WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU SEE A SNAKE
Your safety
When you see a snake, never approach it or try to scare it off.
This can provoke the snake to try and defend itself.
This can provoke the snake to try and defend itself.
Call a professional
If you decide that the snake should be removed call a professional. If this is the option you have chosen then the following steps can be critical to ensuring the snake is found when the catcher arrives.
Have someone watch the snake from a safe distance 100% of the time
This is crucial. Snakes are very fast and can disappear in a matter of seconds, even in short grass, their colouring can also make them blend in to sticks and rocks etc. If the snake disappears, relocating it can be a very difficult and sometimes an unlikely mission.
Keep your distance
The person watching the snake needs to keep a safe distance so that they don’t unintentionally make the snake feel threatened. If the snake does decide to move on to another spot you can follow the snake to keep it in your sights, but from a distance. Sometimes it helps to have more than one person watching the snake (or the area that the snake was spotted, for example if it went into a bush, having people watch the bush from different sides can increase the chances of the snake being spotted if it leaves).
Keep vulnerable family members away
Make sure that any young children, Dogs, cats etc are kept away. Children can be curious, Dogs and Cats can be defensive. Keep them in the house (or a separate room if the snake is in the house).
If the snake is in your home
If the snake is in your home, Let us use the bathroom as an example. Follow the same steps as before. Have someone watch the snake and keep your distance. Call a professional and keep vulnerable family members away. Try to prevent the snake from moving to another room by rolling up some towels and putting them under the doors, close cupboards, toilet lids and anywhere else where the snake may want to try to escape or hide. If you are not comfortable being in the room with the snake, there is no need to put yourself in that position. Close the door and put a rolled up towel under it. You can maybe watch it through the window outside. If this is what you are comfortable doing I would try to find someone to watch the snake from the rooms window and also at the door. If the snake makes its way to the door and gets into the rest of the house, by the time you get back inside to monitor it, it could be anywhere.