Family returns home to devastating scene after snake finds its way into pet bird's cage

One Reddit user came home to a surprise guest — and a missing bird — after the family's birdcage became the site of a startling wildlife encounter. 

In the post, shared in the r/snakes subreddit, the original poster said their brother found the snake in the cage where their parents kept a small bird. As he was alone in the house with his girlfriend, with neither the poster nor their father around to help, the discovery was more than a little bit unnerving.

In a short clip, the poster is seen capturing the snake with an oven mitt and a towel. They said they used a kitchen glove to move it because "even if I know they're not venomous, I didn't want to get bitten as she was being quite aggressive." 

This guy broke in and ate our bird
byu/Ignamolle insnakes

(Click here to view footage if embed does not appear.)

The poster said they released the snake in the garden, an act of kindness that was well-received by the r/snakes community.

One commenter wrote: "I'm sorry y'all lost your pet birdie. Thank you for letting the snake go unharmed."

According to the original poster, the species is known in Spanish as a "horseshoe snake" and is common across the Iberian Peninsula. Other Reddit users confirmed the snake ID, and one Redditor said, "In English we have a very similar name, 'horseshoe whip snake.'"

This type of snake is nonvenomous, but it is important to remember that a frightened animal can still bite in self-defense. When dealing with these creatures, it's best to take caution.

One commenter praised the poster for taking care with what are often misunderstood and feared creatures. "Thank you for not killing it!" they said, to which the OP replied: "Of course! She just did what a hungry snake would do."

"Just because a snake is hungry and follows its instincts doesn't give anyone a right to kill it," another agreed.

A third observed: "Not a single bit of remorse in that cute little face."

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