20 snakes sliding around the Sunny Coast this summer

FROM a brown tree snake with a pet bird in its belly to a python "hitch-hiking” on a toddler's toy car, Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers never know what to expect.

Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 Lachlan Gilding and Max Jackson will bring a free community information session about snake safety to Agnes Water next week. Picture: Facebook

FROM a brown tree snake with a bird from a private avery in its belly to a python "hitch-hiking" on a toddler's toy car, Max Jackson from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers never knows what the day will bring.

Most (80%) of the 1000-plus unwanted visitors his team caught in 2016 were non-venomous species including carpet pythons, tree snakes and keelbacks, but brown snakes and red belly black snakes occasionally make an appearance.

Summer is the busiest time for snakes, and in the lead up to recent rain Max's team received up to 10 relocation calls every day.

"Plenty of people have seen snakes, they're definitely moving in this hotter part of the year," he said.

Rain over the last week had slowed them down, with calls dropping to about two per day.

"If it does start warming up again they'll start moving again," he said. "This is the time of year it's most active and you do see the most of them."

Snakes of the Sunshine Coast

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The team also provides free advice to about 20 callers on a busy day - from people who spotted a python in their backyard or had seen a snake in a public place and didn't know what to do.

"If they don't have any small pets and nobody in the house is particularly nervous about snakes, I just advise them to leave it," he said.

"It's probably been there for a long time before they noticed it."

Owner of the snake catching business Richie Gilbert handed over the reins to Max and colleague Lockie Gilding in September last year.

Richie still owns the business, but Max and Lockie manage a team of 10 catchers covering an area from Caboolture in the south to Woodford in the hinterland, and north to Noosa.

With snake handlers based in each of these areas as well as Cooroy and Buderim, the team can get to most locations within 20 minutes, Max said.

To learn more, go to www.sunshinecoastsnakecatchers.com.au or follow the Facebook page www.facebook.com/sunshinecoastsnakecatchers24/7 for tips, videos, identification and generation education for snakes in the Sunshine Coast region.

Photos and information provided by Max Jackson, Richie Gilbert, Richard Jackson and Daniel Stace.