Rockhampton vet, snake catcher share safety message

After a little boy was bitten by a snake, Queensland vets and a snake catchers have shared their messages on how to keep you and your family snake safe.

Vets are issuing warnings of their own to pet owners as some clinics have multiple pets a day come through their doors after having an encounter with a snake.

It comes after Emerald mum Brogan Iddles recently shared her message for parents to be on the lookout for snakes across the region after her three-year-old son Valik was bitten by what was believed to be a deadly eastern brown snake.

The little boy spent a night in the ICU and four days in hospital after being envenomated by the snake, with doctors telling his family he was “very, very lucky” to have walked out of hospital.

Torenbeek Vet Clinic veterinarian Dr Adam Williams.

Torenbeek Vet Clinic’s Dr Adam Williams said the pets coming to their Rockhampton clinic with possible snake bite weren’t coming from one particular area, but from many different locations across the town.

“We’re seeing snake bites pretty much every day, sometimes multiple (times) depending on the day,” he said.

“We don’t see them (snake bites) stop in Central Queensland...as things warm up we see the snakes breeding and moving around looking for food sources, so it’s pretty normal that as it heats up we see more movement.

“Snakes aren’t alone, there’s issues such as ticks as well that don’t have a season as such, we were seeing snake bites in winter but they are mobilising more now.”

Dr Williams said if pet owners see their fury friends having an encounter with a snake, they should call their vet clinic right away.

“You don’t want to be waiting for symptoms to kick in because they may take 12 to 24 hours to do so,” he said.

“If they’re not showing symptoms we can run tests to see if they have been bitten and can treat accordingly.

“We can’t always diagnose which snake it is on the spot, so, if owners can get a picture of the snake as well, without putting themselves in danger, we can determine what the symptoms might be.”

Snakes are moving around the region a lot more as the weather heats up.

He said snake bites in pets, depending on the species of reptile, can lead to a multitude of issues including paralysis and kidney damage.

Dr Williams said it was “really important” for pet owners to source information, on what to do with their pet following a snake encounter, from a clinic and not social media.

With snakes moving around a lot more, it’s made for a busy time for local snake catchers such as Max Neason.

Last week Mr Neason received more than 20 call-outs for snake relocations, which included venomous eastern browns, red belly blacks, carpet pythons, and keelbacks.

“It really is just a change in the season...snakes are cold blooded so as the weather warms up their metabolism changes,” he said.

“When Queensland gets warmer and more humid the snakes are more active and on the move looking for food, and we are seeing more run-ins with people and snakes.”

He said one of his call-outs included an incident where a red-belly black snake ended up in a dog’s bed – but said both snake and dog were OK.

Mr Neason said he was also working on developing a training course to help pet owners teach their pets to stay away from snakes.

Rockhampton snake catcher Max Neason.

He said he was also expanding his business to add more handlers to his crew to help more households across the region. 

“The snakes think our yards are their yards too, but no one is at fault; they’ve been here longer than we have,” he said.

“Something I get asked a lot, while the weather is getting hotter, is if commercial snake repellents work, and the answer is ‘no’.”

Mr Neason shared his tips for trying to limit snakes in your yard.

“The best way to avoid them is to keep your grass tidy and mowed, and try and limit the amount of rubbish to keep rats and mice away, because that’s what snakes eat,” he said.

“If you see a snake keep your kids and pets inside and keep an eye on it from a distance and let it go on its way, because they’re not out to get anyone.

“If the snake looks like it’s sticking around or is in the house then call a snake catcher.”