PIL and adders on property next to her house

[TheCatThatDanced]

We are going to see MIL in her house in a pretty village near Bath this weekend.

Her NDN have recently had a cottage demolished and are in the process of rebuilding it or another property on the site. NDN have informed her that the builders have told her they have found a nest of adders on the site but they aren't harming them - I think they are moving them.

If any of these adders escape into PIL garden is this likely and do they bite? I've been googling snake bites and adders can bite and be poisonous and of course thinking about my 2 DC (both under 10 but over 5) and the possibility for them to be bitten.

Am I panicking unnecessarily?

Yes you are panicking unnecessary.
Adders are very shy, and will avoid people. Tell your children to make a noise, and to keep out of long grass. If they see a basking adder then either stay still and wait for the adder to move away, or quietly move back . Dogs are much more likely to get bitten than children.

I also wonder if it was even adders that they found, could be grass snakes ( harmless) .
I grew up in adder territory and live somewhere where adders are very common. My dog has been bitten and so have other dogs, but I have not known a single local person to be bitten.

Thanks SirVixofVixHall - the builders have told her they are adders.

We don't have a dog luckily.

I will tell the DC to make noises and keep out of long grass.

Absolutely no need for panic. Adders are ridiculously shy. And they'd only bite if they absolutely had to. They're increasingly rare and very beautiful animals. I wish I knew your PIL because despite my best efforts, I've never managed to see one. You're lucky!

I can confirm that adders are really scared of people, nothing to worry about. And yes, are they sure they are adders as they could be grass snakes.

or slow worms

SquirrelShit - thanks for this - my DB did in fact almost tread on an adder (Surrey countryside not far from Croydon) but this was over 25 years ago! PIL saw the nest of adders but kept away from them. I presume the nest will be moved at some point - not sure if the eggs have even hatched yet and if there are young snakes there now.

Strangely enough PIL's friends (who live near but not that near) are petrified of the nest and keep going on about it.

I quite like snakes. My cousin breeds them.

DC want to see them when we visit - curious about the snakes, but I've said no and if they do see them it will be at a safe distance.

paap1975 - the builders confirmed these were adders with a photograph and the 'V' sign was visible.

I'm not surprised - if I were a snake I'd keep out of the way of people.

I sincerely hope they don't attempt to move the nest - the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 makes it an offence to handle, injure or disturb any of our rare reptiles with a fine of up to £5000 if caught :www.ecologyconsultancy.co.uk/what-we-do/surveys-impact-assessment/protected-species/reptile-surveys-mitigation/
Only licensed ecologists are allowed to handle them.
As already mentioned, they are incredibly shy creatures and will escape rather than confront humans.
I have been privileged to see all of our native reptiles in their Dorset habitat, which is something really special.

And, BTW, Adders don't lay eggs - they are ovoviviparous and bear live young (eggs are contained within their bodies). So if there are eggs, they won't be Adders.

I would be more concerned about the vipers on this site than at your PIL's.

Yes if there are eggs it will be a grass snake nest. Lots of people mistake grass snakes for adders ( or young slow worms), the builders may not know the difference. Slow worms also give birth to live young, they don’t lay eggs.

Very easy to mix up this www.google.co.uk/search?q=Common+European+viper+grass+snakes+wales&client=safari&channel=ipad_bm&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOOQU-LUz9U3MM4tq8qKEk0vSiwuVijOS8xOLVbIzFMoT8xJLT7FiFACY5cUpVQg2Ja5CLZxPIydkpyd9YjRl1vg5Y97wlIuk9acvMZox8UVnprkmFdcnlpULGTAxRVYmlpU6ZwDtFZIiUtAisfHMzgkPtjV1dvTz12DUYqPC0WE5xejomNycn5RSmZeukJJvkJ5fn5KTmJeSklRaXGJXn5Rul5p9i8m6XhXvxDPkMh4BRQPgX0ziTkqo6SkoNhKX7-8vFwPmwH6ZZnFmSVAG3RBssX6JUWpqcUQti5QqW55Zk5KTmZaqn5iXmZuYk6xflFqQUkm0Gz9Rawazvm5ufl5Cq6lRfkFqYl5CmWZBalFWNwBAGrAtYR6AQAA&prmd=isnv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjiwK34rYfjAhXFQ0EAHR2WC0sQ_AUIEygB&biw=1024&bih=666#imgrc=VyfafcjiDnFKyM

With this

NanTheWiser - I had assumed there were eggs! Just texted PIL and been told - no, the adders have actually given birth to the young about 3 weeks ago (so I was told wrong info) and builders have advised as per your post that an ecologist has to move them. I was originally told by PIL just after last May Bank holiday in a sort of frenzy that 'there's a nest of adders next door where the builders are' so of course I was a bit nervous going there this weekend as i actually didn't know what had happened to the adders.

So NDN's builders are now as per your advice getting hold of an ecologist and seeing the next steps but builders aren't doing any work on that side of the site anyway. I had no idea it was an offence to harm them but NDN builders obviously know. They're in Avon, outside Bath, but in countryside.

SirVixofVixHall - they are adders - despite me mistakenly thinking they had laid eggs - which they haven't - me just thinking this!

A couple of years ago in SW France my parents at their holiday home saw their elderly NDN beating to death what they thought was a grass snake - I don't know about French snakes though and this man was probably scared of it. We were always told not to wear sandals in the long grass near their house as adders and other snakes lived there.

The young will disperse naturally.
Adders will bask on hot days on open ground, so you might get a peep of one then, although they move very quickly when they are warm, and as soon as they hear you or see you they will move away.
In spite of being in adder habitat I have only seen one here, they are so shy.

SirVixofVixHall - apart from the 'V' on it's head I was always told that adders had a yellow and black diamond pattern like in your picture - of course there is a black diamond pattern but not yellow - more browny colour...

here was me thinking it was more yellow and more diamond pattern looking than your picture. Quite an attractive looking snake though.

I don’t worry about my children with adders much, they know to make a noise in adder habitat, and to be careful when adders are active and not hibernating.
I really worry about my dog though.

SirVix - the one my brother almost stepped on (with our then dog nearby) was in some of woodland next to a golf course - in a place called Addiscombe Hills (Shirley Hills) - fairly quiet unless dogwalkers are there. DB said he recalls seeing it but said it literally came out of nowhere so fits in with your shy and retiring adder description.

SirVix - dogs and cats or other small animals yes they should be scared of adders.

Luckily PIL have no pets and don't think their neighbours do - maybe one has a small dog and the other a cat - they're in some stupidly exclusive village where cottages go for a lot of money now....

Young slow worms also have a zig zag, and are gold, so sometimes get mistaken for young adders.
Sounds as though you are sure they are adders, but I really wouldn’t be too worried.

Young slow worm

I saw one about 30 years ago on heath land in the New Forest, not seen one since!

Though 15 years in Australia taught me great caution with lifting logs, tin sheets, tarpaulins etc off the ground!

SirVix strangely enough DB used to have a slow worm as a pet as a child.

Been assured by NDN builders who told PIL that they are indeed adders but though the young adders and their parents won't be moved until an ecologist it's best to be safe, view (if we can) from a distance, leave them alone but don't go round poking where they are - for obvious reasons.

thanks for your help!

We have adders here but I’ve never seen one, sadly.

The cat brought in a grass snake once. It was hissing and thrashing around in her mouth. I got her to drop it, and it played dead, its mouth open with its tongue lolling out the side rather theatrically.

I took it down to the compost heap and left it there, and hid behind a bush. When it was sure I’d gone it scooted away into the long grass. Beautiful, clever creature.