# Granny and the saw-scale



## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

In today sun

Gran Kath Forster picked up deadly saw-scaled viper in garden | The Sun |News

Now it did make me laught ! I would still do it again?? Are you sure?? If you knew it was a saw-scale I very much doubt it.

She's one of two things you decided
1 brave 
2 stupid

I think I will go with stupid and extremely lucky !


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## Crownan (Jan 6, 2007)

Bradleybradleyc said:


> Now it did make me laught ! I would still do it again?? Are you sure?? If you knew it was a saw-scale I very much doubt it.


Oh, and why's that? If it was a King Cobra or a Taipan or something then sure a set of kitchen tongs will get you killed......but a little saw-scaled?

Sensationalised crap as usual. :roll:


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

Crownan said:


> Oh, and why's that? If it was a King Cobra or a Taipan or something then sure a set of kitchen tongs will get you killed......but a little saw-scaled?
> 
> Sensationalised crap as usual. :roll:


Let's be honest how many people would just go for a snake on a shipment form India ?? Infancy for that matter most places?? Most people in their right mind would not touch it and call an expert. If your getting at the fact what wrong with a bite from a saw scaled just about everything.


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## Crownan (Jan 6, 2007)

So moving it safely to a secure container was a stupid thing to do? Personally I think she was very responsible and didnt do anything stupid at all.


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

Crownan said:


> So moving it safely to a secure container was a stupid thing to do? Personally I think she was very responsible and didnt do anything stupid at all.


Moving it to a secure container is obv not a stupid thing to do, however you are not a sane person IMO if you do not have the experience to move a hot,


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## boidheads (Jul 13, 2012)

This was took to my local reptile shop. I went down to see it. The picture they used is of the actual snake, the photographer was there when I went down. Amazing snake but very very feisty. The strike is so fast and to noise they make with their scales is awesome. The story about the woman with the kitchen tongs is true (she must be mental) lol. The snake has now been given to a local dwa collector.


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## Naturally Wild (Jul 1, 2012)

who is the expert they interviewed?


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## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

I loved "She copied TV animal experts...". They have a lot to answer for.

I'm guessing that if it had been up to temp it would have had her. As it was she was very lucky. Beautiful snakes, the worlds deadliest though? I thought the Inland Taipan?? Land snake that is.


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## Crownan (Jan 6, 2007)

Wolflore said:


> I loved "She copied TV animal experts...". They have a lot to answer for.
> 
> I'm guessing that if it had been up to temp it would have had her. As it was she was very lucky. Beautiful snakes, the worlds deadliest though? I thought the Inland Taipan?? Land snake that is.


Why would it have 'had her'? 

Define deadliest. It may not have the most venom, nor the most powerful, but it kills more people every year than any other, so in that respect it is the deadliest.


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

Naturally Wild said:


> who is the expert they interviewed?


John bent 



Wolflore said:


> I loved "She copied TV animal experts...". They have a lot to answer for.
> 
> I'm guessing that if it had been up to temp it would have had her. As it was she was very lucky. Beautiful snakes, the worlds deadliest though? I thought the Inland Taipan?? Land snake that is.


Well the saw scaled kills more people per year because it lives in rather populated areas I suppose there is so many mice and rats near people it's easy pickings and if you not careful you get tagged, I think that why they call it the worlds deadliest


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## Daz1989 (Apr 22, 2009)

Isnt the fact that they kill more people than any other because they are found in populated areas with no real sophosticated medical care? and is there realy no anti venom for these? (just wondering)
love these snakes by the way.


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## coldestblood (Jun 4, 2011)

Daz1989 said:


> Isnt the fact that they kill more people than any other because they are found in populated areas with no real sophosticated medical care? and is there realy no anti venom for these? (just wondering)
> love these snakes by the way.


Antivenom for is available. Paul at LSTM has produced enough to save tens-of-thousands of lives in India. If I were him, I'd be quite annoyed with who ever said that. Either the paper made it up, or the expert isn't really an expert.


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## Daz1989 (Apr 22, 2009)

Yer i thought that it was being produced most journalists dont bother to do proper research especialy when they think the majority of people wont know what they are reading is bull.


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## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

Crownan said:


> Why would it have 'had her'?
> 
> Define deadliest. It may not have the most venom, nor the most powerful, but it kills more people every year than any other, so in that respect it is the deadliest.


I meant in the general sense that if it was warm it may not have been so easy to pick up. An op had said it was very feisty in one of the earlier posts, I'm guessing because they had warmed it up.

And yeah, my apologies, I was talking with regards the LD50, not with regards how many people it killed. Deadliest is about causing OR able to cause death.


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

My husband and I were called to deal with tis by our local vet, the snake was cool and calm when we got there and had been transferred by the lady for the protection of others there were children and other people in the vicinity. We took it him and contacted an ex reptile keeper from Marwell zoo for confirmation of species. The snake was then collected from our house to be forwarded to a DWAL holder. All people involved were interviewed but the press have sensationalised it and made up their own version, no one claimed to be an expert, we were simply the nearest 'animal people' around at the time with a knowledge of snakes in general. We were told by an expert that the anti venom is available but not necessarily effective. The lady did say she would do it again she was a very brave responsible lady, her husband is terminally ill, she stated that her life was in so much turmoil it seemed like a minor incident in comparison :-(


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## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

Thanks for the update Africa!


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## Peter Kane (Jul 24, 2012)

Over a week in captivity and this snake is doing well. (Don't know how the granny is!) It refused locusts, but readily accepts very young defrosted mice. It was very feisty to start with, but has now calmed down and is acclimatizing well. Typical of echis, it strikes rapidly and holds onto its prey. 
Peter.


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

Peter Kane said:


> Over a week in captivity and this snake is doing well. (Don't know how the granny is!) It refused locusts, but readily accepts very young defrosted mice. It was very feisty to start with, but has now calmed down and is acclimatizing well. Typical of echis, it strikes rapidly and holds onto its prey.
> Peter.


A quick question Peter, do saw scale usually eat locusts?? I though they were mainly today eaters? I could well be wrong and probably am.:whistling2:


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## Peter Kane (Jul 24, 2012)

Bradleybradleyc said:


> A quick question Peter, do saw scale usually eat locusts?? I though they were mainly today eaters? I could well be wrong and probably am.:whistling2:


They feed on small rodents, lizards, frogs and several large insects, including scorpions, centipedes and locusts. Usually the younger specimens eat large insects first and then progress to small rodents. In fact, I seem to remember a short film on the internet of a captive echis feeding on a large locust, but I can't find the link at the moment. Possibly on Youtube. Amazing when you consider how powerful the venom is, just to use on insects! As this was a captured wild specimen, mice and locusts were tried, with only the mice being successful.
I've seen the result of an echis bite. Awful tissue destruction. Not a snake to be toyed with or for the faint hearted!
Peter.


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

Peter Kane said:


> They feed on small rodents, lizards, frogs and several large insects, including scorpions, centipedes and locusts. Usually the younger specimens eat large insects first and then progress to small rodents. In fact, I seem to remember a short film on the internet of a captive echis feeding on a large locust, but I can't find the link at the moment. Possibly on Youtube. Amazing when you consider how powerful the venom is, just to use on insects! As this was a captured wild specimen, mice and locusts were tried, with only the mice being successful.
> I've seen the result of an echis bite. Awful tissue destruction. Not a snake to be toyed with or for the faint hearted!
> Peter.


I was wrong again haha this is why I don't keep hots if I did I would know all this one day hopefully however I feel I have picked up bad habits from my lot as I know I'm in no "real" danger.

I didn't know they feed on insects when young then and again there are a few species that do, I guess it can be hard finding smaller rodents in the wild every week, are saw scale like retics/ burms and opportunist feeders?? 

I will try and have look for the video me thinks, I don't think there are there are any hotsI would like to get tagged by lol


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## exoticsadmirer (Oct 22, 2009)

Well at a guess its most likely an escapee only reason i can think of for it to be in the middle of dronfield of all places! I hope the snake is cared for well in new hands.


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## Peter Kane (Jul 24, 2012)

I found it, but it's eating a cricket.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L87dLf6daiw&context=C37bb8bfADOEgsToPDskJCwPLPT4hh2JKNnC6d6d8i 

However, here's a few good photos of an echis feeding on a locust.

Echis carinatus sochureki

Peter.


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## Peter Kane (Jul 24, 2012)

exoticsadmirer said:


> Well at a guess its most likely an escapee only reason i can think of for it to be in the middle of dronfield of all places! I hope the snake is cared for well in new hands.


I believe it's not an escapee, but was a wild stowaway in a container from India and yes, it is being well cared for.
Peter.


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

Peter Kane said:


> I found it, but it's eating a cricket.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L87dLf6daiw&context=C37bb8bfADOEgsToPDskJCwPLPT4hh2JKNnC6d6d8i
> 
> ...



Not something you see everyday


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## Peter Kane (Jul 24, 2012)

I am reliably informed that there were two stowaway echis which arrived within days of each other in similar circumstances. One was discovered in Derbyshire by the granny and the other in Essex. I was only aware of the Derbyshire model and incorrectly assumed it was the one with which I had dealings. The echis referred to in my posts is the one landed at Tilbury and not the Derbyshire granny version. However, one must wonder at the coincidence of events.
Peter.


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## Joolz1975 (Jul 23, 2009)

Crikey two in a short space of time is a worry!

How long realistically could a 'stowaway' last in our climate? Im assuming it might manage to find food quite easily but the temperature would be so low that it might struggle to to have the energy to find food?

Makes you wonder how many stowaway reptiles find their way over here! My friend once found a huge spider when she was unpacking a crate of fruit in the supermarket she worked in. This is first time ive heard of snakes though (hope its not common i wont sleep tonight if it is)


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