50 places snakes might hide in your home
If this doesn’t make your skin crawl, nothing will. A Melbourne snake catcher has shared the 50 weirdest spots he’s rescued reptiles from — you’ll never look at your house the same again.
South East
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Watch out, there are snakes about — and they could be lurking where you least expect them.
Peak snake season is just weeks away and veteran snake catcher Barry Goldsmith has warned the slithering serpents can hide just about anywhere in and around your home.
Mr Goldsmith, from Snake Catcher Victoria, said he had found snakes in bookcases, toy boxes, toilets, swimming pools, children’s beds, heaters, washing machines and even inside ugg boots.
“We’ve even found them in bird aviaries where snakes have a belly full of birds,” he said.
“Snakes are very curious and they like to hide in covered places, but sometimes they are even attracted by smell to go into these spots,” he said.
“It’s also important to remember wherever a mouse can go a snake can too.”
Mr Goldsmith said the most common snakes in the Cranbourne area were venomous, with varying degrees of danger.
“The most dangerous snake in Cranbourne are tiger snakes, and while there are no recorded deaths from copperheads, they eat the tiger snakes — so if you’ve got a brown-coloured snake and live in Cranbourne — you have to appreciate these gentle snakes,” he said.
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Mr Goldsmith has caught 30 snakes from southeastern homes in the past six months and said he had been called out an average of three times a week.
“Sometimes the snake has already gone when I get there,” he said.
“Father’s Day is really the beginning of snake season and it goes through until April.”
But the takeaway message is “don’t panic if you see a snake”.
“Be nice to snakes — don’t step on them, hurt or kill them — it’s ideal not to panic and it’s always best to call a snake catcher,” Mr Goldsmith said.