Snake Catcher Seaforth
Snake in Seaforth? Call 0418 633 474 If you've found a snake around your home or garden in Seaforth, call Urban Reptile Removal on 0418 633 474. Before we arrive, the most helpful thing you can do is keep watching it. Don't approach the snake and don't waste time trying to identify it.
Stay a safe distance away and maintain visual contact. If it moves into vegetation, underneath a deck or behind a retaining wall, keep watching the place where you last saw it. This matters particularly in Seaforth. Steep gardens, sandstone walls, dense vegetation and under-house spaces give a snake plenty of places to disappear. If we know exactly where it went, we've got a much better chance of finding it.
Why Seaforth gets snakes
You don't need to travel very far from the centre of Sydney to find genuine snake habitat. Seaforth proves it. The suburb sits beside Middle Harbour, with substantial areas of sandstone bushland, steep gullies, creek lines and native vegetation extending through the surrounding area. Many homes sit directly against bushland or have heavily vegetated gardens that effectively continue that habitat into residential streets. To a snake, there's no meaningful line separating bushland from someone's backyard. Rock walls provide shelter. Gardens support skinks and frogs. Roof spaces can contain rodents. Mature trees provide movement routes for climbing species. That's why snake removal in Seaforth is a normal part of our work on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
What reptiles do we encounter around Seaforth?
The species around Seaforth reflect its sandstone bushland environment. Among the reptiles we encounter in this part of Sydney are Diamond Pythons, Red-bellied Black Snakes, Golden-crowned Snakes, Green Tree Snakes and even Lace Monitors. Some are venomous. Some are completely harmless. Knowing the difference is useful, but you don't need to make that decision yourself when there's a snake sitting beside your back door.
Diamond Pythons — a classic Seaforth snake
If there's one snake that looks completely at home in the bushier parts of Seaforth, it's the Diamond Python. Diamond Pythons are large, non-venomous snakes found throughout Sydney's sandstone country. They're powerful climbers and feed on rats, mice, birds and other warm-blooded prey. The combination of mature trees and older homes in Seaforth can suit them extremely well. They may move through trees and gardens, but they'll also investigate pergolas, sheds and roof spaces. This is where people sometimes make a mistake. A Diamond Python seen crossing the back of a bushland property isn't necessarily a problem. It's a native predator doing exactly what it's supposed to do. A large python disappearing into your ceiling is a different situation. If it needs to be removed, call Urban Reptile Removal on 0418 633 474.
Red-bellied Black Snakes are more closely associated with damp areas. Creek lines, gullies and drainage areas provide habitat for frogs, and frogs are an important part of the Red-bellied Black Snake's diet. They're venomous snakes and should be treated with respect, but they're generally shy and reluctant to confront people. Given an escape route, a red-belly will usually use it. The important thing is not to turn a relatively straightforward encounter into a dangerous one by chasing, cornering or trying to kill the snake. Stand back and let it move. If it's somewhere that genuinely requires removal, keep watching it and give us a call.
The little snakes hiding in Seaforth gardens Some of the snakes around Seaforth are much easier to overlook.
are small, nocturnal snakes that spend much of the day concealed underneath rocks, timber, bark and leaf litter. A well-established Seaforth garden can provide plenty of these hiding places. Many encounters happen because somebody is gardening rather than because the snake has deliberately moved into an exposed area. Lift a rock, move a pot or shift some old timber and suddenly there's a small snake underneath it. Golden-crowned Snakes are venomous but aren't regarded as dangerous to humans. Put down whatever you've moved and give the snake some room.
Green Tree Snakes are harmless. They're non-venomous, fast-moving and active during the day. Established gardens and bushland edges around Seaforth provide good habitat, particularly where frogs and small reptiles are present. Their colour is surprisingly variable. Some are bright green. Others are olive, brown, grey or blue. If you've got one moving through the garden, there's normally nothing you need to do. Give it space and it'll usually disappear quickly.
Then there's the reptile that's difficult to miss. Lace Monitors, or goannas, are large, powerful lizards that occur throughout Sydney's sandstone bushland. They're excellent climbers and may be seen crossing gardens or heading straight up a tree when disturbed. A large Lace Monitor can look intimidating, but these animals aren't hunting people. Give one room and it will generally move away. Most don't need to be relocated. We become involved when an animal is trapped, has entered a confined space or there's another genuine reason it can't simply be left alone.
The Seaforth problem: where did the snake go?
One of the biggest challenges when catching snakes in Seaforth isn't necessarily catching them. It's finding them. Older homes and steep blocks can have an extraordinary number of places for a snake to disappear.
Under decks.
Behind sandstone retaining walls.
Into thick vegetation.
Beneath houses.
Around pool equipment.
Under stairs.
Into gaps around sheds.
A snake can move from being clearly visible to completely inaccessible in seconds. That's why we keep emphasising visual contact. Don't follow the snake closely. Watch it from a distance. Knowing exactly where it disappeared can save a great deal of searching. Does the snake actually need removing? Not necessarily.
If a Diamond Python or Green Tree Snake is moving through vegetation at the bottom of a bushland property, the sensible response may simply be to leave it alone. Professional snake removal in Seaforth is more appropriate when the animal is:
inside the house
entering a roof or building
trapped somewhere
around a frequently used outdoor area
close to an animal enclosure
beside a pool or entertaining area
somewhere people can't reasonably avoid it
Native reptiles are part of living beside bushland. Our job is to resolve the situations where that wildlife comes into genuine conflict with people.
Make the area around your house less attractive
You can't control the bush surrounding Seaforth, but you can control what's happening immediately around your home. Reduce unnecessary clutter. Keep stored materials off the ground. Control rodents. Don't leave pet food outside overnight. Keep vegetation around doors and frequently used areas manageable. Pay particular attention to gaps beneath decks, around sheds and underneath older homes. The aim isn't to turn your garden into a concrete courtyard. It's simply to reduce the easiest hiding places and food sources immediately around the house. And don't rely on commercial snake repellents. We don't recommend ultrasonic devices, sprays or powders. They aren't a substitute for dealing with the things that actually attract snakes — food, shelter and access.
Need a Snake Catcher in Seaforth?
If you've found a snake somewhere that needs to be removed, don't chase it and don't attempt to catch it yourself. Keep your distance and maintain visual contact. Then call: Urban Reptile Removal — 0418 633 474 Professional snake catching and snake removal in Seaforth, seven days a week.
About Chris Williams
Chris Williams founded Urban Reptile Removal after more than three decades working professionally with Australian reptiles. His career has included working with reptiles at Taronga Zoo and the Australian Reptile Park, and he later founded Snake Ranch, which grew to become Australia's largest reptile breeding facility. Chris has written or co-authored eight books on Australian reptiles and amphibians, including Urban Reptiles and Reptiles of the Greater Sydney Region. He has served as President of the Australian Herpetological Society since 2014 and now works full-time catching and relocating snakes and other reptiles throughout Greater Sydney. Urban Reptile Removal — 0418 633 474