Be on the lookout for harmless blind, thread or worm snakes says Sunningdale snake catcher
The local snake rescuer receives hundreds of calls for these tiny little snakes each year around this time.
SUNNINGDALE snake catcher, Jason Arnold has urged residents and the public not to panic if they see three specific species of small snakes in their garden in the coming weeks.
According to Arnold, at this time of year, blind, thread and worm snakes pop out of the woodwork in full force and are very often found wriggling around and inside homes.
“I receive hundreds of calls for these tiny little snakes each year around this time. There are a variety of these little snakes, known as blind, thread or worm snakes, which differ a bit in colour, size and distribution. People immediately assume that these are baby snakes because of their size. These tiny little snakes are actually the adults. Fully grown they would only be about 15 to 20cm long.
“They are easily identifiable by two characteristics – Firstly, it is not easy to distinguish which side of the snake is the head and which is the tail at first glance, as both ends are pretty blunt looking. And secondly, they are one solid thickness from head to tail. They do not taper off towards their tails as in other snakes. They are typically about the thickness of a toothpick, or the lead inside of a standard pencil, and the majority of them are black or dark brown in colour,” he explained.
He added these snakes eat ant larvae and are completely harmless and won’t bite.
“So unless you are an ant egg, you have nothing to worry about. If you find these guys in your home, you can simply sweep them gently into a dustpan or onto a sheet of paper with a hand broom and go throw them back out into the garden where they will be happier,” he urged.
He also advised residents to take pics of any snakes they find and send them to him for identification. You can contact Arnold on 082 745 6375 or visit his Facebook page, Universal Reptiles.
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