First time i have seen an adder in the wild.

[muncher]

When my brother and I were in our late teens we went to a local wood and saw 3 sunning themselves ,I dared my brother to pick one up and he got bitten on the finger.His hand was swollen and we went home and called the doctors, he came round and said , not worried about you but I've never seen a adder bite before!

[mossy835]

sends shivers down my back.

[gustaff]

i know they are protected but where was a truck or bus with many wheels to squash the nasty blighters my spaniels have been bitten many times and i now carry a massive steroid injection kit which our vet gave me in case they get bitten again when i am far away from town to supress the venom an stopping them going into shock and shutting down

[amateur]

I have never seen a grass snake or a slow worm.

Next on the list to look out for , Might take me years.

 

As a youngster in the 1950's, I lived down the road from you in Wallheath and often fished in the Staffordshire and Worcester canal, just south of the Navigation Inn at Greensforge Lock and regularly saw grass snakes there - I was even startled by one swimming just a few inches from where I was sat.

​Judging by the write-ups the Navigation is still a nice pub, but the last time I visited it was over 30 years ago.

Slow-worms, I recall were everywhere, if you turned over a rock or decayed tree

[halight]

 

As a youngster in the 1950's, I lived down the road from you in Wallheath and often fished in the Staffordshire and Worcester canal, just south of the Navigation Inn at Greensforge Lock and regularly saw grass snakes there - I was even startled by one swimming just a few inches from where I was sat.

​Judging by the write-ups the Navigation is still a nice pub, but the last time I visited it was over 30 years ago.

Slow-worms, I recall were everywhere, if you turned over a rock or decayed tree

 

My Mum tell's a story about when she were a girl. She ran over a grass snake on her bike down sugar loaf lane In stourbrigde.

I have heard others say that they have seen them over kinver and clent. People do still spot them over Kinver but i have not heard of any recent sightings over clent. They are all old story's. I'm sure that they are still around it just might be in far lower numbers than in the past. I use to walk my dog from Stourbrigde to Kinver along the canal. Never came across anything like that down there. I did see a Kingfisher down there a few time's that would have been about 18 years ago.

[lopylui]

Iv seen loads down Cornwall, mostly in the dunes on Perranporth beach. One time I almost tread on one, I missed it by inches apparently, I wouldn't have known it was there is it wasnt for my girlfriend at the time screaming behind me! There must be hundreds down at the bottom of the beach around the "fresh water hole" my aunts rottweiler once jumped in and loads came out, ill be honest me, my dad and uncle all made a quick exit to say the least.

[sandspider]

I used to fish some disused chalk pits in North Kent and on hot days almost every spot of exposed chalk would have an adder sunning itself on it.

This is the only place in Kent I have ever seen adders, plenty of grass snakes everywhere , but the adders seems to be quite localised.

Beautiful to see and harmless if left undisturbed.

 

Used to have both adders and grass snakes in my old garden in Kent. We had a pond, and the adders would eat the frogs, get fat, and laze around the back of the house in the sun with frog legs hanging out of their mouths! Saw three or four one year, and the odd one since.

[JDog]

Whilst fishing a chalk stream in Gloucestershire once a grass snake sidled it's way up to me with a frog in it's mouth. I caught the snake and it regurgitated the frog which was still alive.

[7daysinaweek]

When my brother and I were in our late teens we went to a local wood and saw 3 sunning themselves ,I dared my brother to pick one up and he got bitten on the finger.His hand was swollen and we went home and called the doctors, he came round and said , not worried about you but I've never seen a adder bite before!

 

Just accessed this information from bnf online account:

 

This is the current management regime of adder bite within the nhs.

I have added in brackets symptoms that may be easier to identify. I have omitted the dosing regime in full as it is quite lengthy,however it does not negate the serious nature that may arise from bites from adders when you see the complexity of the regime.

 

atb

7diaw

 

Snake bites

Envenoming from snake bite is uncommon in the UK. Many exotic snakes are kept, some illegally, but the only indigenous venomous snake is the adder (Vipera berus). The bite may cause local and systemic effects. Local effects include pain, swelling, bruising, and tender enlargement of regional lymph nodes. Systemic effects include early anaphylactic symptoms (transient hypotension with syncope,(fluctuating low blood pressure with collapse) angioedema,(swelling of mucus membranes, lips, eye sockets , genitals more common,also extends to other areas of body extremities) urticaria,(rash) abdominal colic, diarrhoea, and vomiting), with later persistent or recurrent hypotension, ECG abnormalities,(heart conduction system) spontaneous systemic bleeding, coagulopathy, adult respiratory distress syndrome, and acute renal failure. Fatal envenoming is rare but the potential for severe envenoming must not be underestimated.

Early anaphylactic symptoms should be treated with adrenaline . Indications for antivenom treatment include systemic envenoming, especially hypotension, ECG abnormalities, vomiting, haemostatic abnormalities,(blood clotting) and marked local envenoming such that after bites on the hand or foot, swelling extends beyond the wrist or ankle within 4 hours of the bite. For those patients who present with clinical features of severe envenoming (e.g. shock, ECG abnormalities, or local swelling that has advanced from the foot to above the knee or from the hand to above the elbow within 2 hours of the bite), a higher initial dose of the european viper snake venom antiserum is recommended; if symptoms of systemic envenoming persist contact the National Poisons Information Service. Adrenaline injection must be immediately to hand for treatment of anaphylactic reactions to the european viper snake venom antiserum.

European viper snake venom antiserum is available for bites by certain foreign snakes and spiders, stings by scorpions and fish. For information on identification, management, and for supply in an emergency, telephone the National Poisons Information Service. Whenever possible the TOXBASE entry should be read, and relevant information collected, before telephoning the National Poisons Information Service.

Edited September 4, 2017 by 7daysinaweek

[NatureBoy]

When we were kids. Me and the vicars son found and caught a grass snake in the church yard. We rushed off excited to the vicarage to show his mum and the ladies having afternoon tea. The snake writhed and regurgitated a part digested frog on to the kitchen floor with a splat. His mum being a bit delicate, on seeing and smelling this projectile vomited over the kitchen table. We just ran!

 

Sadly i heard he killed himself the other month. R.I. P Mark. Happy days!

 

Another time in my misspent biker youth one of our regular Favourite Summer runs was to a pub by the river Deben. While some of my mates were getting the usual beers in i found a big ol grass snake in the beer garden. They returned with no beers followed by the landlord. He told us we weren't welcome as he had a load of yacht club types in. After a bit of verbal and jeers from the yachting snobs as we were leaving i dropped the snake thro an open window into the bar. Beer, glass's, tables, chairs and punters flew everywhere as we roared off and the snake headed for the door.

 

NB

[Richie10]

Used to catch Common lizards and slowworms as kids, used to catch the odd grass snake and mice, voles, shrews and water voles by hand. It was the time I was bitten by a water vole that my mum took me for my tetanus injection but I was never told off for it, it was seen as normal. All my experiences with adders is always nearly standing on them, once in barefeet in devon.

Used to see big Grass snakes fishing after school in summer evenings.

If you spend enough time in the country you will amazed what you see, Saturday, I called a weasel within a yard of me.

[Dekers]

They are generally quite docile and easy to handle, but I would still never pick one up unless I had some protection!

[Pigeon Shredder.]

Many years ago l was clearing an overgrown orchard and was running a rotavator through the ground when l hit some corrugated iron cladding, a whole nest of them came out, some in bits some not, l took off leaving the rotavator doing it's thing in the middle of the nest until it all settled down.

When l went back there where some very large dead adders laying around, the rest had left but l was very cautious until that job was finished.

[oowee]

Unusual to see them now as they are dispersed.

Lots here on the Mendip hills. we do a count of them each year with the wildlife trust just after hibernation when they are easy to spot.

I keep my hunting quiet at those gatherings

[andypaint]

Over the years I've been bitten three times, once on forearm whilst collecting water from a Brook, and twice on back of calve,

The initial bite stings like a wasp sting but wears off after an hour, but it's the massive area of bruising a couple of days later that looks terrible.

[halight]

Over the years I've been bitten three times, once on forearm whilst collecting water from a Brook, and twice on back of calve,

The initial bite stings like a wasp sting but wears off after an hour, but it's the massive area of bruising a couple of days later that looks terrible.

 

Ouch mate,

[dipper]

Only ever saw 2 in my life both on the same day. Walking a moor after grouse In new Luce Scotland .Both sunning them selves .Dipper.

[Bangbangman]

I seem to see snakes and slow worms quite frequently:

 

Adders:

 

Slow-worm:

 

Grass snake (this one's dead):

[Bangbangman]

Video of an adder on the move (I got a bit close and it let me know!)

 

Edited September 18, 2017 by Bangbangman