Snake Catcher The Gap.

Carpet Pythons dominate the snakes captured by the snake catcher servicing calls for The Gap. This snake is the largest of all snakes found in The Gap and is by far the most frequently seen species. Its large size and obvious success in the suburban environment make it a potential danger for small pets and caged birds.

Occupying both terrestrial and arboreal niches it has been able to utilise virtually all available microhabitats including roof spaces, wall cavities, sheds, gardens and parkland localities. Specimens in excess of 3 metres have been captured in The Gap however the average size for the species is nearer to 2.3 metres.

Common Tree Snakes are often seen in The Gap moving quickly through vegetation and these are also commonly encountered once they have entered homes. Like the Carpet Python their ability to occupy both terrestrial and arboreal niches sees them a common accidental home invader. Keelback snakes are also a regular within backyards in proximity to moist localities.

It is an energetic and mobile diurnal hunter of skinks and frogs which comprise the bulk of this species diet. The introduced Asian House Gecko is abundant in all suburbs of Brisbane including the Gap and is quite likely the primary reason that the Common Tree Snake is not only common in suburban areas but has managed to persist in even the most vegetation devoid suburbs including the inner city of Brisbane.

The Yellow-faced Whip Snake is one of a number of snake species that has managed to proliferate despite the continued pressure of habitat alteration and in some cases the species has been well facilitated by such change. In suburban areas the ever present abundance of skinks on which they predate has seen this species sustained with often high population densities recorded in many suburbs including The Gap, Bardon, nearby Ashgrove and Paddington.

White Crowned Snake are also captured and relocated regularly by the local snake catcher. This small inconspicuous species is often turned up in gardens and compost bins where it actively seeks out sleeping skinks by night. Due to its small size it is often brought into homes by roaming cats and offered as a small gift to often unsuspecting owners!

Appreciable by some would be the low incident rate of large venomous snakes removed from The Gap compared to other areas of Brisbane. In saying that, the highly venomous Eastern Brown Snake does turn up in some of the more open streets where the leafy canopy gives way to a more intermittent woodland habitat type mixed with ornamental gardens. This is particularly evident in the western streets of The Gap.

Around the home the Eastern Brown Snake is often encountered in and around localities with a strong rodent presence such as bird aviaries and stock feed sheds. Due to its active foraging nature it often enters homes through gaps afforded to it by open or gaps under doors. Any ground refugia may be utilised such as timber piles, sheet iron, rock walls and heavy vegetation.

The Eastern Small-eyed Snake is another significantly venomous species that is only intermittently encountered. A number of other smaller more inconspicuous species also call The Gap home with the removal of Dwarf Crowned Snakes and Golden Crowned Snakes an occasional request