We were quite far taking the video, we saw it by accident when my dog was sniffing , it was hissing at us, now I am scared of going to the forest :/

So what do I do if this fucker (I mean this type of snake) bites me or my dog?
by u/phisys in Finland

25 comments

  2. Relatively harmless, and they are very timid so give it time to retreat and it will. Stomping your foot to the ground will usually scare them away from your path. I’m near 50, not spend huge times in a forest but enough to say that it is not common sight because they are small and they avoid humans. The only place i see them regularly is at our abandoned family farm, they have been on that area probably for thousands years but when picking berries etc.. have never seen them. Definitely not something you should be afraid off, if you are typical human then you will make enough noise that they will scamper away. At this time of year they are more in the open, sunbathing adders in the spring is probably the only time you will see them.

    Don’t go putting your hands between or under large rocks, that is where they usually hide from us. In the early mornings they may hang around in warm places, and are out of sight during the day. They are super shy and timid, not aggressive unless they feel they are cornered. So, just give it some distance, don’t stand in the way of its escape.

    Its bite is more like a very bad bee sting, unless you are sensitive to that specific substance you should be fine. But if bitten you have to call the emergency number and follow instructions, it is still a snake bite. You need a “kyypakkaus” which is just hydrocortisone, it is a good idea to have one in your car or in a backbag, specifically this time of year. It is very rarely lethal to adults.

  3. Adders are more scared of you than you’re of them, and they’re a vital part of the ecosystem.

    They’re slower during the spring and thus more dangerous as they can’t get away as quickly, and are most often found sunning themselves on warm rocks.

    Keep your dog on leash and don’t let them go sniff around rock piles or random holes in the ground. If they’re bitten, keep the dog as still as possible and get them to the vet right away. Do not give them any medication – kyypakkaus is for humans.

    If an adder comes to live on your yard, you can contact people who will come to get it and move it away – there’s no need to kill them. My uncle used to collect adders from people’s yards and move them into faraway fields, because they’re not likely to return if moved away.

  5. For people best prep against adders are long thick boots and for dogs is to watch where they go. Dogs are often bit in their snout because they like to stick it everywhere.

    If you find adders on your yard keep the grass low and environment unfriendly to rodents which are food for adders. They can easily hide in long grass, near forests and they rise bask in the sun on darker rocks.

    To tell difference between the venomous common European adder and the non-harmful snakes you can try to spot the distinctive saw pattern on its back also seen in your video.

  6. RIGHT MATE!

    What you do is walk away from it and it’s more scared of you than you are of it. Dog on a leash now and if you are worried about standing on one walk a bit heavy-footed and they will bail before you land on top of them unless it’s had a feed and can’t move quickly.

  8. Always go to doctor. Kyypakkaus doesn’t help at all (I’m a nurse and asked about one of the doctors does it help. It makes people more relaxed when they think that it helps)

  9. Lots of them around right now especially on the warm rocks in the sunlight. Saw 3 today while walking in Espoo keskuspuisto

  11. Last summer I walked ( yes pressed my shoe on top of it) and all it did was looked at me like “how dare you?” They rarely bite and you should have in your farmacy a thing called kyypakkaus

  14. Its called a Kyy. Mildly poisonous, the last recorded death to one was in 1998 regardless you should just stay calm and seek medical aid just in case

  16. Adder, huh?

    My grandpa, being a fearless finnish farmer
    /Hunter used to grab them by the tail, swing them around in the air and bash their skulls on the corner of a building before cutting their heads off with an axe. Can’t have em bite the dogs or one of the kids (me included) so aparrently the only reasonable way to handle them was some sort of cartel execution looking ass axe beheading.

    You should definetly get the dog to a vet and yourself to a doctor. Theres medication available for humans but a doctors visit is still something you kinda gotta go through.

  18. Can I just say, as a snake owner and as a person who tries so hard to advocate that snakes are not the horrible creatures a lot of people seem to think they are, I’m really proud of this comment section! A lot of smart, reasonable people out here.

    For OP, in the snake hobby someone said: “When you’re a noodle with a head, the world is a scary place”. They don’t wanna mess with you, and bear no malicious intent. Here’s hoping your walks are peaceful and without incident!

  21. If you have a big dog that is hard to carry, it would be great to practise beforehand calm carrying in your lap or shoulders, just in case your dog gets bitten. Moving around makes the poison spread faster via bloodstream.

  24. Need to be careful about adders in the spring. They are cold and sluggish, so they often lie on roads and rocks trying to warm up. If you have a rake you can try to move it if it’s causing problems for pets or children, but generally these dudes are pretty cool and will scurry if you stomp the ground a bit. It’s bite is usually not very dangerous, but if you are allergic to bees there is a good chance you are allergic to these guys too.

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