snake help

[rosiesmith]

hi, not used this site before but wondered if anyone could help...
took a walk on the edge of a field (which was public bridal way in Hertfordshire) with my mum and my 2 young children today, my son (whos not even 4) ran on a little way ahead carrying his football and we saw him scream and fall into the field. i ran, grabbed him and looked around, but saw nothing
once we had checked him over and calmed him, he told us a big 'snail' jumped up from the grass and bit him, we weren't sure what he meant till later when he said he thought he stood on its tail, and think he may have startled a snake sunning itself on the dried cut grass.
he has a small nick on his hand, but never let go of the ball

does anyone think this is a possible senario? if so, im unsure on what it couldve been - he was absolutely mortified whenever we tried to put him down to walk on the grass and has been bursting into tears when he has been thinking back, i want to put his mind at ease as we love country walks

thank you in advance

[tcvarlh]

Hi
Is it possible to go back to the exact spot (without little one) and have a look around. The nick on the lad's hand is an odd factor. Normally one receives two marks from a snake bite. I wonder if he'd maybe stood on a broken branch laying on the ground that flipped up and caught him. You don't mention seeing a snake (tho' you wouldn't) and I doubt any snake would hang around when it felt a 4 year old footsteps getting closer.
h

[rosiesmith]

unfortunately we live in cambridgeshire, so not able to go back to that spot - he never let go of his football - he did fall over in his panic to get away onto a previously flattened prickly sowthistle, - there were no branches/twigs noticeable, as we had tried all thoughts of what it could be - a possible cricket jumping and hitting him, butterfly too close and startling as we thought the same about it disappearing before he got that close - hes been drawing what he believes he saw today and is alot calmer talking about it, so much so we've looked at lots of wildlife pictures of different things we would find in fields, grasses and woods and hes 100% sure,right down to the muddy grey colour.
we are going to put it down to experience and im going to take both of my children on short walks around our local nature reserves where i can take a buggy
thank you
Katie

[NickCantle]

I think that's a great thing to do Katie- in 80% of cases like this, I expect people would discourage their children from going on walks because they 'might get bitten by nasty things' but it's refreshing to see someone take a more educational approach

[squishy]

Originally Posted by rosiesmith

so much so we've looked at lots of wildlife pictures of different things we would find in fields, grasses and woods and hes 100% sure,right down to the muddy grey colour.
thank you
Katie

sorry, i'm not sure if i'm missing something, but he's 100% sure about what?

[tcvarlh]

As long as the little chap has suffered naught more than a fright. Can't think what it could have been. And four year olds are not known for their powers of description. Glad he took nothing worse.
h

[harasseddad]

It might have been a grass snake that he saw, but it's unlikely to have been able to reach his hand. far more likely to have bitten his ankle. Kids do have an instinctive fear of snakes I think (chimps certainly do). My grandson was quite shaken when he spotted a basking adder at that age, as he'd never connected snakes with england - he'd only seen them on the telly in wildlife documentaries from foreign parts. But we made him a badge with "chief snake finder" on it and now he's quite keen to find another.

[Hobjob]

The wording "jumped up", makes me wonder about toad / frog?

[squishy]

what about a slow worm?

i know that doesn't fit with the 'jumped up' but neither do snakes really.

slow worms a grey and shiny. look up some picks on google