| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| acd1984 |
Posted - 01/12/2011 : 16:40:39
Hi guys, im wondering if it is legal to buy and own British snakes and lizards?
I know some are rare and the adder is venomous, but what about the more common varieties like the grass snake?
if so, is there anywhere that stocks them
and if your "in the know" what temperaments and special care needs do they require |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Lionscar |
Posted - 06/12/2011 : 18:28:59
Im clearly lucky to have seen all our native reptiles and amphibians, we have a garden full of newts, toads, frogs and more slow worms than you could count, there are a lot of adders and grass snakes in Torbay especially in our zoo and adders galore at Berry head nature reserve in Brixham, I spent a lot of my child hood hunting adders ( to photograph ) around the coastline and mustve caught hundreds but I havent seen either an adder or a grass snake for at least 6 years which is odd. Used to see at least 2 or 3 of each every year. |
| n/a |
Posted - 02/12/2011 : 16:22:38
My pleasure - glad you liked - and thanks Bigdon for starting this thread as I've never thought to study these snakes (and slow worms) so closely before; even though I learned about them in a rural 1950s primary school and read about them then, I've always been more focused on the kind of snakes more available in the pet trade.
Adders are awesome! (And so are the rest of these uk reps of course.) |
| Lorraine |
Posted - 02/12/2011 : 15:47:16
Another nice vid Bats. I enjoyed looking at those. |
| n/a |
Posted - 02/12/2011 : 15:00:04
I worked a couple of allotments for nearly 4 years at all times of day and night and never met any snakes, only the homo-sapiens-in-the-grass variety, to be avoided if possible - I would have much preferred adders... |
| boomslang |
Posted - 02/12/2011 : 13:55:48
quote:
Originally posted by BurnedAtTheStake
I haven't seen anything either for years - do wish that adder place was nearer - I'd haunt it in summer lol. But you never know, keep on looking.
Just to complicate matters there are now, apparently, feral colonies of corn snakes in the UK, and at least one feral colony of aesculapian snakes in North Wales. Cool! (As long as they stay unmolested of course.)
go look around allotments,you will see plenty there.isn't there a colony of king snakes or something on jersey to?
anyway theres only one guy i no of,that breeds uk snakes etc,take alook on blue lizard,they sell dice snakes etc from time to time. |
| n/a |
Posted - 02/12/2011 : 13:36:21
I haven't seen anything either for years - do wish that adder place was nearer - I'd haunt it in summer lol. But you never know, keep on looking.
Just to complicate matters there are now, apparently, feral colonies of corn snakes in the UK, and at least one feral colony of aesculapian snakes in North Wales. Cool! (As long as they stay unmolested of course.) |
| Keg |
Posted - 02/12/2011 : 13:19:05
Never seen any snakes or lizards in the wild here :( |
| n/a |
Posted - 02/12/2011 : 12:54:23
Aren't they just - I never realised how the colouration differs, and how different the males are from females. Just found another vid, which, though it's just stills, has some superb pics of UK snakes, and the slow worm too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=fvwp&v=ohtvbUitKC0
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| Lorraine |
Posted - 02/12/2011 : 11:23:59
Fascinating vid Bats. Never seen anything like it before. Mind you, I don't think I've ever seen an adder in real life. Lovely looking things aren't they? |
| n/a |
Posted - 01/12/2011 : 23:44:49
Just remembered - I found this vid a few days ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX_dRl98J7A&feature=related |
| Lotabob |
Posted - 01/12/2011 : 23:35:54
I would LOVE to own a European Adder, they are beautiful. Their bite is extremely painful (experienced) but I would take the risk to learn more about these magnificent creatures.. I'd love to see a slow worm too, interesting little lizards. |
| n/a |
Posted - 01/12/2011 : 22:57:57
My first snakey encounter was as a very young child in the 1950s with a neighbour's pet grass snake; I went on to see both common and great crested newts and something called 'sand lizards' in the 60s. My brother in law in North Wales regularly sees slow worms (although these are preyed upon by local cats, alas) and a few years ago I was told that a country park near me in Wakefield has a healthy population of adders.
These critters do seem to survive in pockets of wilderness, I'm glad to say but yes, captive bred will be better than wild-caught. Although when studying the requirements of natrix in general, I'd say a corn or royal's requirements would be more straightforward, but, if someone's prepared to give a native snake/lizard the environment it needs, it would be an incredible and rewarding reptile to keep. |
| mystra |
Posted - 01/12/2011 : 22:37:41
i've still never seen any of our native snakes and lizards :( it'd make my day.... i saw my first newt a couple years ago helping clear out a friends garden and you'd think i'd seen a woolly mammoth i was that excited! XD i might have to check out the Wetlands centre when the weather warms up in Spring and see what i meet there :D |
| acd1984 |
Posted - 01/12/2011 : 21:21:05
Yeah i think thats what i meant "CB" just a thought about giving our own species a bit of love lol
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| boomslang |
Posted - 01/12/2011 : 18:02:29
you can't buy or sell wild caught grass snakes,and some types of lizards etc.
but you can buy any babies bred in captivity.theres only afew people who breed them,there best of left in the wild,as theres places and breeders you can buy them from.
or get something like a natrix tesselata as its the same thing really,plus there very cheap. |
