Baby Red Belly Questions?

[PeterH]

Two weekends ago we had some trenches dug for water pipes on our small farm. When I went to hand dig out some of the dirt that had fallen back in the trench we found the cutest baby red belly, about 10 cm long. My questions are:
a) how old approximately would a 10 cm RBB be?
b) being that young small would it's bite be poisonous / hurt?


Needles to say I did not handle it, I gently picked it up with a spade and moved it into the rainforest to go on it merry way, we get a lot of Red belly blacksnakes here, fantastic looking snakes and nerer a problem, they just do their thing and we do ours, even my two Jack Russel dogs leave them alone, wish they would leave the water dragons alone in the creek but they are too fast for the dogs.

[slim6y]

Even as a new hatched hatchling a bite can still deliver venom... In some species of snake a younger bite (such as that from a coastal taipan) can actually be worse as they have less control over their venom glands... As for individual species - i can't answer - but I would say that equally - if not more venomous at a hatchey stage.

[SnakeWrangler]

I think a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that little means less when it comes to venom. You were definitely wise to err on the side of caution.

[Just_Joshin]

a) Less than 2 months.......it really depends how much food it has been getting.....No food, no grow

b) YES it is still venomous but it prolly wouldn't hurt. Hatchies often have little to no control over their venom glands as they haven't learnt how to use them yet. Therefore they often unload the entire gland into whereas an adult specimen may only use 10% of the gland or give you a dry bite.

[Jonno from ERD]

G'day mate,

It would have been born earlier this year. They normally mate around August/September/early October (as we have seen by some videos of males combatting in the previous few months) and their gestation period is around 4 months. The only possible exception is that maybe a female laid dormant over winter while gravid. This has been documented in several species of Viper overseas and I think Shine has recorded it here in Australia with Red Bellies.

Are you sure it was a Red Belly and not a juvenile Small Eyed Snake?

Cheers

[elapid@]

red bellied black (pseudechis porphyriacus)
Being small or large dose not make them any less dangerous, they still deliver venom that is toxic to humans etc.
what makes them dangerous is they are strong coagulant (causes the blood to clot with in the blood vessels).
Haemolytic (venom destroys red blood cells, may cause urine to turn red)
Cytotoxic(destroys tissue)
weakly Neurotoxic( nerve system ) thats whats dangerous about Neurotoxins they cause paralysis and can lead to aphiyxiation and respiratory failure. but red bellied blacks dont produce strong Ensyme thats a protien that helps speeds up the Neurotoxin. "Gives you enough time to get you to hospital lol! still always apply first aid.
cheers steve

[PeterH]

Well Jonno I have never heard of a small eyed snake, so looked at a couple of pictures and yes it could have been one. I assumed it was a RBB as we have lots of them around all the time. What I saw was a small snake, dark in colour with a pale pink and silvery colouring on its belly, I did not handle it, just gently picked it up with a trench spade. I live on 40 acres in rainforest area behind Nowra so I guess it could have been either, wish I had got a photo of it.

Any how more importantly is to learn that little still means dangerous when talking about snakes.
Thanks all for the replies

[$NaKe PiMp]

a small eyed snake lacks the red bellie though
and funny enough has small eyes LOL
most baby red bellies ive seen had a distinct red belly

[$NaKe PiMp]

but adults ive seen have had a pinkish belly or almost creamy colour

[whatsup]

here's a small eye with a red belly.

[Jonno from ERD]

Snake Pimp,

I have seen plenty of Small Eyeds with a black dorsal colouration and distinct red ventrals. Also, I have seen (and own) Red Bellies without red bellies.

[$NaKe PiMp]

yeah thats the prob with snake id sometimes
there is such in species variation

a small eyed snake usually has a pinkish belly and only on the ventral scales

i havent seen a red bellie with out a red belly
would be very rarebut very interesting can you post a pic jono?

[Bung-Eye]

actually i believe red bellies without red bellies aren't that uncommon

[Valley Reptile Supplies]

i have seen a red belly with a blue belly or was that a blue belly with a red belly ohh i dont know very nice all the same.
G im confused

If a red belly has not got a red belly how can you call it a red belly is it not just a black snake

[Jonno from ERD]

Valley Reptile Supplies,

Strangely enough their other common name is simply "Black Snake" or "Common Black Snake". Nine times out of ten, they will have a distinct red belly, but there is always the exception to the rule, especially with Australian snakes. I am not a big fan of common names as it is, especially those that rely on a colouration that the species usually is.

Snake Pimp,

I have been organising a whole bunch of photos to inundate APS with, so it will be up soon. Other species include Coastal Taipans, Speckled Browns and Perenties