Who knows what this snake is?

[quincarroll]

Hi All.

It's been a while since I was last here...

I found this little snake in my house this evening...

Snake.JPG

It's not at all aggressive at all, about 25cm long, and let me pick it up with my braai tongs without striking at them.
I'm not a snake person, and don't know enough to have picked it up with my hands. Worried about being bitten and all.

Thanks in advance for any and all assistance.

[reptile]

That is a harmless Red Lipped Snake/Red Lipped Herald Snake. They can be rather nippy at times... but the bite is nothing to worry about

[du Preez]

That's a Herald, or Red-Lipped snake, and a very nice looking one at that!! Awesome snakes. 'Back-fanged' and relatively mild venom, but certainly nothing to worry about. LOVE toads and frogs, but will also take lizards (and mice in captivity). Cool find.

[quincarroll]

Thanks guys...

Isn't it a bit cold for this little guy to be up and about this time of year? I thought snakes hibernated, or do I have it all wrong?

I'm going to keep it long enough to show my son in the morning, then I'll release it into the fields.

[du Preez]

I actually probably see more snakes in late autumn than any other time of year (apart from the rains). I don't think that our snakes truly hibernate in the real sense of the word - although feeding does slow down drastically and may stop for a couple of months. The days are certainly warm enough for them to gain enough energy to move about, especially if they get disturbed and are looking for somewhere else to hide. I reckon he was probably looking for somewhere cozy to curl up.

Might be a bit late, but try to put him somewhere that has a few rocks or logs to hide under - if he's exposed and can't find anywhere to hide, then he will probably be eaten pretty quick.