The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) is seeking new homes for 10 stray pets of the slithering kind.
Some 1,500 years after snakes were supposed to have been banished from Ireland, the society is experiencing an upsurge in the number of stray reptiles turning up in unwelcome places.
In part due to the warm weather, the snakes are escaping from their owners and wandering into other people's homes and gardens.
In recent weeks the society rescued 10 snakes in the Dublin area, varying in size from 12cm (5in) to 2m (6.6ft). The reptiles are being kept at the society's shelter in Rathfarnham, Dublin, and include bull, rat, corn, garter and grass snakes. These varieties are not poisonous, but some can be aggressive.
The snakes are imported into Ireland mainly from the US and sold through pet shops for between €80 and €300. Young snakes are cheapest, with larger, older snakes fetching bigger sums. There are also some breeders in Ireland.
The society has asked owners to ensure their pets are kept in a secure enclosure with an escape-proof top, particularly during warm weather when snakes are more active.
Orla Aungier, education officer with the DSPCA, said they answered a call this week from a woman in Tallaght who was greeted by a 1.83m (6ft) bull snake when she opened her kitchen press.
"The bull snake is aggressive and has an incredibly loud hiss and it can also bite. The woman closed her kitchen door and called us for help."
She advised that anyone who finds a snake should not disturb it because if startled they escape and become hard to find. She suggested that if possible a basin could be put over the reptile and weighted down to prevent its escape. Otherwise, if it is in a room the door should be shut.
The society also appealed for new homes for the snakes in their possession.
"Owners are often afraid to tell their neighbours they've lost their snakes and so they are often not claimed," Ms Aungier said. "We are looking for new homes for them, or indeed if anyone is missing a snake please call us, we may have it."
The DSPCA can be contacted at 4935502.
Meanwhile, in Ketchum, Idaho, USA, veterinary surgeons operated on a 3.7m (12ft) Burmese python which swallowed a electric blanket, complete with flex and switch. After a 12-hour operation, the vets said the prognosis for Houdini the python was great.
