A Wirral woman got a fright when what she thought was her garden hose turned out to be a "rattling" snake.
Dianne Martin, 69, from Birkenhead, was pottering in her garden in Bidston Avenue on Saturday, July 2, when a flash of red near her drainpipe caught her attention. At first glance, Dianne thought it was her hose, but when the object started to move, she "froze".
Dianne told the ECHO: "I walked into my garden and out of the corner of my eye, I honestly thought my garden hose had turned red. My immediate reaction was that my hose had been bleached in the sun but, on closer observation, it was not.
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“It reared its head and I was like ‘Oh my god!’ The only thing that kept coming into my mind was that it was poisonous, so I just froze.”
After trying and failing to get through to animal rescue services, Dianne called her local police station who promptly arranged for an RSPCA inspector to collect the snake.
Dianne said: "The police were on the ball and sent someone out within the hour, which is probably not surprising when someone phones to say they have a big red snake in their garden!
“Whilst I was waiting for the RSPCA man to arrive, I just sat watching the snake and he started going down my drain. I was thinking, 'we’re not going to be able to find him'.
"I started to think he might be thirsty so I put my tap on and he came back up and started drinking and he drank for ten minutes. He raised his head up and I swear he looked me in the eyes and was trying to say thank you.”
Upon arrival, RSCPA inspector Anthony Joynes clarified that the snake was actually a North American corn snake. Corn snakes are among the North American species of rat snakes that kill their prey by constriction.
They are not venomous or dangerous to humans, although the RSPCA advises anyone finding a snake they believe is non-native, like this corn one, to keep a safe distance.
Dianne said: “Anthony was lovely. He knew his stuff and he knew how to handle the snake. He was a really lovely human being. He was gentle and he knew exactly what it was straight away.”
"The snake was feisty. It did not want to leave my drain and so it got quite cross when Anthony tried to move him. What alarmed me was the tail rattling because I was thinking ‘Oh my god, it’s a rattle snake!’ but I was reassured that its quite normal for that to happen when a snake gets cross.”
The RSPCA said it collects more snakes over the summer months and some are thought to be escaped pets. Corn snakes can be extremely good escape artists and will take the opportunity of fleeing through a gap or a loose-fitting lid.
Owners also may not understand the financial challenges involved. For example, the majority of exotics, including reptiles, need a carefully-controlled environment requiring access to specialised equipment for lighting and 24-hour heating. Additionally, many of these animals can live for decades, making this a long-term responsibility for an exotic pet keeper.
It's thought that the snake rescued from Bidston Avenue may have been discarded or could have escaped his enclosure.
Anthony said: "The exotics expert spotted a rib fracture and it does look like this snake has been run over by a car or motorbike. But there were no signs of neglect and he could have escaped his enclosure, so the owner is welcome to get in touch with us.
"Fortunately, I've got a vivarium set up at my home, so he stayed with me for the night, although I was advised not to feed him. He was quite a nice snake really and I think the aggression he displayed was just a bit of fear."
He added: "I took him to the specialist reptile rescue and I've noticed we are getting more and more of these cases, so you do wonder about the increase in energy bills and whether people are switching off their vivariums.
"I was speaking to the specialist keeper about it when I took the snake over to him and he stressed they're not that expensive to run, so it's best if owners don’t make rash decisions."
Anyone who has any information regarding the Wirral corn snake should contact the RSPCA appeal line on 0300 123 8018. The RSPCA also advises anyone finding a snake to keep a safe distance and call the charity's helpline on 0300 1234 999 or a local reptile charity.
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