THE RSPCA is appealing for the owner of a snake found in the garden of a Wirral house to get in touch.

The Ridley's Racer cave snake, a non-venomous species native to Thailand, was spotted at the rear of a property in Marlwood Avenue, Wallasey last Friday and is currently in the RSPCA's care.

The charity's animal collection officer Lauren Bradshaw was called out to pick up the snake.

She said: "I went there expecting it to be a corn snake, which is the type of stray snake I usually collect, but I was intrigued to find that it wasn’t a corn snake at all.

"It has been identified as a ridley's racer cave snake, a non-venomous species which is native to Thailand.

"The poor snake was cold and thirsty when it was found but is now doing well.

"We don't know if it is an escaped pet or possibly a stowaway from Thailand, although the snake seems pretty good with being handled so it possibly has been owned at some point.

"We'd really like to reunite the snake with its owner, so we hope that the owner comes forward.

"As there is a possibility that this snake has escaped, it is a reminder to snake owners that they must ensure that their animals' accommodation is secure.

"Snakes are not only good escape artists, they, like other exotic pets, have specialist needs and so are challenging to look after properly.

"They can be very expensive and time consuming to look after properly and so anyone thinking of taking on that responsibility needs to thoroughly research what it entails before deciding to commit to getting one".

The snake has been put on the Pets Located website and posters have been put up in the area.

Anyone who has any information about who the snake belongs to should call 0300 123 8018.