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Baby Adder?

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Martin_ View Drop Down
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    Posted: 12 Feb 2013 at 2:45pm
I found this little snake in Suffolk last August and looking at the eyes it looks like a baby adder but just thought I'd check to be sure.
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GemmaJF View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 2013 at 5:07pm
Your identification as an adder is correct.

Edited by GemmaJF - 12 Feb 2013 at 5:07pm
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Wolfgang Wuster View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Wolfgang Wuster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 2013 at 5:11pm
It is indeed a baby adder. Handling it like this is not really a good idea. Although a baby that size is unlikely to do serious damage, you never know how your body will react.
Wolfgang Wüster

School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor

http://pages.bangor.ac.uk/~bss166/
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GemmaJF View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 2013 at 5:26pm
I agree with Wolfgang, I would never free handle an adder, even a baby.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Martin_ Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 2013 at 5:37pm
Thanks, I thought it'd be ok when I picked it up with it just being a small one but I'll keep that in mind in future.
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GemmaJF View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 2013 at 7:04pm
The problem can be that even with a little one if you get tagged and happen to be allergic to the venom you could go into anaphylactic shock, which could be fatal. 

There are threads on here discussing the various effects some of us have had from adder bites, varying from no effect at all, to some pretty painful and unpleasant experiences. The small ones venom is as far as I know just as potent as the adults, so personally I take care with all of them.
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will View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote will Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Feb 2013 at 6:43am
- agree with the comments above - babies can be just as painful/dangerous as adults, in my personal experience...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Richard2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Feb 2013 at 11:53am
What I was told when doing licensed volunteer work clearing animals from doomed sites was that baby adders were in one respect more dangerous. You can pick up an adult by the tip of its tail, and it won't be able to loop up and bite you (though you should only hold it like this for a few seconds in order to drop it into a bag - longer could damage the snake's muscles). A baby, however, can double-up vertically on itself and reach your hand.
 
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GemmaJF View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Feb 2013 at 3:40pm
Yep, agreed with tailing adults, though I always use a snake hook to support the body weight so as not to harm them.

Babies, cupped in a gloved hand I've found the safest way. They are very unlikely to bite right through a suitable gauntlet.

The ones that got me were both sub-adults, able to double back and tag me even though they were tailed. Again here the snake hook is the answer so the head can be controlled.
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