Snake in field - should I be worried?

[Sportyspots]

Found this in my field today. Got a wood neighbouring by field which is full of rabbitts so got some low electric fencing in an attemp to keep them out (doesnt work), but anyway clearing the nettles etc from under the fence and killed this with the mower

Hopefully photo has worked
Anyway its over 2' long and white/pale silver in colour. Often see grass snakes dead on the road where cars have run over them the other side of the wood but they are green in colour and smaller.
On the plus side there is loads of grass in the field so no excuse to go poking his nose where it shouldn't be and his mate is seperated in other end of field so he spends most of his time stood next to his mate at other end of field. On the negative side very nosy horse who does investigate things he shouldn't.
Would you turn your horse back out in this field?

 

[Sportyspots]

I'll try with my phone
<a href="http://s1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg617/sportyspots/?action=view&current=360eaa6f.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg617/sportyspots/360eaa6f.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos" /></a>

 

[Horse Riding Fan]

The photo didn't work...

Anyway I would turn my horse back!

 

[Sportyspots]

If that doesn't work I'm giving up!
Thanks HRF

 

[wildwoman666]

Cant see pic!
Sounds to me like a grass snake. People often mistake grass snakes for adders - they're generally olive green in colour. The thing that causes confusion is the black marking on the head - they lack the definitive zig zag of an adder. Adders are generally brown or grey.Most adders have distinctive dark zigzag markings down the length of their back, and an inverted 'V' shape on the neck. They are generally white/pale grey/pale brown but some adders are entirely black causing them to be mistaken for other species.Grass snakes are non-venomous, grey/green in colour (sometimes with black spots) and a yellow/cream/orange band around the neck. A black line runs from the eye to the mouth and the underside is usually white or pale yellow with a chequered effect. They are active during the day and bask in the sun to warm up. They hibernate from October to April and have been found sleeping in compost heaps. When threatened, they emit a foul-smelling liquid and may roll onto their back and play dead for up to 15 minutes. hope it helps.

 

[jrp204]

Your photo hasn't worked. I really wouldn't worry about the horse, if it is a grass snake it isn't poisonous and it doesn't sound like an adder. Snakes are quite timid, i don't think it will take on a horse on its own unless they have started hunting in packs

 

[AmyMay]

Oh what a shame, looks like a beautiful grass snake. Totally harmless. Although it could be an adder - take it the vets and they'll be able to tell you exactly what it is.

I would turn the horses back out.

 

[Patterdale]

Dunno what it is but I'd deffo be leaving it on my husbands car seat and filming the result.

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

You're so lucky to get anything like that in your field! All I get are frogs at this time of year!

Obviously it doesn't pose a problem to your horses, but it's still very exciting!!

 

[Nocturnal]

It's pretty, shame the mower got it. I wouldn't be worried, probably a grass snake - they can have patterns irrc. Keep turning your horse out, he'll be fine.

 

[jrp204]

It is definately a grass snake, my colleague who is a herptologist ID'd it. He got rather excited too!

 

[AmyMay]

It is definately a grass snake, my colleague who is a herptologist ID'd it. He got rather excited too!

Thanks for the positive ID.

 

[vhf]

Hi,
without a pic it's hard to say, but try googling "grass snake" "adder" "albino python" and "slow-worm" and see if anything looks familiar. They are all possibilities, and are all variable, so you'd need to have a good look.
In my experience adders are very distinctive and although I once had a horse bitten by one, it wasn't the end of the world. If it was a python, it would be someone's escaped pet and the chances of another one turning up in the same place would be pretty remote. If a grass snake or a slow-worm, they are helpful and not poisonous, so nothing to worry about, just to be protective of!

 

[PaddyMonty]

No you shouldn't be worried but the snake should have.

 

[milo'n'molly]

Dunno what it is but I'd deffo be leaving it on my husbands car seat and filming the result.

 

[YasandCrystal]

The pics look like the underside of the snake to me, hence to paler colour. Adders are quite shy and will only bite if threatened like being stepped on or very close to.
A friend's fjord pony sadly was bitten in the face by one last year and had to be pts, but I am sure this is pretty rare. I have seen an adder in our paddocks, but don't worry about them.

 

[Archangel]

Gosh difficult to say, most likely a grass snake as adders have such a definate zigzag but hard to tell with your photo. What a shame it got in the way of the mower, it was probably having a snooze under the hedge. I wouldn't be overly worried about the horses, they don't go out of their way to be aggressive (adders that is, not horses ).

I did climb up the overgrown side of Pilsdon Pen one summer and got to the top to find a sign - Beware Adders they could have put one at the bottom as well

 

[Patterdale]

Whatever it is I think it's biting days are over...

 

[diluteherd]

Def a grass snake totally harmless - apart from if you pick one up they release a smelly foul tasting 'wee' not that I have tasted it but I have smelt it!

I used to have a baby one in a tank when I was a kid but it didn't eat so I released it back into the wild. We have tons round here some are huge! Although tiny compared to that python that ate that man!!

 

[Littlelegs]

It's a trouser snake.

 

[YasandCrystal]

It's a trouser snake.

whose trousers have you been looking in??

 

[Patterdale]

Pmsl!

(stopped myself from making a VERY inappropriate length/colour ratio remark........just)

 

[MiCsarah]

this was in my stable once!! stayed there for 3 days until one of the liveries just came and simply picked it up

 

[Littlelegs]

That's a trouser snake with multifunction, sub species Ann summers.

 

[mandwhy]

Aww poor grass snake :-( I am a bit of a reptile/general nature geek and still haven't seen any reps in the wild here in the UK! Although If I saw one I would probably jump out of my skin just because it would be rather unexpected!

 

[joeanne]

It is definately a grass snake, my colleague who is a herptologist ID'd it. He got rather excited too!

Yes....grass snake.
Shame its fallen off its mortal coil, but general rule of thumb is if its not bothering you, and you don't bother it, then leave well alone.
Most snakes (even adders) wont really bite unless you tread on them.
And being bitten is like being savaged by a bit of velcro in most cases!

 

[Sportyspots]

Thanks for all the replies, never heard of a "herpetologist" before! It may just be a grass snake but I won't be attacking the weeds by hand anymore!!!!!! Just wish I had the courage to pick it up and take it to work tonight but too much of a wimp as the leaving it on hubby's car seat comment made me laugh!

 

[SpottedCat]

Yes, def a grass snake.

If you want to make sure no more end up in this sorry state (it's illegal to kill or injure reptiles in this country, even unintentionally), then don a good pair of wellies, and slowly walk through the weeds, making a lot of noise, before you mow them. Also, only mow on nice days when it is well above 9 degrees C, and if it's on the cooler side, wait till the afternoon to do anything to give them a chance to bask. When I'm doing destructive searches to make habitat unsuitable for them, I do that, then strim at a very slow walking pace (really really slow) to give them a chance to escape.

 

[Caol Ila]

Poor snake.

Most horses I knew, including mine, had an instinctive avoidance reaction to rattle snakes. She'd "randomly" spook across the trail and then I'd see the snake and realise the spook was a wise move. Not all horses have such instincts. A warmblood at our barn once thought a rattle snake wanted to be his friend and tried nuzzling it. The rattler had a different view and the poor horse got bitten on the face.

 

[Patterdale]

Did anyone hear the story about the girl who had a pet snake, a big one, andlet it sleep on her bed? And all of a sudden it stopped eating for weeks and weeks and started sleeping all stretched out, and she took it to the vet and the vet said it was starving itself, and sizing itself up against her every night till it was big enough to EAT her!!?

OH told me but I said it was an urban myth.