Why the heck did he tell me this?

[Newbie5542]

I can’t sleep and feel really terrified. My idiot neighbour this evening told me there are huge snakes where we live (in uk). I didn’t believe him and he showed me pictures on his phone. We live near a lake and I’ve been here for 2 years but not seen one. I’m terrified and can’t sleep, I know I sound crazy but please help me. I kept checking under my bed and I keep checking in on my kids. I’m a single parent and have no one in my life to help me out of this fear, I’m so afraid to sleep.

I've seen grass snakes a few times - most recently near a pond at a local wildlife reserve, well away from the footpath.
Seen adders basking on the top of heather at another, more coastal nature reserve and on a peat bog - again, well away from people.
The only local incident I'm aware of involving adders was a common which is known for having them, on which there are signs all over the place stating dogs should be on leads and walkers with or without dogs should stick to the path. Someone let their dog off lead and it attacked an adder that was tucked away. The dog got bitten and the owner tried to make a claim against the managers of the common.

Snakes get a really bad rap because of rare incidents like this.

I agrée with pp - there aren’t large snakes in the Uk. If you think the photo is genuine it’s possible it’s a pet that has escaped. We had this at DSs school - an escaped snake had got into one of the sheds. The Bead thought the kids were taking the mickey but he managed to poke it into a box and called the RSPCA to collect it. Hopefully if it is a pet then it being on FB will mean the owner comes and finds it.

Grass snakes can get fairly large, it depends what you think of as “big” ! They aren’t the size of a Boa constrictor but they are normally about 4-5 feet long and they have been found over six feet long, I’ve seen a few over five feet, they are not a small snake.
They are shy though and completely harmless, I live rurally in an area where there are a lot of snakes, but I have never heard of a snake ever getting into someone’s house as they do in other countries.
Adders are not harmless, but they are smaller than grass snakes (under three feet), and again they really try and avoid people. It is rare for people to get bitten and there is an antidote, so as long as someone gets swift medical attention they are very unlikely to die. They are however very dangerous to dogs, my (medium sized, young ) dog came incredibly close to death after a bite, and a dog gets bitten locally most years. The bite is very rarely fatal to people,The last death in the UK was around fifty years ago when I was little - I was given lots of talks about adders at the time as this is an adder area, so we always made a lot of noise when walking where adders might be, used a stick in front of us in bracken etc.
So yes it’s sensible to be careful in areas with a lot of Adders, but they aren’t going to come into your house.

Grass snakes and adders are pretty harmless OP, and they don’t tend to be very big. They also tend to stay away from humans. I really wouldn’t worry.

We get adders where I live but they aren’t huge and I’ve only ever seen one in the forest.

Unfortunately we live on the same planet as Snakes, Spiders, Tics, Wasps, Hornets… and there’s not a lot we can do about it.

I once woke up and found a tic embedded in my leg. That to me is more terrifying than being told about snakes existing in UK. Snakes are easier to spot than Tics.

Pets are now banned from bedroom and I try to keep them off the furniture.

This was outside my door this morning. Come visit.

Snakes exist all over the UK. Grass snakes can grow quite long, whetr I live currnetly (midlands) we are semi rural and we quite often see them. They are completely harmless and wouldn't venture near residential areas!

Adders are also a regular site. They are mildly venomous. But again wouldn't make a bee line for a residential area. Where I grew up (hampshire) they were very common in grassland areas.

You are overreacting to the pictures, you need to do your research. But if you haven't seen anything in 2 years then why on earth are you stressing yourself out?!

I would love to see a snake in the UK! Lived in Devon and went to the moors loads for 20 years or so and never saw a snake once in all that time. We get beautiful slow worms in our garden but you'd probably be terrified and want to kill those too.

I think you need to move back to the city tbh.

Surely if you’ve lived in the UK all your life you are in touch with what kind of natural wildlife exists there? How many news articles have you read about large snakes invading peoples homes? Your media would love that.

I've never seen a single snake either - they were all happily married 😁

The only time you will see a "big" snake in the UK is if you go to the zoo or one escapes that's being kept in someone's house. That doesn't happen very often at all. I think you are quite safe where you are living.

I lived in the Far East for a while as a kid and in the years we were there, only saw a snake once in the wild and it wasn't close enough to be a danger.

You are panicking over something that the chances of a snake getting into your house is as likely as you flying to the moon.

Grass snakes are not poisonous or harmful, I regularly see them out walking. Adders are venomous, but dislike people and will just slither away rather than attacking.

They are nothing to worry about, and absolutely fantastic to see.

You've not seen one in two years. He's terrified you. There's only 3 species of snakes in the UK and they will avoid you, not seek you out. Have a Google some information to try to put your mind at rest.

"It is rare to see snakes in the UK. If you do spot one, it will usually be between July and September when they are at their most active. Only gardens with extensive secluded wildlife areas will have snakes. In most garden areas if snakes are seen, they are most likely just passing through."

Move to Ireland we don't have any

Yup. The advice if you think an adder has bitten your pet is to carry it back to the car to help prevent the poison spreading and get it to a vet asap. There were a lot of grass snakes at my yard, when the owner would go to get hay, he’d disturb the nests under the stack of bales. My horse stood on a baby in his stable, it was somewhat flat.

Well your neighbour is a bit of a dick isn't he?

We don't get big snakes here and any snakes you might see will be even less impressed by you and will scarper as quicker as they can. They have no need to come into your house. They are not interested in you. They wont attack or bite unless its for defence. If you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.

I wonder whether he saw a slow worm (its a legless lizard)? I think they prefer water. Slow worms are also not interested in you and are harmless.

Have a read about uk snakes and slow worms from reputable sites like The Wildlife Trust or Countryfile. It will reassure you and you'll realise that snakes and slow worms are cool and you're lucky to have them near you.

And in future, take everything your neighbour says with a pinch of salt.

I see adders on my dog walks/hikes and they are very small and hurry away sharpish. I also come across dead ones.

Absolute toffee rot that there are big snakes in the U.K and your friend is playing a cruel prank on you.

They can be long but they’re tiny.

Is it Loch Ness?

I live right by the south downs, 2 minute walk and I can be walking on the south downs way. There are definitely adders on the downs but in my 45 years of living here I have never, ever seen one. I really don't think you need to worry, well not about the snakes but maybe about your neighbour because he sounds like a twat.

Your neighbour is either cruel or an idiot or both. We do not have huge snakes in the UK. You will never find one in your house.

We do get a couple of different snakes in the UK but none are poisonous and will usually "run" away unless they feel threatened. It will hurt if they bite but similar to being bitten by a cat, dog, rabbit or any other UK based animal which I assume u don't stay awake at night thinking about.

If you really feel you need to move back to the city, the reasoning is not the miniscule chance of finding a snake in your house, it's living so near to a neighbour who is a blithering idiot.

He's a very good reason to want to move.

I don't understand, did you not know we had snakes in the UK prior to this? Not being able to sleep over it is ridiculous. I'm scared of spiders but I know they exist and it doesn't stop me sleeping. Get some help op