Homeowners urged to check snake's common hiding spot

A slippery red-bellied black snake has escaped capture for the very last time.

After weeks on the run through a Queensland retirement village, the four-foot long, “highly venomous” reptile was picked up in Kawana Waters on Monday.

“I’d come out about 10 days prior looking for it in a different street but it had just taken off,” Stuart McKenzie from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 told Yahoo News Australia.

“It was getting in and out of little gaps and when we got there it had completely vanished."

This time around, the snake had got comfy in a tiny gap next to the roller door that goes into the wall cavity.

Footage of the capture shows Stuart using his inspection camera to peer into the tiny space.

“When I got there and saw that at least I could see the tail, I was happy about that, but I still had my doubts about whether we would be able to get it or not,” Stuart said.

“Thankfully, I was able to encourage it out.”

“It was one of those situations where it was a very big relief when we finally caught it.”

While considered highly venomous, “with a bite that could kill someone”, Stuart insists red-bellied black snakes aren’t dangerous unless you mess with them.

He does add, however, that they are exceptionally good at hiding.

“Snakes are pretty incredible at squeezing into gaps,” he said.

“We have seen them squeeze under closed flyscreen doors and stuff like that before.”

“If the snake is as thick as your finger, it can squeeze into a hole probably half of that once it actually squeezes its body down.”

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With the cold weather encouraging snakes to seek a warm nook, Stuart is advising homeowners to do what they can to prevent them from getting inside.

“Make sure doors have security screens and don’t have holes in them, and don’t leave doors open during the day,” he warned.

“Gaps around the garage door, that is one that is pretty common in houses that people don’t know about, when all it takes is a little bit of expandable foam to block it.”

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