Snakes

Hunter Wildlife Rescue is a volunteer-run organisation that rescues, rehabilitates and releases injured, sick and distressed native animals.  If there is an uninjured snake in your house please call a professional snake catcher and they will remove and relocate the snake for you.

If you come across an injured snake, please call our 24/7 Rescue Line . This number is operated by our friends at WIRES and they will send an alert to one of our trained volunteers who will be out to you as soon as it is possible.

What Should You Do If There Is a Snake In Your Home?

In September/October every year the Hunter Wildlife Rescue gets many calls about reptiles being in gardens, houses, pools etc.  This is the time of year that reptiles come out of hibernation and start getting very active to breed and feed up over the summer months ready for next winter.  The other time they become more active around houses also occurs during March/April/May when the reptiles are looking for somewhere to hibernate.

Many get injured on our roads. They often sit on the tarred roads for extra warmth as reptiles need to be warm to catch and digest their food.

What to do if you find a snake in your house If you do come across a snake in your house then please close all the other doors that lead into the rest of the house and if there is a gap under the door block that off too using towels jammed firmly under it blocking the whole space as snakes can slide through very small gaps. If there is a door that leads outside then leave it wide open and keep watch to see if the snake leaves. On hot days snakes will often go into houses looking for a cool place to rest during the hottest part of the day. Even though they need warmth to feed and digest food they do not actually like it too hot as they can die quite quickly if stuck in direct sun for too long. In really hot weather some prefer to move about on warm nights instead of during the day. If the snake does not leave then call the NATFInc Wildlife Rescue Service hotline for advice on 0418 628 483 or 0418 NATIVE.

If you have a snake in your garden – keep your dogs and children indoors and keep an eye on the snake to see if it leaves your area. Keep a safe distance away from the snake and watch where it goes.

Snakes in the Hunter region

Venomous The Diamond Python and Green Tree snake are our two larger non-venomous snakes in the Hunter. If found in a tree or fence, etc. just leave it in peace if it is not in danger from dogs, cats, or people, etc. These reptiles are harmless and will assist in keeping mice and rat numbers down around your yard if they decide to hang around but most just pass through and you never see them again will probably be gone by the next day. The Diamond Python has small cream diamond shape on most scales, some forming a rosette pattern along the length of the snake. If you have a python living in your roof you will never have a mouse or rat problem as these are their favourite foods. The Green Tree Snake is not venomous – they can still bite though – and can range from a green colour to caramel brown with blue flecks showing between each scale. They have a bright yellow throat and belly; and are a very slender snake with a very thin tail. Tree snakes are attracted to frog ponds and cool thick vegetation that is good habitat for frogs because that is their favourite food. The Brown Tree Snake is similar but has very large brown bulgy eyes and a very narrow neck and has more pattern on their body scales. The most common poisonous snake to appear in gardens is the Red-bellied Black Snake. They particularly like swampy and wet areas, especially if you have a pond or a dam and frogs in the area. Many Red-Bellied Black snakes are attracted to ponds and swimming pools during hot summer months as they require water to soften their outer skin when they are ready to slough (peel or rub) it off. This is how they grow. Their outer skin actually gets too tight and they have a new skin underneath that is bigger. The other poisonous (highly poisonous) snake that turns up is the Brown Snake. Even little brown snakes are very poisonous. Juvenile brown snakes 20cms and up to 40/50 cms have a black head and a black collar and usually have bands across their body as well. Also there are various small, usually nocturnal (night active) snakes that are only mildly venomous and only cause local symptoms like a beesting: Yellow-faced Whipsnake grows to about 80 to 100 cms. It is very long and thin, with a small white patch in front of and behind its eyes and it moves very quickly. Marsh Snake 40 cms. Dark coloured with pale white stripes on upper lip and behind the eye. Red-naped Snake 45 cms – harmless with a red patch on head. Golden Crowned Snake 40 cms – has a gold crown pattern on its head and is a dark brown colour.