Some big, beautiful creatures are keeping snake catchers busy during their traditional ‘slow’ season.
Prominent snake wrangler Stuart McKenzie recently caught a stunning 2m carpet python by the side of a house at Woombye, after the property owner almost tripped on it.
“She was going outside to clean the windows, but she nearly stepped on it,” he said.
“She left it there for a few hours, hoping it would move, but it didn’t, so she called us to come and relocate it.”
Mr McKenzie, who owns and operates Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, posted a photo and footage of the snake on its Facebook page, labelling it “a beautiful winter carpet python”.
He said carpet pythons were the main cause of call-outs.
“They’re definitely the most common snake we catch,” he said.
“They’re probably 50 per cent of our work.
“And at this time of year, it’s basically all we get.
“Snake activity has slowed down, but we still get the odd python curled up underneath a balcony and that sort of thing.”
Mr McKenzie said carpet pythons were “in every suburb” of the Sunshine Coast.
“At this time of year, they’re common in roof spaces, because they’re very good climbers and the roof is a nice, warm, dry spot for them,” he said.
He said carpet pythons were the most aesthetic snake in the region.
“The majority of them have a mottled blotch pattern and there can be greens and browns and oranges and random stripes,” he said.
They’re also the biggest snake around.
“They’re the heaviest, up to 10kg, and the longest, up to 3.5m,” he said.
Carpet pythons are non-venomous but can still pack a punch.
“They’re generally pretty well behaved but occasionally we do get one with a little bit of an attitude, that doesn’t want to be handled,” Mr McKenzie said.
“I’ve seen them give a bad bite, with a mouthful of sharp teeth.”
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Carpet pythons are also constrictors.
“You don’t want to get bitten and then have it hang on to you, which has happened to me, so it’s always best to leave them or call someone to get them.”
Carpet pythons usually eat rats, birds, possums and, occasionally, other reptiles.
Mr McKenzie and his team, who are the stars of television series Aussie Wranglers, expect to be busier in coming months.
“It will speed up again when we get towards spring and the breeding season,” he said.
