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Deadly discovery in frightened couple's vacuum cleaner

A Queensland couple panicked when they spotted a red-bellied black snake in their home on Thursday and grabbed the first thing they could find to contain it – a vacuum cleaner.

While it was a good thing the homeowners had managed to contain the venomous snake, the appliance used probably wasn't the best tool for the job according to professional snake catchers at Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7.

"Thankfully the vacuum was not that powerful and the snake was un-injured," Stu McKenzie, who was called to help relocate the baby snake, wrote on Facebook along with a video of the relocation.

A red-bellied black snake caught in a vacuum.
A Queensland couple managed to contain the red-bellied black snake, but the appliance used probably wasn't the best tool for the job. Source: Facebook/Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7

On arrival the snake catcher assessed the snake for injury while it "cruised" around the vacuum and let the couple know if they ever spot a snake in their home again, it's best to close the door of the room the snake is in and call the professionals, not try and capture it themselves.

"It's a strange one but I've seen it before," Stu said in the video

"Obviously we don't recommend using a vacuum cleaner but the lady did panic," Mr McKenzie said as he moved the snake from the vacuum to a bag.

Red-bellied black snakes common on east coast

Red-bellied black snakes are venomous and one of the most frequently encountered snakes on the east coast of Australia.

Although a number of bites are reported each year, the Australian Museum states the snakes are quite shy and will usually only bite when under sever stress, so it's best to keep out of their way.

The couple were a little uneasy finding out that it was a baby snake and wondered if it had hatched near their house but Mr McKenzie assured them there would likely be no other siblings around "and his mother isn't going to come looking for him or anything like that".

After releasing the snake in the bush the snake catcher assured his followers that he had educated the couple on what to do next time they spot a snake and despite "going on a bit of a rollercoaster" the snake was fine.

"It's a good result and off he goes back to the bush where he belongs," Mr Mckenzie said as he released the snake.

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