Snakes back in season

Spring has arrived and with it, the snakes.

Venomous snake handler Jason Martin said snake sightings were picking up with the start of the season.

“The nice weather we had not long ago has started the season off and I have already had a few call-outs to snakes around homes,” he said.

Mr Martin said the most common snake found around homes was the tiger snake.

“Mostly commonly, I am called out to tiger snakes and then occasionally we have the dugite and carpet pythons,” he said.

“Normally, people have spotted the snakes hanging around their front or backyard but there are cases of the carpet pythons in the roofs and things like that.”

Mr Martin said maintaining the yard and keeping the grass at a low level would limit the chances of snake hiding places.

“Keeping the yard neat and tidy is the biggest one to stop the snakes hiding around your place, and not having pieces of metal and tin lying around as they can get hot and be a great place for them,” he said. “Also shrubs and ground covers are terrible, as they will hide in there and won’t be noticed.” The experienced snake handler said if people noticed a snake at their home, they should try their best to keep an eye on it and give someone a call.

“There are lots of people to call, including myself and the (Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions),” he said.

“Most importantly, don’t try and deal with it yourself, call someone who is trained.

“If you respect them, they will respect you.”

If you have a snake in your backyard, you can phone Mr Martin on 0409 753 997.