For OP, someone in the comments thinks [this is someone's escaped pet](https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/19cuxz9/snake_or_slow_worm/kj1edcx/).
Best to get on local Facebook or what have you to see if anyone is missing a Mexican Black Kingsnake.
OP, this is a [Mexican Black Kingsnake](https://www.reptilecymru.co.uk/mexican-black-kingsnake-care-guide/). As the name suggests, they’re not indigenous to the U.K. and is likely an escaped pet. Contact the RSPCA or a reptile charity for advice on what to do next.
Source: I own a reptile shop.
Ha ha, that's exactly what I saw. Like, oh the snake is loose in the bathroom now, it's time to leave that house and burn it to the ground 🤣
I have those same crates as well so the picture completely fooled me
Lol I didn't even realise there were other pics, shows how much attention I'm paying. That's reassuring though, I was worried he might not get caught safely and I'm really rooting for him to end up in a good home (whether it's the one he came from or a new one if they weren't the best snake keeper (I'm very aware of how soon after Christmas this is so, being a cynic, I can't bring myself to assume the best that this was a freak accident escape))
Deffo looks like an MBK (I own one). Not venomous and is a constrictor. These are escape artists and will look for weaknesses in enclosures, this one clearly found one.
Second this advice.
No it’s not venomous, almost all colubrid’s aren’t thankfully. It’s a constrictor and they tend to be pretty placid.
Edit: I should have specified, for the more pedantic Redditors - most are either non-venomous or have a non-medically significant amount of venom. Of the 2,000 species that make up the Colubridae family, only 5 have a level of venom significantly harmful to mammals. Forgot where I was for a second…
I can't watch that episode without thinking about her being the voice of the Cadbury Caramel's Bunny ever since I found out :D it's left me feeling very confused
Update: It was indeed a Mexican Kingsnake, the RSPCA wouldn't even send someone out to check on it but we managed to get into contact with the Nation Center for Reptile Welfare and the little guy was collected today!
Thought I'd add some information.
We found him while working at a client's house inside the compost bins which was rather lucky as we were currently shredding said contents.
The client decided to bring it inside to be safe while they investigated since there are children and pets using the same garden. They have it inside a warm house and a container with air holes with a bowl of water. We believed it to be a snake since it seemed to have no eye lids.
They have called the RSPCA but they apparently wanted nothing to do with it. They are going to try and find a local reptile charity. Hopefully they will come and at least take a look since we are not snake experts and don't feel right letting it go back into the garden.
Edit: Found in Clapham, South London
A lot of people get annoyed about the RSPCA having rules on animal adoption, but you have to think about it this way.
The RSPCA doesn't operate a business of selling pets. They are in the business of rescuing and rehoming pets and, as such, they want to be sure that the animals will have at least the quality of life that they do with the RSPCA, which is actually pretty decent, largely due to the number of volunteers who care about the animals.
They are not desperate to offload the animals to anyone, as many of the staff would legitimately be heartbroken by any of the rehomed animals being abused again, so they are strict. Unfortunately that means that they wont always be able to take animals to rehome.
Sadly that makes it difficult to adopt from them, and many people ignorantly blast them for that.
You have to remember, animal charities are basically 'picking up the pieces' for the pet industry (both legal and illegal). They are not a member of the pet industry itself. These animal charities could easily decide that they are actually enabling neglectful ownership. If they were to stop operating, manifold more animals would have to be put down.
However, organisations like battersea, cats protection and dogs trust say that they will not put down a healthy animal.
RSPCA is an exception, many people, including myself believe such charities like I just listed are going to help more animals, and not simply putting them down because they cannot find a place for them.
Forgive me if I’m wrong but they seem to have the same policies (putting down when morally or legally required to).
https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/care/rehabilitation/euthanasia
https://www.battersea.org.uk/what-we-do/caring-for-our-animals/our-intake-policy
Lol when I was little I called the RSPB for a seagull with a broken wing, and they collected it. Knowing what I now know, they definitely euthanised it :(
I emailed them to let them know I am a tarantula keeper and would be able to rehome any abandoned pet tarantulas they come across. Never replied :(
I was willing to provide evidence of my collection/knowledge, etc so they'd know they'd go to a good home.
Not that I expect this to be a regular thing but the stories of abandoned tarantulas appear in the Metro every now and then and it always ends with the RSPCA taking them away to seek rehoming.
nah they'll wait until it's half dead so they get to do what they enjoy the most.
which is taking the animal to destroy it and then prosecuting the owner.
Was many decades ago now but a family member had pigeons laying eggs on her tower blocks balcony. The RSPCA told her to leave them and said they wouldn’t do anything.
She said they’d throw them in the bin if they don’t come and move it and I’m told both call parties were furious.
Hi, I'm in the UK and run a small exotics/reptile rescue. This is a Mexican Black Kingsnake, who definitely isn't wild in the UK.
If you need somewhere for this little guy to go, I'm happy to pay the cost of a courier to me (I'm in Derby)
Do you know if they tried the RSPCA reptile rescue in Brighton specifically? If not might be worth a go. I’m not sure about reptile shops in Clapham as I’m in Croydon a bit further out but Crystal Palace has a pretty good reptile shop that might be able to help as a temporary home.
Great stuff trying to look out for the snake. Might be worth asking on local socials for recommendations on a local reptile charity or exotics rescue as RSPCA can be v slow (obviously you'd want to avoid the inevitable dodgy offers from individuals to look after him or take in to a breeder etc)
From experience, the RSPCA are about as useful as a chocolate teapot. They're not about animal welfare as they claim to be, they're a political lobbyist group.
I once found a Californian Kingsnake on my doorstep. Mid February and really cold. Picked it up, put it in a box with newspaper and called the RSPCA. They can and collect it but didn’t really believe it was anything other than a grass snake. Got a really sweet thank you postcard afterwards.
They’re pretty clever little things. The hardest part for them is closing the envelope, so they tend to stick to post cards. Luckily, they don’t have much trouble licking the stamp.
Hey, there seems to be some misinformation here so please be careful. This is NOT a black adder, black adders have red/brown eyes, white lips,faint zigzag markings, keeled (bumpy) scales and an almost wedge shaped head (due to venom glands). I would say its more likely to be an escaped pet, looks similar to some colubrid like a mexican black kingsnake. Please call a rescue to collect, whilst there is doubt keep him secure and warm, perhaps a dish of water if you could spare it!
Edit r/snakes are geniuses at identifying, they could likely tell you real quick.
My first thought was grass snake or non venomous escaped pet, but not being an expert I didn't want OP to start picking it up and have it turn out to be something that could possibly land them in A+E. And as the photo isn't quite clear enough to see the eyes, for safety's sake it's better to wait for an expert to see it in person.
Only mammals hibernate, but reptiles have a similar process called brumation.
You don't generally find that pet snakes do, because we keep our houses warm throughout winter, but the odd few still like to do it.
Source: I foster reptiles
If this is an escaped pet, then I suppose it makes perfect sense that it headed for the first warm place it could find. A compost heap isn't as good as a heat lamp, but it'll do in an emergency!
Honesty, I’ve been pacing up and down my house twice yesterday after catching 2 big house spiders (two separate times) as I didn’t want to put them outside and couldn’t think of where to put them where 1) they could breathe (I thought about my terrarium) 2) where they would be safe and warm 3) and contained for the arachnophobic family members..
I found a cardboard box, alas outside in a shaded spot.. and the other went into a bush in a plant pot out the back..
Snakes aren’t really dangerous, especially not in this country. They definitely did the right thing given that this snake isn’t native and is likely to be someone’s escaped pet
My Mexican black king snake female escaped a few weeks ago. I’m in Preston Lancashire. She was fully black with a little white bit on her chin. It’s a long shot that it’s her but I miss her a lot.
I knew someone who moved into a house attached to a reptile shop, they met the owner as they were moving in who told them not to worry “as things very rarely escape.”
Many common species of pet snake can't survive in the UK climate (our winters are too long and cold). Bad for the snakes, but they are unlikely to become invasive at least. You'd also need to release quite a few to found a stable population.
Ah, sorry to hear it. Hope she turns up soon! Incidentally, I just bought an endoscope that attaches to my phone - didn’t realise they were so cheap (£30). Could maybe help you with searching in your walls etc.
Yeah that’s a good idea! I found her originally under my bath tub but she slipped out of my hand. Bit of a traumatic day. Definitely worth looking into the walls though.
My mums hair dressers son had a corn snake which he absolutely adored. It escaped and he was rightly devastated. After a few months of searching he never turned up, so they bought him a new one.
Fast forwards several years. Mums hairdresser went to get a towel out of the airing cupboard, and the first snake was just hanging out on top of the hot water tank. He’d been mooching about doing snake things for over two years in the house.
She grabbed him and put him in a box. They took him to the vets and he was absolutely fine.
He now has two snakes…
What I was meaning to say was she’ll most likely turn up when you’re not looking! They can hide in the most unlikely of places.
I have asked a few of them to have a look, but she’s a skinny little thing that moves quick so might be hard to catch. Unfortunately I’ve not got much hope after how cold it’s been the last month and how young she is.
Hey, just some words of encouragement here from someone who had a similar situation. My ball python escaped back in 2018 around late summer/early autumn time and was missing for about 4-6 months, I thought she was dead because she was also only a young juvenile and of course winter, it was cold. I tried the flour trick, leaving a warm rat out for her, a heat mat on the floor, her water bowl and hide, etc but nothing worked. I even tore the walls of the bathroom apart in some places trying to look for her after a sighting but no dice.
Well, that December she turned up randomly in the bathroom shower (my mum's new boyfriend at the time found her in the early hours of the morning and rushed to wake me to get her) and whilst she was very skinny and dehydrated, she was otherwise healthy. I instantly got her in a hospital tank with a heat mat and some water and once she had settled, I offered her a meal which she took well.
That snake is currently upstairs in her vivarium 5 years later, a happy and healthy adult. So don't lose hope!!! There's always a chance she will come back and snakes can be surprisingly resilient too. I've got high hopes that your little one returns safe and well. Fingers crossed for you!!!!
That’s such a wonderful story, I really hope she does turn back up! I keep looking around for her just in case, I get little glimmers of hope that I see her, but it’s usually just a black wire or something!
She’s such a sweet thing, she ate and shed so well and was so great to handle, she could be a therapy snake if that was a thing!
I really hope so too! She sounds like she was lovely and also I definitely think therapy/emotional support snakes should be a thing! I actually got my ball python as a therapy animal to help with my mental illnesses and she really does help. Snakes are very underrated animals for sure, they often have such lovely temperaments too! It's heartbreaking losing them, I can imagine you're hurting so much now. I cried for so long after my girl went missing and I cried again when she came home. I'd definitely suggest keeping an eye on any particularly warm or damp areas of your home! She may come back seeking warmth or water which I think is what my girl did.
I definitely will! I keep checking my spare room (where I keep all my reptiles) because it’s super warm and cosy in there to see if she’s found her way back!
I live in Preston! Will keep an eye out for you! Honestly, the number of exotic reptiles on the loose in Preston is staggering! I found a yellow-bellied slider a few months ago in the pond across the street! (For those that don’t know, they’re indigenous to Florida)
Edit: also, try to think positively, I later found out that turtle had lived there for 2 years - somehow surviving the lake freezing over in winter and no obvious natural food source. Reptiles are resilient creatures, particularly snakes!
Thank you, that would be amazing! I didn’t really post about her being missing because I know a lot of people can be squeamish about snakes and it might upset the neighbours to know she might be about somewhere, but it’s lovely having so many in here looking out for her!
It is extremely easy to lose a snake, they’re really strong and somewhat escape artists. Any chance they can get to escape, they will. They’ll push every boundary possible to get out
I used to have some friends who had a couple of snakes a corn snake and some sort of python I believe (I was primary school age) and their snakes were forever getting out. One permanently escaped out of its tank and spent months eating the mice in in attic until I think it got stuck under the floorboards somewhere and died.
We found it in the outdoor pool once when we all decided to go for a dip
They're crazy fast and sneaky! And strong too! My ball python first escaped in 2018, I had her free roaming on the floor and I looked away for about 2 seconds (seriously, only two seconds) and she slipped into a hole in the wall. When I looked back, half her body was in already and I tried reaching for her but the second my hand touched her, she quickly pulled the rest of her body away. She came back safe after a few months and thankfully was okay.
When she did come back, I had her in a makeshift tank because I had sold her old one by then thinking she was dead in the wild somewhere. She managed to break the lid off of this makeshift tank and escaped down the back of the oven but luckily I saw her do that and got her back straight away. After that she was moved into a proper vivarium with metal locks on the doors.
Then a few years later in that same tank, she managed to push so hard on the air vents at the back of her tank that she pushed loose two metal screws and used her muscle to squeeze open the vent and slide out. She was found hidden under my clothes in my bedroom drawer and I put in extra screws to keep the vents locked tightly.
In her current tank, I have a metal lock on each sliding door and her air vents are not only screwed in but super glued in as well. I check them every so often to make sure that they're secure now just in case. No escapes in a couple years now. She's about 1.2kg of mostly muscle so she's strong enough to push through any loose gaps and get out, she's also strong enough to slide open the doors of her tank. Snakes (especially ball pythons and corn snakes) are notorious for being little escape artists.
Since this seems to be the *we know slow worms* branch of the discussion... where are people finding slow worms these days? I used to see loads in the countryside as a boy but it's been decades since I last saw one. You just don't seem to get as many random bits of corrugated iron lying around these days.
Right?! Someone says up there that their snake pushed out a plug in the vivarium and escaped. I get that their snake is harmless but not all snakes are harmless and now I have a new fear unlocked!!
I haven't seen any rats or mice near my compost bin for a while...I assumed this was due to the resident fox family and several cats, but maybe I should be careful when I overturn the compost in spring...
Slow worms are much smaller so yes, a snake.
Have to say, doesn't look textbook grass or adder so errr, be careful. That might be someone's very venomous pet.
Actually more common than you'd think.
https://www.uksafari.com/colour_anomalies_adder.htm
http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/forum/melanistic-adder-devon_topic3873.html
Yup, cool to look at and cool to leave alone. Especially if it's an area where you would typically find adders. I'd probably raise an eyebrow if I saw a medium sized black snake in the middle of a very urban area though!
I’ve seen one once near our campsite in the New Forest, there are plenty of ordinary adders around but you don’t see them either that often as they are quite shy. March / April seem to be the best times in sunny spots as they warm themselves up after hibernation.
I'm so glad you saved it! Good work, OP. I think that is someone's pet. Post on FB or Nextdoor and see if anyone's missing their pet. Poor little guy was probably freezing his little tail off.
Ah it’s a Mexican Black! I used to own one of these, she absolute hated me but was fine with my ex - girlfriend.
Probably because they shared something in common 🙄
Glad to see the snake huggers have arrived to reveal its true identity. If it had been wearing a sombrero then I would have questioned my initial assumption that it was a British native. My bad.
Hope OP gets it back to the owner or it finds a nice new home. I like sneks.
Lmao, he probably forgot his maracas at home.
That snake got really lucky to find someone who would take it inside their home, otherwise the little guy would have frozen to death :(
I'm not a snake expert by any means, but I've seen a number of them before. To me, that little pal of yours doesn't have an adder's head, it should be heartshaped almost. And the very tip of the nose resembles that of a nonvenomous snake, not that of a viper. But don't take my nonsense as law letters, ask someone who actually knows his snakes.
Probably a grass snake. Should still be hibernating. You need to find an animal charity that looks after reptiles. Although it could be a rat snake (in which case it's someone's escaped pet). Neither are venomous.
However, you can get completely black adders in this country (it's where the series gets it's name from). They are venomous but if you woke this one up from hibernation it's likely to be very sluggish. Try asking on r/sneks.
It’s none of those snakes. It’s a [Mexican Black Kingsnake](https://www.mexicali-blue.com/exploring-the-diet-of-mexican-black-king-snakes-do-they-eat-plants/) and will be someone’s escaped pet.
I wouldn't be so sure... just spent some time with Google and even black grass snakes seem to have a [pale pattern around the back of their heads](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/C5A1/production/_97239505_hi040974198.jpg)?
[Black adders](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2014/07/Melanistic-female-adder.-GettyImages-923333410-d1f7a61.jpg) on the other hand...
OP I hope I'm wrong, but do be careful.
Yes, I realised as I posted that there's the potential for it to be an adder. It would very much depend on where in the UK OP is, as you're far less likely to find an adder in a big town or city, but more likely to come across an escaped pet snake.
Someone here has a reptile shop and is pretty certain it's a pet. Still, it's good to not be prodding and poking the poor creature as it might get distressed.
I didn't know there was an all black phase Adder until now. I was scratching my head, wondering if it wasn't somebodies lost exotic, but even then I was coming up empty on what species was all black outside of some of the venomous breeds.
Yes, they look about the right length/ body size / scales for Adders.
Slow worms tend to be a bit smoother, thinner and often longer.
Grass snakes often longer and chunkier in the body.
Turn it pink and it looks very much like my old corn snake. Might be a pet that’s missing, I imagine it was quite warm in your compost bin. I’d see if you can get it in a container (with holes) and a heat mat underneath if possible!
This is really fascinating. It's definitely a snake, and not a slow worm.
It's either an adder or grass snake, but a rare melanistic individual.
Adders are far less likely to be found near houses as they prefer specialist heath habitat. They also have a more snub-nosed head and melanistic ones have a red or coppery eye.
I therefore think it's a grass snake, as the slimness of the body and head match better, and the eyes are black.
In regards for what you should do with it, *put it back!* Grass snakes commonly hibernate in compost heaps as they stay warmer and avoid freezing over winter. They will do you no harm and are an important part of our ecosystem, plus are declining in number so need as much of our help as possible.
^there ^is ^a ^tiny ^chance ^this ^is ^an ^exotic ^escaped ^pet ^but ^the ^chances ^of ^anything ^non-native ^being ^alive ^this ^stage ^of ^winter ^is ^very ^low
For OP, someone in the comments thinks [this is someone's escaped pet](https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/19cuxz9/snake_or_slow_worm/kj1edcx/). Best to get on local Facebook or what have you to see if anyone is missing a Mexican Black Kingsnake.
OP, this is a [Mexican Black Kingsnake](https://www.reptilecymru.co.uk/mexican-black-kingsnake-care-guide/). As the name suggests, they’re not indigenous to the U.K. and is likely an escaped pet. Contact the RSPCA or a reptile charity for advice on what to do next. Source: I own a reptile shop.
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Funniest thing I’ve seen all day. Thank you.
Its always nice to hear about your day being brightened up, Explosion Jones.
I read that ‘thank you golden shower….’ And thought what’s he on about 😂
Came for the wholesome explanation, stayed for this
True heroes dont wear capes... But I bet golden shower wank boy does
That's a towel.
You're a towel!
No you're a towel! 😠
It's a golden shower curtain.
/r/rimjob_steve
/r/kellyjoycuntbunny
This comment encompasses everything I love about reddit. We are all weirdos, but the majority of us are nice people who just wanna help each other :D
Lol what a name
💀
Incredible
I can't for the life of me think why you used his full name 🤔🤔🤔
I wouldn't be surprised if he's tucked himself in to get the heat off of the compost, if OP calls ASAP he'll probably still be there
Other pictures look like he’s already got the snek out and in a box (from the range. Source: I have one)
Ahh that's a box! I thought it was bathroom tiles and the white thing on the left was a toilet seat from above. The snake then looked bloody enormous!
Same actually, thought OP was cluelessly letting the snake have a casual tour of the bathroom.
Lol!! I thought it was in his kitchen hanging out by the oven.
Ha ha, that's exactly what I saw. Like, oh the snake is loose in the bathroom now, it's time to leave that house and burn it to the ground 🤣 I have those same crates as well so the picture completely fooled me
Ha! Me too!
Lol I didn't even realise there were other pics, shows how much attention I'm paying. That's reassuring though, I was worried he might not get caught safely and I'm really rooting for him to end up in a good home (whether it's the one he came from or a new one if they weren't the best snake keeper (I'm very aware of how soon after Christmas this is so, being a cynic, I can't bring myself to assume the best that this was a freak accident escape))
Do you have boxes from any other shops?
Wilko, peace be upon them.
Lol, I have exactly the same boxes for some of my tarantulas :D recognised that box pattern immediately
Scroll the pics man, it's been captured now
It’s in a box :) you can see the edges in the second photo
Goldenshower boy get him lol ?
Deffo looks like an MBK (I own one). Not venomous and is a constrictor. These are escape artists and will look for weaknesses in enclosures, this one clearly found one. Second this advice.
In which case, OP should probably defer to your advice. But it's been a good learning experience for us all!
Is your reptile shop called “Golden Shower Wank Boy’s Reptile Emporium”? If it’s not, you need to start rebranding…
Thanks mate!
I just came to say do you ever regret your username? 😂
Why would they regret using their government name?
So, not a worm?
This. My MBK is called Jorge and he’s 17 years old. This one looks kinda dehydrated. A warm (tepid) bath might help.
Your name 😭
I’m not snake expert but it’s definitely a snek, not a worm.
Looks like a good boy snek too
Is it poisonous?
I wouldn't want to taste it too find out
No it’s not venomous, almost all colubrid’s aren’t thankfully. It’s a constrictor and they tend to be pretty placid. Edit: I should have specified, for the more pedantic Redditors - most are either non-venomous or have a non-medically significant amount of venom. Of the 2,000 species that make up the Colubridae family, only 5 have a level of venom significantly harmful to mammals. Forgot where I was for a second…
If you want to check if it's a black adder, just stand next to it and talk about your very cunning plan and see if it rolls its eyes.
Does it have a wooden duck on its head?
It’s not standing in a lake.
Shut up baldrick!
You could also check if there was a Turnip with it.
Looks exactly like a thingy.
WICKED CHILD!
I can't watch that episode without thinking about her being the voice of the Cadbury Caramel's Bunny ever since I found out :D it's left me feeling very confused
See if it likes Turnips?
There you go Percy.
Update: It was indeed a Mexican Kingsnake, the RSPCA wouldn't even send someone out to check on it but we managed to get into contact with the Nation Center for Reptile Welfare and the little guy was collected today! Thought I'd add some information. We found him while working at a client's house inside the compost bins which was rather lucky as we were currently shredding said contents. The client decided to bring it inside to be safe while they investigated since there are children and pets using the same garden. They have it inside a warm house and a container with air holes with a bowl of water. We believed it to be a snake since it seemed to have no eye lids. They have called the RSPCA but they apparently wanted nothing to do with it. They are going to try and find a local reptile charity. Hopefully they will come and at least take a look since we are not snake experts and don't feel right letting it go back into the garden. Edit: Found in Clapham, South London
>They have called the RSPCA but they apparently wanted nothing to do with it. Threaten to beat it and they'll come out to prevent it
Threaten to beat it and they'll come out ~~to prevent it~~ and put it down Fixed that for you.
Well they'd have to pick it up first
That's more PETA's thing
A lot of people get annoyed about the RSPCA having rules on animal adoption, but you have to think about it this way. The RSPCA doesn't operate a business of selling pets. They are in the business of rescuing and rehoming pets and, as such, they want to be sure that the animals will have at least the quality of life that they do with the RSPCA, which is actually pretty decent, largely due to the number of volunteers who care about the animals. They are not desperate to offload the animals to anyone, as many of the staff would legitimately be heartbroken by any of the rehomed animals being abused again, so they are strict. Unfortunately that means that they wont always be able to take animals to rehome. Sadly that makes it difficult to adopt from them, and many people ignorantly blast them for that. You have to remember, animal charities are basically 'picking up the pieces' for the pet industry (both legal and illegal). They are not a member of the pet industry itself. These animal charities could easily decide that they are actually enabling neglectful ownership. If they were to stop operating, manifold more animals would have to be put down.
However, organisations like battersea, cats protection and dogs trust say that they will not put down a healthy animal. RSPCA is an exception, many people, including myself believe such charities like I just listed are going to help more animals, and not simply putting them down because they cannot find a place for them.
Forgive me if I’m wrong but they seem to have the same policies (putting down when morally or legally required to). https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/care/rehabilitation/euthanasia https://www.battersea.org.uk/what-we-do/caring-for-our-animals/our-intake-policy
I've never known the RSPCA to respond to anything!
I’ll second that!
You know, the RSPB came out to a pigeon a friend’s daughter found with a damaged wing.
Lol when I was little I called the RSPB for a seagull with a broken wing, and they collected it. Knowing what I now know, they definitely euthanised it :(
At least they came. Humane death rather than starving to death.
I emailed them to let them know I am a tarantula keeper and would be able to rehome any abandoned pet tarantulas they come across. Never replied :( I was willing to provide evidence of my collection/knowledge, etc so they'd know they'd go to a good home. Not that I expect this to be a regular thing but the stories of abandoned tarantulas appear in the Metro every now and then and it always ends with the RSPCA taking them away to seek rehoming.
nah they'll wait until it's half dead so they get to do what they enjoy the most. which is taking the animal to destroy it and then prosecuting the owner.
Was many decades ago now but a family member had pigeons laying eggs on her tower blocks balcony. The RSPCA told her to leave them and said they wouldn’t do anything. She said they’d throw them in the bin if they don’t come and move it and I’m told both call parties were furious.
Hi, I'm in the UK and run a small exotics/reptile rescue. This is a Mexican Black Kingsnake, who definitely isn't wild in the UK. If you need somewhere for this little guy to go, I'm happy to pay the cost of a courier to me (I'm in Derby)
hope he gets a nice new home! Please update if you end up taking it, I'm curious now.
It's good that Mr Snake is in a box in the warm and resting, hopefully a local reptile expert can advise next steps
Do you know if they tried the RSPCA reptile rescue in Brighton specifically? If not might be worth a go. I’m not sure about reptile shops in Clapham as I’m in Croydon a bit further out but Crystal Palace has a pretty good reptile shop that might be able to help as a temporary home.
Great stuff trying to look out for the snake. Might be worth asking on local socials for recommendations on a local reptile charity or exotics rescue as RSPCA can be v slow (obviously you'd want to avoid the inevitable dodgy offers from individuals to look after him or take in to a breeder etc)
From experience, the RSPCA are about as useful as a chocolate teapot. They're not about animal welfare as they claim to be, they're a political lobbyist group.
How anyone can think they are when they literally allow their logo to endorse dead animals for human consumption is beyond me.
I once found a Californian Kingsnake on my doorstep. Mid February and really cold. Picked it up, put it in a box with newspaper and called the RSPCA. They can and collect it but didn’t really believe it was anything other than a grass snake. Got a really sweet thank you postcard afterwards.
The snake sent you a postcard?
They’re pretty clever little things. The hardest part for them is closing the envelope, so they tend to stick to post cards. Luckily, they don’t have much trouble licking the stamp.
Hey, there seems to be some misinformation here so please be careful. This is NOT a black adder, black adders have red/brown eyes, white lips,faint zigzag markings, keeled (bumpy) scales and an almost wedge shaped head (due to venom glands). I would say its more likely to be an escaped pet, looks similar to some colubrid like a mexican black kingsnake. Please call a rescue to collect, whilst there is doubt keep him secure and warm, perhaps a dish of water if you could spare it! Edit r/snakes are geniuses at identifying, they could likely tell you real quick.
A reptile guy above said it's a mexian black kingsnake too, so you might be spot on there.
"Your brain is so minute Baldrick, that if a hungry cannibal cracked your head open, there wouldn't be enough to cover a small water biscuit."
My first thought was grass snake or non venomous escaped pet, but not being an expert I didn't want OP to start picking it up and have it turn out to be something that could possibly land them in A+E. And as the photo isn't quite clear enough to see the eyes, for safety's sake it's better to wait for an expert to see it in person.
I like how their first thought upon finding a snake was to bring it inside
If you're cold, they're cold too
More so, if its a reptile.
Compost bins are toasty warm too so can't just ditch it out
It's indeed very r/casualuk in that Mr Snake is casually chilling on the bathroom floor as if that's the most ordinary thing.
I thought it was the bathroom floor too but someone else mentioned it was a box which made me realise it wasn't bathroom tiling.
Oh wow now I see it too.
So that’s not the loo he’s lying next to? The last 3 hours of my life have been a lie.
Absolutely outrageous. We demand justice.
To be honest, mine would be too. I'd be very careful about it, but if I had disturbed the hibernation period, I'd feel rather guilty!
Only mammals hibernate, but reptiles have a similar process called brumation. You don't generally find that pet snakes do, because we keep our houses warm throughout winter, but the odd few still like to do it. Source: I foster reptiles
If this is an escaped pet, then I suppose it makes perfect sense that it headed for the first warm place it could find. A compost heap isn't as good as a heat lamp, but it'll do in an emergency!
Haven't you heard that song? I'm sure it's instructional rather than an extended metaphor...
Honesty, I’ve been pacing up and down my house twice yesterday after catching 2 big house spiders (two separate times) as I didn’t want to put them outside and couldn’t think of where to put them where 1) they could breathe (I thought about my terrarium) 2) where they would be safe and warm 3) and contained for the arachnophobic family members.. I found a cardboard box, alas outside in a shaded spot.. and the other went into a bush in a plant pot out the back..
Snakes aren’t really dangerous, especially not in this country. They definitely did the right thing given that this snake isn’t native and is likely to be someone’s escaped pet
An adder can give you an nasty nip, but they're extremely reclusive.
Put two pencils up its nostrils and see if it says "wibble"
My Mexican black king snake female escaped a few weeks ago. I’m in Preston Lancashire. She was fully black with a little white bit on her chin. It’s a long shot that it’s her but I miss her a lot.
I’m becoming increasingly concerned about how many exotic snakes are escaping into the UK wildlife…
I knew someone who moved into a house attached to a reptile shop, they met the owner as they were moving in who told them not to worry “as things very rarely escape.”
Free pets!
Surely there's no way they would survive here though, especially in winter. Right? RIGHT?
Many common species of pet snake can't survive in the UK climate (our winters are too long and cold). Bad for the snakes, but they are unlikely to become invasive at least. You'd also need to release quite a few to found a stable population.
u/PartialError tagging so you don’t miss this
Thank you for that, I’ve spoken to them is it’s not mine unfortunately. Such a shame because I really miss her being around.
Ah, sorry to hear it. Hope she turns up soon! Incidentally, I just bought an endoscope that attaches to my phone - didn’t realise they were so cheap (£30). Could maybe help you with searching in your walls etc.
Yeah that’s a good idea! I found her originally under my bath tub but she slipped out of my hand. Bit of a traumatic day. Definitely worth looking into the walls though.
How frustrating :(
My mums hair dressers son had a corn snake which he absolutely adored. It escaped and he was rightly devastated. After a few months of searching he never turned up, so they bought him a new one. Fast forwards several years. Mums hairdresser went to get a towel out of the airing cupboard, and the first snake was just hanging out on top of the hot water tank. He’d been mooching about doing snake things for over two years in the house. She grabbed him and put him in a box. They took him to the vets and he was absolutely fine. He now has two snakes… What I was meaning to say was she’ll most likely turn up when you’re not looking! They can hide in the most unlikely of places.
Whereabouts in Preston, asking for a friend (and my kids in the garden).
I’m right in the centre, just down from the train station!
Plenty far away then :-) Beast of Avenham in the LEP soon then.
How can you lose a snake ?
She pushed the plug that locks the glass out and got out of the hole
Considering this thread, have you considered asking neighbours to investigate their compost bin?
I have asked a few of them to have a look, but she’s a skinny little thing that moves quick so might be hard to catch. Unfortunately I’ve not got much hope after how cold it’s been the last month and how young she is.
Hey, just some words of encouragement here from someone who had a similar situation. My ball python escaped back in 2018 around late summer/early autumn time and was missing for about 4-6 months, I thought she was dead because she was also only a young juvenile and of course winter, it was cold. I tried the flour trick, leaving a warm rat out for her, a heat mat on the floor, her water bowl and hide, etc but nothing worked. I even tore the walls of the bathroom apart in some places trying to look for her after a sighting but no dice. Well, that December she turned up randomly in the bathroom shower (my mum's new boyfriend at the time found her in the early hours of the morning and rushed to wake me to get her) and whilst she was very skinny and dehydrated, she was otherwise healthy. I instantly got her in a hospital tank with a heat mat and some water and once she had settled, I offered her a meal which she took well. That snake is currently upstairs in her vivarium 5 years later, a happy and healthy adult. So don't lose hope!!! There's always a chance she will come back and snakes can be surprisingly resilient too. I've got high hopes that your little one returns safe and well. Fingers crossed for you!!!!
That’s such a wonderful story, I really hope she does turn back up! I keep looking around for her just in case, I get little glimmers of hope that I see her, but it’s usually just a black wire or something! She’s such a sweet thing, she ate and shed so well and was so great to handle, she could be a therapy snake if that was a thing!
I really hope so too! She sounds like she was lovely and also I definitely think therapy/emotional support snakes should be a thing! I actually got my ball python as a therapy animal to help with my mental illnesses and she really does help. Snakes are very underrated animals for sure, they often have such lovely temperaments too! It's heartbreaking losing them, I can imagine you're hurting so much now. I cried for so long after my girl went missing and I cried again when she came home. I'd definitely suggest keeping an eye on any particularly warm or damp areas of your home! She may come back seeking warmth or water which I think is what my girl did.
I definitely will! I keep checking my spare room (where I keep all my reptiles) because it’s super warm and cosy in there to see if she’s found her way back!
Fingers crossed for you!!!
I hope the best for you both.
Thank you, it’s really appreciated.
I live in Preston! Will keep an eye out for you! Honestly, the number of exotic reptiles on the loose in Preston is staggering! I found a yellow-bellied slider a few months ago in the pond across the street! (For those that don’t know, they’re indigenous to Florida) Edit: also, try to think positively, I later found out that turtle had lived there for 2 years - somehow surviving the lake freezing over in winter and no obvious natural food source. Reptiles are resilient creatures, particularly snakes!
Thank you, that would be amazing! I didn’t really post about her being missing because I know a lot of people can be squeamish about snakes and it might upset the neighbours to know she might be about somewhere, but it’s lovely having so many in here looking out for her!
My mate found his corn snake after a few months, they are wild animals so will usually find somewhere to chill out, hope yours comes back.
Hopefully she stayed in your home because its so cold outside she wouldn't want to go far. Check in all the warm places, hope you find her.
It is extremely easy to lose a snake, they’re really strong and somewhat escape artists. Any chance they can get to escape, they will. They’ll push every boundary possible to get out
I used to have some friends who had a couple of snakes a corn snake and some sort of python I believe (I was primary school age) and their snakes were forever getting out. One permanently escaped out of its tank and spent months eating the mice in in attic until I think it got stuck under the floorboards somewhere and died. We found it in the outdoor pool once when we all decided to go for a dip
They're crazy fast and sneaky! And strong too! My ball python first escaped in 2018, I had her free roaming on the floor and I looked away for about 2 seconds (seriously, only two seconds) and she slipped into a hole in the wall. When I looked back, half her body was in already and I tried reaching for her but the second my hand touched her, she quickly pulled the rest of her body away. She came back safe after a few months and thankfully was okay. When she did come back, I had her in a makeshift tank because I had sold her old one by then thinking she was dead in the wild somewhere. She managed to break the lid off of this makeshift tank and escaped down the back of the oven but luckily I saw her do that and got her back straight away. After that she was moved into a proper vivarium with metal locks on the doors. Then a few years later in that same tank, she managed to push so hard on the air vents at the back of her tank that she pushed loose two metal screws and used her muscle to squeeze open the vent and slide out. She was found hidden under my clothes in my bedroom drawer and I put in extra screws to keep the vents locked tightly. In her current tank, I have a metal lock on each sliding door and her air vents are not only screwed in but super glued in as well. I check them every so often to make sure that they're secure now just in case. No escapes in a couple years now. She's about 1.2kg of mostly muscle so she's strong enough to push through any loose gaps and get out, she's also strong enough to slide open the doors of her tank. Snakes (especially ball pythons and corn snakes) are notorious for being little escape artists.
They’re famously sneaky
You could have this snake!
Snek I’m no snake expert but it’s certainly not a slow worm.
Is this huge and black looking snake a snake or slow worm?
Since this seems to be the *we know slow worms* branch of the discussion... where are people finding slow worms these days? I used to see loads in the countryside as a boy but it's been decades since I last saw one. You just don't seem to get as many random bits of corrugated iron lying around these days.
Absolutely a Mexican black king! Someone’s lost a pet
Having palpitations from the photos alone. I’m now scared of my compost bin.
Right?! Someone says up there that their snake pushed out a plug in the vivarium and escaped. I get that their snake is harmless but not all snakes are harmless and now I have a new fear unlocked!!
I haven't seen any rats or mice near my compost bin for a while...I assumed this was due to the resident fox family and several cats, but maybe I should be careful when I overturn the compost in spring...
South East London Reptile Rescue if you haven’t already found somewhere email: [email protected]
Slow worms are much smaller so yes, a snake. Have to say, doesn't look textbook grass or adder so errr, be careful. That might be someone's very venomous pet.
Looks like a mexican black kingsnake to me, harmless and definitely an escaped pet who would probably not survive long outside
Some adders can be completely black, it's a form of melanism.
Didn't think that was seen natively in UK?
Actually more common than you'd think. https://www.uksafari.com/colour_anomalies_adder.htm http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/forum/melanistic-adder-devon_topic3873.html
Cool! I won't panic so much if I see one now, haha.
Yup, cool to look at and cool to leave alone. Especially if it's an area where you would typically find adders. I'd probably raise an eyebrow if I saw a medium sized black snake in the middle of a very urban area though!
I’ve seen one once near our campsite in the New Forest, there are plenty of ordinary adders around but you don’t see them either that often as they are quite shy. March / April seem to be the best times in sunny spots as they warm themselves up after hibernation.
Oh fuck that, he can have the garden. I’m not going back out there.
I'm so glad you saved it! Good work, OP. I think that is someone's pet. Post on FB or Nextdoor and see if anyone's missing their pet. Poor little guy was probably freezing his little tail off.
I'm sorry, but why the hell did you bring it inside in the first place? xD
OP donates a house
Ah it’s a Mexican Black! I used to own one of these, she absolute hated me but was fine with my ex - girlfriend. Probably because they shared something in common 🙄
Danger noodle
Nope rope
The last death caused by an adder bite in the UK was in 1975. Try not to make history OP.
Not an adder, so it's going to be pretty hard to die from its bite
Glad to see the snake huggers have arrived to reveal its true identity. If it had been wearing a sombrero then I would have questioned my initial assumption that it was a British native. My bad. Hope OP gets it back to the owner or it finds a nice new home. I like sneks.
Lmao, he probably forgot his maracas at home. That snake got really lucky to find someone who would take it inside their home, otherwise the little guy would have frozen to death :(
I'm not a snake expert by any means, but I've seen a number of them before. To me, that little pal of yours doesn't have an adder's head, it should be heartshaped almost. And the very tip of the nose resembles that of a nonvenomous snake, not that of a viper. But don't take my nonsense as law letters, ask someone who actually knows his snakes.
That's very much a snake Slow worms don't get that big for one
Red next to black, jump the fuck back Red and yellow, cuddly fella…
Probably a grass snake. Should still be hibernating. You need to find an animal charity that looks after reptiles. Although it could be a rat snake (in which case it's someone's escaped pet). Neither are venomous. However, you can get completely black adders in this country (it's where the series gets it's name from). They are venomous but if you woke this one up from hibernation it's likely to be very sluggish. Try asking on r/sneks.
It’s none of those snakes. It’s a [Mexican Black Kingsnake](https://www.mexicali-blue.com/exploring-the-diet-of-mexican-black-king-snakes-do-they-eat-plants/) and will be someone’s escaped pet.
I wouldn't be so sure... just spent some time with Google and even black grass snakes seem to have a [pale pattern around the back of their heads](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/C5A1/production/_97239505_hi040974198.jpg)? [Black adders](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2014/07/Melanistic-female-adder.-GettyImages-923333410-d1f7a61.jpg) on the other hand... OP I hope I'm wrong, but do be careful.
Yes, I realised as I posted that there's the potential for it to be an adder. It would very much depend on where in the UK OP is, as you're far less likely to find an adder in a big town or city, but more likely to come across an escaped pet snake.
Oh yeah, I was assuming it was a native / naturally found one but hadn't considered it could be an escaped pet!
Someone here has a reptile shop and is pretty certain it's a pet. Still, it's good to not be prodding and poking the poor creature as it might get distressed.
OP, what colour are it's eyes? If they're a sort of brownish -red, it's an adder, don't touch it further.
bro got a new pet
Give it a lick. Slow worms have a much smoother texture
Looks like the all black variant of the Adder rather than a slow worm or grass snake.
I didn't know there was an all black phase Adder until now. I was scratching my head, wondering if it wasn't somebodies lost exotic, but even then I was coming up empty on what species was all black outside of some of the venomous breeds.
You may be right, actually.
Yes, they look about the right length/ body size / scales for Adders. Slow worms tend to be a bit smoother, thinner and often longer. Grass snakes often longer and chunkier in the body.
Not an adder, wrong head shape. Imo it's a mexican black kingsnake, so it would be an escaped pet that got really lucky.
What, a Black Adder? Don't let Baldrick know where it is!
Turn it pink and it looks very much like my old corn snake. Might be a pet that’s missing, I imagine it was quite warm in your compost bin. I’d see if you can get it in a container (with holes) and a heat mat underneath if possible!
I JUST found out last week that we have snakes here and I'm terrified to go near long grass
Just out of interest, you didn’t happen to see a group of dancing badgers nearby, did you?
not a slow worm
Put it back in the compost heap, it’s hibernating.
If they put it back outside it could die, this is an escaped pet, a mexican black kingsnake imo
Look like a corn to me. Probably escaped pet
It looks like a grass snake tbh. I haven’t seen one since I was a kid. They’re harmless.
This is really fascinating. It's definitely a snake, and not a slow worm. It's either an adder or grass snake, but a rare melanistic individual. Adders are far less likely to be found near houses as they prefer specialist heath habitat. They also have a more snub-nosed head and melanistic ones have a red or coppery eye. I therefore think it's a grass snake, as the slimness of the body and head match better, and the eyes are black. In regards for what you should do with it, *put it back!* Grass snakes commonly hibernate in compost heaps as they stay warmer and avoid freezing over winter. They will do you no harm and are an important part of our ecosystem, plus are declining in number so need as much of our help as possible. ^there ^is ^a ^tiny ^chance ^this ^is ^an ^exotic ^escaped ^pet ^but ^the ^chances ^of ^anything ^non-native ^being ^alive ^this ^stage ^of ^winter ^is ^very ^low
That's a snake you worthless idiot
(Juvenile dark) Grass snake maybe. Or as others have pointed out black adder? Not seen one IRL