Newborns

[JonathanD]

A few of you know that I was unable to bring snakes to the RC meet as one of them gave birth so I obviously couldn't bring her, and the environment case was needed to keep them all safe and well before the young are released. For those interested, here's what adder birth looked like...

 

[MartinK9]

Nice one Jonathan, hope mum and babies are doing well.

 

[JonathanD]

Nice one Jonathan, hope mum and babies are doing well.

They are all fit and well. Perfect replicas of their parents and fully ready to deal out pain. A couple are real little monsters and hiss and strike at anything that moves, the others vary from indifferent to very curious and scared to death. All are to be released on the next warm day at a safe sight.

 

[Toddy]

Something kind of special about seeing the mini ones, isn't there ?

How many will the female deliver at a time ?

cheers,
M

 

[JonathanD]

They are really cute and tiny.

An adder can give birth to between 4 and 12 on average, but individuals have been recorded giving birth to 18+. The larger the amount of neonates (babies) the older the snake.

 

[British Red]

awwww cute little blighters

 

[telwebb]

Thanks for sharing Jonathan - you must be very proud!

 

[Miyagi]

Nice pictures JD.

I honestly though that mummy snakes gave birth to eggs which hatched into "snakelets", kind of like Crocodiles etc.

Do snake "pups" include/have a runt in the litter like other species?

If you were to steal a snake pup from the nest, would the mummy adder be able to count?

How long do they have to suckle for and at what age are they weaned?

Cheers,

Liam

 

[JonathanD]

Nice pictures JD.

I honestly though that mummy snakes gave birth to eggs which hatched into "snakelets", kind of like Crocodiles etc.

Do snake "pups" include/have a runt in the litter like other species?

If you were to steal a snake pup from the nest, would the mummy adder be able to count?

How long do they have to suckle for and at what age are they weaned?

Cheers,

Liam

One day, just one day!!!!

Grass snakes lay eggs which they would have laid earlier in the year and hatch about the same time the others are giving birth, adders and smooth snakes give birth to live young. They do have runts, in herpetological terms they are known as Liams. Adders count better than you, which is impressive given the fact they have no fingers or toes. They are independant from day one, they may stick close to the female for 24-48 hours, but soon move off to hunt down prey for themselves.

 

[BarryG]

Fascinating mate. Nice pictures.
So does mum hang about or do they make their own way in life, as soon as they are born?

 

[Miyagi]

One day, just one day!!!!

Grass snakes lay eggs which they would have laid earlier in the year and hatch about the same time the others are giving birth, adders and smooth snakes give birth to live young. They do have runts, in herpetological terms they are known as Liams. Adders count better than you, which is impressive given the fact they have no fingers or toes. They are independant from day one, they may stick close to the female for 24-48 hours, but soon move off to hunt down prey for themselves.

Hahahahaaaaa!!!

Thath eethy for you to thay...

 

[JonathanD]

Fascinating mate. Nice pictures.
So does mum hang about or do they make their own way in life, as soon as they are born?

They pretty much make their own way in life. They shed their skins soon after birth and are fully equipped with venom glands (powerful) and all they need from the first second they break out of the embryonic sac.

Hahahahaaaaa!!!

Thath eethy for you to thay...

Parseltongue mate. Comes natural.

 

[Miyagi]

Parseltongue mate. Comes natural.

Hahaha. You were in Slithereen?

Wow...

Seriously though, good pics JD, you know your onions mate.

 

[iamasmith]

Interesting and a good opportunity. I was taught about rattlesnakes particularly that a bite from the young is devastating since the young can't control their venom delivery and would invariably give you a full dose, much worst than an adult that can and tries to conserve its venom since it takes time and energy to produce.

Any warnings on Adder venom doses if they bite as young uns? I suspect not since we would probably have had it drummed into us as kids but I was wondering if you had anything interesting to share about that..?

 

[JonathanD]

Any warnings on Adder venom doses if they bite as young uns? I suspect not since we would probably have had it drummed into us as kids but I was wondering if you had anything interesting to share about that..?

Get to hospital as quickly as possible. The venom is far more potent, and as you say, they cannot control how much they deliver. Giving a full delivery is a given as they need to put down their prey quicker than the more experienced adults. Adder venom should be considered life threatening if left untreated. It is nasty stuff that can have long lasting effects.

 

[delbach]

Thanks for the photos JD i've learnt a lot about adders i didn't know
Cheers Andrew

 

[Robbi]

i always thought that snakes had eggs not live young....nice piccys JD, very interesting mate

oopps, sorry....should have read all the posts first !

still great piccys though !

 

[Barn Owl]

Fantastic pics Jonathan.

I've never came across pics of a birth before,either on telly or book.

Thanks.

 

[JonathanD]

Fantastic pics Jonathan.

I've never came across pics of a birth before,either on telly or book.

Thanks.

I've seen it in the wild twice and in captivity/recovery twice. An amazing moment that's not very often seen and can't be planned for, as females usually go into hiding for a couple of weeks prior to giving birth.

 

[Miyagi]

I've seen it in the wild twice and in captivity/recovery twice. An amazing moment that's not very often seen and can't be planned for, as females usually go into hiding for a couple of weeks prior to giving birth.

Is it a seasonal thing JD?

Do they give birth in time for the young to "fatten" up before Winter arrives?

Unusually, for me, this is a serious question.