As the weather begins to warm up, snakes are slithering their way into public areas more regularly, but what can you do to protect yourself from these reptiles in the warmer months?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
WIRES Goulburn reptile coordinator Ben Shoard and snake catcher Shaun Armstrong have shared some simple advice on what to do if you encounter a snake in or near your home.
Mr Shoard said there were three prominent breeds of snake in the Southern Tablelands.
"Around Goulburn we mostly get tiger snakes. Brown snakes are not far behind that and red bellies," Mr Shoard said.
In the neighbouring Crookwell and Highlands regions there's one addition to the mix.
"We also get copperheads, we mainly get those around Crookwell and up in the Southern Highlands, but you also still get the tigers, red bellies and browns."
Mr Armstrong and Mr Shoard largely agree that if you encounter a snake you should leave it be.
Mr Armstrong said snakes were largely timid animals and were "more afraid of you than you are of them."
"They prefer to be left alone," he said. "By giving them some space, they won't pose a threat."
Mr Shoard said their behaviour could vary quite a bit, but maintaining distance was always a safe bet.
"Tiger snakes are fairly relaxed unless you go near them, but if you poke them they will definitely let you know. Red bellies are much more relaxed, in fact a lot of snake catchers and experienced snake handlers end up bitten by red bellies because they're so placid. [The snake handlers] let their guard down a bit too much," he said.
Mr Shoard said copperheads were "beautiful snakes" and sat somewhere in the middle in their behaviour between a red belly and a tiger snake.
"They squirm a lot when you get hold of them but they're generally okay," he said.
Meanwhile, brown snakes should never be provoked.
"Brown snakes will defend themselves very enthusiastically," Mr Shoard said.
However, he said the critical factor was that it was always better to walk away from a close encounter with any snake.
"I have never been in a situation where I haven't been able to walk away from a snake if I needed to, which is the point.
"I've been locked under a house with a snake and I still could have turned around and walked out and I would not have had an issue."
He said some people run into an issue and panic when they're not used to encountering a snake which puts them and the animal at risk.
Mr Armstrong said children and pets complicated things and the first thing was to get them away from the snakes as they could prove deadly.
"If something like a Red Belly Black snake or Tiger snake enters your home, the first thing you need to do is keep your children and pets away from the area."
Mr Armstrong said it was important to do this as you were protecting your pets and children while also allowing the snake to feel "less threatened."
Both he and Mr Shoard agree you should always call WIRES or a professional snake catcher who can safely relocate the animal.
Should you encounter the worst and be bitten by a snake, Mr Armstrong says to remain calm and apply a pressure bandage.
"Make sure to mark on top of the bandage the bite location so the Doctor knows where to cut the bandage to obtain a swab for the Venom Detection Kit," Mr Armstrong said.
It is then important to dial 000 and remain as still as possible while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
Mr Armstrong said a mistake people often made was by washing the location of the bite and strongly recommended people do not do this.
"This will possibly delay treatment at the hospital, as washing will not give the Venom Detection Kits (VDK) a reading to identify what anti-venom is required for treatment," he said.
