
 
#28 ·
Youngy, If you want to see snakes in the wild, then id say get in contact with your local wild life organisation and they will most likely point you in the right direction, ive found the best way to see (the only way i see them) is to do things like lay bits of corigated tin in strategic places by ponds or sand dunes gorse bushes, do your resurch and you'll work out where they like to be around your area, place the tin so it gets the morning or evening sun and just keep checking at differnt times of day, ya never know ya might just be lucky.
But please becarefull around adders, a bite will spoil ya weekend.
Grass snakes would be ya best bet, they can be ok to handle, and have a little look at befor being returned, theres no laws agenst that.
Also Im gonna be trying the bottle trap method, that i think is in the sticky for catching lost snakes, except im gonna try baiting it with frogs and see what i can get.
Happy herping
ps i hope this makes sense im sleepy lol
 
#33 ·
I know you can buy captive bred european smooth snakes in shops every now and again. An they live over here. But there extremely rare and protected.
So I wouldn't try an catch em. Hiding corns escaped corns, I would have thought thats even rarer than finding smooth snakes.
 
#35 ·
Snakes'n'Adders had a captive-bred one about eight months ago - the law does not apply to animals that are not and never have been living in the wild, you see.
 
#41 ·
NO THEY ARE NOT.

Neither grass snakes or adders are offered any form of special protection. Nothing legally stopping me from bothering either. IT IS NOT AGAINST THE LAW TO TOUCH,MOVE OR OTHERWISE DISTURB GRASS SNAKES AND ADDERS.

the only law surrounding the adder are if I wanted one i'd need two things:

1 - a DWA licence with vipera berus on as a named species
2 - the permission of the landowner to remove the snake.

That is all.
I thought they were protected... but seeing as its you saying this then i now know they aren't...:lol2:
 
#43 ·
right heres the lowdown.

the relevant act give three levels of protection.

Full protection:

This applies to the great crested newt, natterjack toad, sand lizard and smooth snake and to all species of marine turtle (i.e. the families Dermochelyidae and Cheloniidae) when found in British waters.

This prohibits the intentional killing. injuring or taking (capture. etc); possession; intentional disturbance whilst occupying a 'place used for shelter or protection' and destruction of these places; sale, barter. exchange. transporting for sale and advertising to sell or to buy.

Protection against killing, injuring and sale

This level of protection applies to the four widespread species of reptile, namely the common lizard, slow-worm, grass snake and adder. Only part of sub-section 9(1) and all of sub-section 9(5) apply; these prohibit the intentional killing and injuring and trade (i.e. sale, barter, exchange, transporting for sale and advertising to sell or to buy). It is not an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to possess these animals.

Protection against sale only

The four widespread species of amphibian, the smooth and palmate newts, the common frog and common toad, are protected only by Section 9(5) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This section prohibits sale, barter, exchange, transporting for sale and advertising to sell or to buy. Collection and keeping of these widespread amphibian species is not an offence.


Now then, the next time this topic comes up can we all please remember to at least google "wildlife and countryside act 1981"

so the bottom line is this:

If I wanted a 'pet' adder i'd just need the licence and then find the snake. If I wanted grasssnakes it would be perfectly legal to go and fill my boots.

hpoe this brings some clarity, as every time getting outside and actually doing some field herping in the UK is mentioned you always get 10 people jump up and absolutely swear it's against the law.

Please, check your facts before posting, don't automatically beleive everything you read on forums. NEVER take someone else word as gospel, check and test, check and test.
 
#44 ·
google

right heres the lowdown.

the relevant act give three levels of protection.

Full protection:

This applies to the great crested newt, natterjack toad, sand lizard and smooth snake and to all species of marine turtle (i.e. the families Dermochelyidae and Cheloniidae) when found in British waters.

This prohibits the intentional killing. injuring or taking (capture. etc); possession; intentional disturbance whilst occupying a 'place used for shelter or protection' and destruction of these places; sale, barter. exchange. transporting for sale and advertising to sell or to buy.

Protection against killing, injuring and sale

This level of protection applies to the four widespread species of reptile, namely the common lizard, slow-worm, grass snake and adder. Only part of sub-section 9(1) and all of sub-section 9(5) apply; these prohibit the intentional killing and injuring and trade (i.e. sale, barter, exchange, transporting for sale and advertising to sell or to buy). It is not an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to possess these animals.

Protection against sale only

The four widespread species of amphibian, the smooth and palmate newts, the common frog and common toad, are protected only by Section 9(5) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This section prohibits sale, barter, exchange, transporting for sale and advertising to sell or to buy. Collection and keeping of these widespread amphibian species is not an offence.


Now then, the next time this topic comes up can we all please remember to at least google "wildlife and countryside act 1981"
Ahhh Google everyones friend :)
 
#45 ·
one thing I didn't cover.

there are several non native herp species flourishing in the UK. It is not an offence to capture/keep these. It is however an offence to re-release them (or their offspring) at a later date.

Species seemingly doing well in the UK include:

Rana ridibunda, Triturus alpestris ,Podarcis muralis and one or two species of scorpian (no idea, sorry, not an invert man).

The above are all confirmed, additionally to this there are unconfirmed reports of populations of several species of american rat snake.

No doubt there are more, I don't pretend to be any kind of oracle.
 
#50 ·
one thing I didn't cover.

there are several non native herp species flourishing in the UK. It is not an offence to capture/keep these. It is however an offence to re-release them (or their offspring) at a later date.

Rana ridibunda, Triturus alpestris ,Podarcis muralis
Actually, due to the new interpretation of the European Protected Species legislation, any EU species listed as threatened in any part of its range is protected against capture with intent to transport, keep or sell. Catching a Podarcis muralis you saw down South is not illegal - but taking it home as a pet would be, as they're one of the listed species and you've got a wild-caught individual in your hand.

Matt: Landowner's permission is based on an e-mail I'd had from Natural England. I'm still trying to recover the contents of the hard drive where that e-mail is stored, but the implication was that I did need to have permission to remove the animal from the land (or is it to be on the land in the first place?).
 
#48 ·
There's nothing that I can see in wildlife law which says that you have to have the landowner's permission to take animals from their land, unless there's something in Common Law which states that anything on your land belongs to you and removing it is theft.

By contrast, for plants, the WCA1981 makes it clear that you have to be an 'authorised person' to collect plants from someone's land.
 
#51 ·
Dont bother



I work professionally in conservation and I would advise you NOT to go looking for native snakes.

1 grass snakes are known only at two or three locations in the north east (non near Hartlepool!!!)
2 Adders are venomous and both species are easliy disturbed!!!
3 Although not illegal to take "common species" from the wild they are both in decline and rare in the north east of england so dont add to the pressure on them!!!!!

Go see the Durham Wildlife Trust people if you want to help our native herps!!!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top