The Reptile Bloke

04/01/2025

Tiger Snake.

03/01/2025

This is why I’m not giving away locations. Not even suburbs. Don’t want to give these kinds of people easy targets.

Operation Ares leads to the arrest of a 26-year-old woman from Ashfield who allegedly tried to export 94 live native reptiles to Hong Kong over a period of four weeks.

02/01/2025

Locations not disclosed

You may have noticed recently I have stopped saying in my posts what suburbs snakes have been relocated from.

Invariably now whenever I post a photo of a snake that has been removed from a home, someone in the comments will ask “what suburb was this in?” They ask because they want me to reassure them that it wasn’t in their area, which I kind of find humorous in a way, because snakes are found in EVERY suburb and EVERY street, so they are in your area.

So, why don’t I say where I catch the snakes that I post photos of?
The reason is quite sad.

Unfortunately there are people out there who look at my posts, see what I catch and see the suburb, take a good guess as to where I will release those snakes and then go look for them and collect them for themselves to keep or sell illegally.

This is a risk with some species more than others but I have decided to just make it a rule not to post the street or suburb of any snake I post a photo of because I really don’t want people looking for snakes right after I’ve released them. For this reason also, there are times when I will post about some snakes several days later, just to give the snakes extra time to disappear, and give potential poachers a bum steer.

So I do apologise, I don’t mean to be rude if you ask where the snake was found but I won’t be saying. It’s for the snakes own welfare, and I hope you understand.

If you have a snake in your home or on your property and need it removed don’t hesitate to call anytime.
0404 109 421
Take care.
Troy.

01/01/2025

A NSW man had an eventful end to 2024 after finding a deadly eastern brown snake coiled up inside his lawn mower.

31/12/2024

Happy New Year!
From The Reptile Bloke.

30/12/2024

Eastern Brown Snake hiding in a lawn mower today.

30/12/2024

28/12/2024

Classic. Repellers doing an excellent job. 🤣

27/12/2024

Always check the compost bin when throwing out your scraps. Snakes regularly take shelter inside the compost bin. It’s warm and cosy, Rodents are attracted to it, and snakes love it.
This Diamond Python was certainly living his best life here in this compost bin but he couldn’t stay. He was moved to suitable habitat close by.

24/12/2024

Merry Christmas to you and your family from The Reptile Bloke…… and these cheeky characters. 🎄 🎅 🐍 🦎

22/12/2024

“GOOD SNAKES & BAD SNAKES”

There is a common mindset that people have about snakes that if it is venomous it’s “bad” and if it’s non-venomous it’s “good”.

I’d like to challenge that idea if I could.

When it comes to snakes, many people often fall into the trap of labeling them as “good” or “bad” based solely on whether they are venomous or non-venomous. Some people just see all snakes as “bad” but I would suggest that snakes should not be thought of as “good” or “bad” but as vital elements of the ecosystems which they inhabit.

Venomous snakes possess specialized glands that produce venom, which they use primarily for neutralising their prey. This venom is incredibly effective at achieving its purpose.
Non-venomous snakes do not have this capability but are still effective predators, using constriction as their method to subdue their prey.

Both venomous and non-venomous snakes play crucial roles in their ecosystems. They help control populations of rodents and other pests and help maintain a balanced environment. There are many different species of snakes around Australia and the world, all having varying prey types, all of which contribute to the balance of their respective ecosystems.

Let’s be real though; problems between humans and snakes can arise when human habitation and snake habitation overlap meaning that there’s a chance a person might accidentally step on a snake or put their hands on a snake while gardening for example. While accidents can happen, bites can be avoided by taking simple precautions such as wearing appropriate clothing while out in the garden or snake prone areas, as well as gloves while pulling out weeds etc.
also, as common sense would tell you, if you see a snake, leave it alone and don’t mess with it so it doesn’t have to defend itself with the only means it has; it’s bite.

Many venomous snakes are shy and prefer to avoid humans. They only use their venom as a last resort when threatened. This means that most encounters with humans are harmless, in fact snakes will generally retreat to safety long before you even know they are there.
Snakes are not “angry”, they aren’t looking for a fight and they certainly will not go out of their way to bite you unprovoked.

So we as humans have a choice. We can choose fear, or we can choose understanding.
Fear often stems from misunderstanding, or ignorance. Educating ourselves about the behaviors and benefits of all snake species can help reduce fear and in turn, produces understanding.

Embracing a balanced perspective
Instead of viewing snakes through a lens of good vs. bad, let’s appreciate them for what they are: fascinating creatures with important roles in our ecosystems.

I suggest we take time to learn about local snake species, their behaviors, and their ecological importance, recognising that every creature has its place in the environment.

Let’s ditch fear and ignorance, which would have us believe there are “good” snakes and “bad” snakes.

Snakes are not “good” and “bad”. They are just venomous and non-venomous. Both of which are fascinating, unique and important.

Take care.
Troy.

21/12/2024

As a snake catcher, sometimes the job involves sticking your head inside a septic pit for about half an hour while you try to fish out a Red Bellied Black Snake that’s swimming around in the effluent. I should charge more. 🤣
Thank goodness for hot showers at home afterwards.

20/12/2024

How about this epic photo of the world’s most venomous snake, the Inland Taipan on a perfectly flat landscape with the Sun rising above the horizon behind it.
This stunning photo by: Jesse Campbell

The Inland Taipan exists in some of the most remote and barren parts of the Australian continent where you wouldn’t think anything could survive, but here lives the most venomous snake on the planet! Fascinating stuff!

Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus).
This impressive snake was found right before sunrise on a recent trip to the Moon Plains. It was pretty cool to still be finding geckos active, just before this encounter. This is one of my favourite pics I’ve taken. Even though the shot makes it look darker than it actually was, I kinda like it. A seriously good species and definitely not one you get tired of seeing.

14/12/2024

ONCE IN A DECADE SNAKE!

Ok. So this snake is REALLY COMMON in other parts of Australia, particularly in parts of northern NSW, QLD and the Northern Territory but here in the Blue Mountains they really aren’t all that common and I just came across my first Brown Tree Snake in over decade!

Imagine how excited I was to see this one!!

The Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis) is a mildly venomous species in the colubrid family of snakes.

Unlike snakes from the elapid family, Brown Tree Snakes have their fangs situated in the rear of their mouth rather than at the front.
Their venom is generally not considered dangerous to humans, except for people who may suffer from anaphylaxis. It’s best to avoid being bitten just in case.

Brown Tree Snakes are long and slender with a distinct head and large protruding eyes. They are usually brown with light and dark banding across their bodies. Northern specimens can be quite vibrant with highly contrasting banding. This has gained them the alternate name “Night Tiger”.

As their name would suggest, Brown Tree Snakes are arboreal, meaning they like to live up in trees. They hide in hollows, caves and rock crevices.
They are nocturnal but will bask during the day and they love to feed on mammals, birds and lizards.

Brown Tree Snakes can be found across the northern and eastern coasts of Australia from the Kimberley WA to the South Coast of NSW. They are also found in New Guinea and Indonesia and have been introduced to Guam where they have unfortunately become invasive!

In the time that I have been catching snakes I have now only ever come across three individual Brown Tree Snakes in the Blue Mountains. All of them in the lower mountains and the last one before this one, as I mentioned was over a decade ago!

There were a couple of sightings reported recently with photos sent to me by a member of the public. Those were found in the same area as this one.

I would be very happy to see more of them around and I hope their population may be becoming stronger.

If you happen to see one on your property or while out in the bush be sure to take a photo so it can be positively identified.

If you happen to come across a snake of any kind the best thing to do is leave it alone.
Don’t try to catch or kill it.
Most bites happen to people who are interfering with snakes in some way or another.

If a snake does need to be removed the safest thing to do is call a professional snake catcher. We are trained and experienced in what we do and can handle snakes in a way that is safe for ourselves, the public and the snake.

Enjoy this photo I took before it was released in some suitable habitat.

Take care.
Troy.

11/12/2024

Scales are just as beautiful as fur.
Like, comment & share if you agree.

10/12/2024

This was a post on a snake ID page today.

Unfortunately many harmless lizards like this Common Scalyfoot get mistaken for snakes and chopped up by people who, as one commenter put it “Your mate needs to put down the shovel and pick up a field guide to Australian reptiles”.

What a shame.

09/12/2024

When it’s pouring rain outside but the log pile in the shed is dry.
This baby Tiger Snake was loving life in this pile of firewood.

07/12/2024