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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to be annoyed neighbours snake was found in our garden?

205 replies

Stardust160 · 29/05/2016 18:03

This afternoon we were greeted with this visitor (pictured) in the garden. Turns out when we asked next door it was there and has been missing for 2 and half weeks and had last see it going under there decking. I'm frightened of snakes, we also have a baby ,a toddler and a 7 year old.

Am i unreasonable that they should of informed us it was lost and that they would let a snake (regardless if it's a pet snake) roam freely outside and end up in someone else's garden. The thought of my toddler picking it up not realising it was real or it going near the baby or 7 year makes my stomach turn.

Aibu to be annoyed neighbours snake was found in our garden?
OP posts:
SirChenjin · 29/05/2016 22:19

YANBU

My first reaction to find a snake in the garden would not be "oh look, a snake - it must be non-venomous because you need a licence to keep a venomous snake and as everyone know, people follow the rules At All Times - I wonder where it came from". It would be to err on the side of caution, get the kids indoors, either try and contain it or phone the SSPCA, and give my neighbour an earful next time I saw them for not mentioning that one of their snakes was on the loose.

MrsBungle · 29/05/2016 22:20

Well steppemum I've never seen one in my garden, nor in anyone else's garden, nor actually anywhere ever and I live rurally. I'm sure they are common but I don't believe it's a usual every day sighting in most people's garden. Maybe th vary by area/region, I don't know. Given my experience, no I do not expect it. I've seen adders before in the heather when I was growing up in Scotland.

notonyurjellybellynelly · 29/05/2016 22:22

Wtf is all this carry on about a little snake

Im sorry its so hard for you to understand that not everyone can cope with snakes.

notonyurjellybellynelly · 29/05/2016 22:24

Well steppemum I've never seen one in my garden

When in the UK I live in the Welsh countryside and Ive never seen one either even when Im out on a walk with my dad and the dogs.

Egosumquisum · 29/05/2016 22:25

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Chillyegg · 29/05/2016 22:27

I'm sorry but the op's situation is my idea of hell. I have massive phobia of snakes. Can't go in a reptile house and I can't go to countries/areas where I know I'll find lots of snakes. I couldn't even read all the thread. Especially after a pp that someone found a snake in the bath.
If I found a snake in my gardeny I'd be pissed of to sag the least.

Egosumquisum · 29/05/2016 22:27

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SpaceDinosaur · 29/05/2016 22:27

That is an utterly beautiful corn snake.

I'm impressed that it survived for 2 1/2 weeks. We've had some cold snaps recently.

Snakes are naturally very shy. Once lost they're notoriously hard to recover.
You appear quite frightened/uneducated/apprehensive and that's fine OP. If I knew you and you were my neighbour then I wouldn't have told you because you would freak the hell out and be afraid in your own home.
I kept a snake and my neighbour's did too. One of the neighbour's snake's escaped and we found her 3 months later in their garden. The neighbour's weren't told that she had gone on an adventure because they would freak out totally unnecessarily.

I promise you, even if your toddler ran up to it and hit it on the head that the snake would 99.9% "run" away.

steppemum · 29/05/2016 22:29

yes but several people on this thread have commented on seeing grass snakes in their garden.
It isn't an everyday occurrence, but it is certainly within the realm of possibility in UK, and we do have snakes in this country.

RaspberryOverload · 29/05/2016 22:31

vdbfamily Sorry, wrong pic. I can't find my grass snake, but the slow worm was also seen in a publicly open garden.

I do have a pic somewhere of a little snake swimming along the moat of a National Trust house. Not sure exactly where I saved it now.

Egosumquisum · 29/05/2016 22:32

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsBungle · 29/05/2016 22:39

I get that it is within the realm of possibility to see a snake. As I say, I've seen adders (although not in my garden), that is not the same as expecting to see one. I do not expect to see a snake when in my garden. I would most definitely shit my pants get a fright if I did see one and I wouldn't have a clue if it was a venomous escapee from the zoo or from some licensed neighbour or a harmless grass snake.

notonyurjellybellynelly · 29/05/2016 22:40

The neighbour's weren't told that she had gone on an adventure because they would freak out totally unnecessarily

In the neighbours mind a person freaking out or getting upset would be unnecessary but to the person with a horror of snakes even the thought of it would have been an awful experience.

Original poster
Stardust160 · 29/05/2016 22:45

Given the area which I live in the likely hood of seeing a snake is slim in the 29 years I have yet to come across one minus this guy but he's a pet. As I stated I've seen many foxes numberous times in my area. So I don't think they are that common.

OP posts:
Egosumquisum · 29/05/2016 22:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TSSDNCOP · 29/05/2016 22:56

I know nothing about snakes, but I do know I'm not fond of them, I woutlet expect to see one in my garden and if I did I wouldn't have the first clue as to its level of toxicity.

It's really easy to go "yeah snake, nothing to worry about" if you do know about snakes.

That one would be looking at the business end of my garden spade if it slithered onto my lawn.

TSSDNCOP · 29/05/2016 22:59

And ergo I absolutely assure you that the very presence of a tarantula in my vicinity would kill me totally dead.

Original poster
Stardust160 · 29/05/2016 23:05

A tarantula would make me my stomach turn. I worked on events at a care home and my colleague at the time book a discovery zoo ( God knows why) which included a snake,a large snail, a tarantula, hedgehog and centrepide. I made sure I wasn't working that day surprised they enjoyed it Hmm. I fully enjoyed our pony visits though!

OP posts:
sykadelic · 29/05/2016 23:59

sykadelic its not ppl thinking that it will eat them in their sleep. Its that the snake will go to ground and hide and there are lots of places in the home they can do that... If it was any other animal getting into someone elses property there would be screams of personal responsibility. Why do reptile owners get a free pass!!

I really don't understand the point you're trying to make. The snake was in the garden, not in the OP's house. Why would the non-snake owner be forced to turn their house upside down? Where was that said?

So that she'd know that if she saw a snake, then it's most likely from next door and it's not poisonous.

Best she not be told then. Just because I've lost a dog doesn't mean the next dog you see is my dog.

Also, as someone else has pointed out, ^venomous* not poisonous. Those are 2 completely different things.

I think a heads up so that I was aware when we were given us having small children.

So? Your children were not at risk. For the neighbours own benefit I'd have told you (so you didn't kill it) but no-one was in danger. For sure if the snake was venomous you should definitely be told, but non-venomous, and small (from the pic it looks small) there really is no need. It's like any other wild animal your children could come into contact with. Knowing a pet is on the lose isn't any more dangerous than wild snakes, spiders, cats etc. Your children really shouldn't be touching any random animals they see.

My DH handed back to them as they were in there garden at the time.

Excellent!

HelenaDove · 30/05/2016 00:03

Oh i should have made it clear I was talking about what happened to me last year.

BlueberrySky · 30/05/2016 00:12

That corn snake looks adult. When they are babies they are about the size of a pencil. Corn snakes can live to about 25. They can go for months without eating as long as they have water and are fairly warm.

Ours loves to go out in the garden and have a good stretch out and explore. One of us keeps guard to make sure she stays on the lawn does not go off into the flower beds.

ajandjjmum · 30/05/2016 01:00

If that had been me OP, there would be a 'For Sale' sign up outside my house by now!

Logic doesn't come into it - with me - where snakes are concerned..

FairNotFair · 30/05/2016 09:33

You appear quite frightened/uneducated

Not everyone goes to Snake School Confused

Egosumquisum · 30/05/2016 09:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

KayTee87 · 30/05/2016 10:07

I was going to say you were over reacting and it's only a wee harmless snake.... But if it was someone's pet tarantula I would be absolutely freaking out as I'm terrified of them. So if you're as scared of snakes as I am of spiders then I completely understand why you're upset and overreacting.