Snake Catcher Arcadia

Why Arcadia Gets the Snake Activity It Does

Arcadia sits at the northern edge of the Hornsby LGA acreage belt, north of Galston and bordering the rural fringe out toward Berrilee, Forest Glen and the Hawkesbury catchment. This is genuinely rural country. Most of the suburb is large blocks measured in acres, horse properties, agistment paddocks, hobby farms, market gardens, citrus and produce growers, plant nurseries, hay sheds, chicken coops, feed sheds and machinery yards. The connecting bushland feeds into Marramarra National Park to the north and the Berowra Valley system to the east. Cattai Creek and the connecting drainage thread through. The bushland exposure is substantial and the rural character is the defining feature.

The housing stock is overwhelmingly rural acreage, with the kind of established farmhouses, weatherboard homes and purpose-built rural housing that has defined the suburb for decades. There's no village centre in the way Galston has one, just spread-out acreage holdings linked by Arcadia Road and the surrounding rural roads. The combination of acreage, working farms, bushland exposure and national park edge produces a profile led by Red-bellies on the watered sections, Eastern Browns as a significant and serious species on the rural side, and Diamond Pythons on the bushland and shed side.

The Reptiles We Attend in Arcadia

Red-bellied Black Snake. A substantial proportion of our Arcadia work. Common on properties with permanent water, dams, troughs, ponds, market garden and citrus irrigation, and pools. They follow frogs, so any concentration of frog activity (around dams, troughs, ponds or wet pasture) tends to draw them. Cattai Creek and the connecting drainage support them through the rural section. Venomous, but generally far less defensive than Browns. They will move away if given the chance.

Eastern Brown Snake. A significant and serious species we encounter on Arcadia acreage and horse properties. Browns thrive in the acreage and rural conditions Arcadia provides, open paddocks, horse stables, feed and hay sheds, chicken coops, machinery yards, market garden activity, citrus orchards, plant nurseries and the older sheds with decades of accumulated storage. The rodent populations sustained by feed, hay, grain and stable yards keep them through every warmer month. Sightings concentrate around stable yards, feed bins, hay storage, machinery sheds, under tractors, around chicken coops and aviaries, along long paddock boundary fences, in citrus orchard rows and nursery plant areas, and in the older sheds. Fast, alert and highly venomous. Step back, keep a visual from a safe distance, and call us on 1300 599 938.

Diamond Python. A regular feature of our Arcadia work, particularly on properties backing onto Marramarra National Park, the connecting Berowra Valley bushland or the larger rural holdings. Non-venomous, but large, adults reach two to three metres and they're powerfully built. The mature trees, older tiled-roof homes, hay sheds and machinery sheds sustain a resident Python population. Pythons follow rodents and Arcadia sustains rodent populations easily, so roof cavities, hay shed rafters and feed shed beams are all recurring job locations here.

Green Tree Snake. Common in mature Arcadia gardens, around pergolas, along fences and in established trees. Slender, bright green or olive, fast-moving, completely harmless. They feed on skinks, geckos and small frogs and are excellent climbers.

Blue-tongued Lizard. Not a snake, but the reptile we are called for almost as often. Large, slow-moving native skinks that get mistaken for snakes because of their size and the way they flatten their bodies when threatened. They are harmless, beneficial, and good for a garden or paddock, they eat snails, slugs and insects.

Which Species Follows What

The species mix in Arcadia makes more sense once you know what each one is following. Red-bellied Black Snakes follow frogs and moisture, which is why they concentrate around dams, troughs, ponds, Cattai Creek and wet pasture. Eastern Browns follow rodents through stables, feed sheds, hay storage, chicken coops, machinery sheds, citrus orchards, nursery plant areas and along paddock margins. Diamond Pythons follow rats and mice, which is why they end up in roof cavities, hay sheds and feed shed rafters. Green Tree Snakes follow skinks and geckos through gardens and along fence lines.

Where We Find Reptiles on Arcadia Properties

For Red-bellied Black Snakes: dam edges, trough surrounds, market garden and citrus irrigation lines, pool pump housings on the residential properties, garden ponds, wet pasture sections, garden beds with thick mulch in shaded damp corners, along fences backing onto Cattai Creek or the wetter drainage lines.

For Eastern Browns: stable yards, feed sheds, hay sheds, chicken coops, aviaries, machinery sheds, under tractors and parked equipment, around dams and troughs, along long paddock boundary fences, through paddock margins, around tack rooms and the older sheds with accumulated yard storage, in citrus orchard rows and nursery plant areas, inside houses where a Brown has followed rodents in.

For Diamond Pythons: roof cavities are a standout, particularly on older homes with tiled roofs and small gaps under the eaves. Also in hay shed rafters, feed shed beams, machinery shed corners, along gutters, on warm sandstone retaining walls and along fence lines facing Marramarra National Park or the connecting Berowra Valley bushland.

For Green Tree Snakes: along fences, through pergolas, around roof lines, in mature shrubs and along garden edges.

What to Do If You See a Snake in Arcadia

Step back. Bring children, pets and where relevant any horses, stock or working dogs to a safe distance. If possible, keep a visual on the snake from a safe place. Don't try to move it, contain it, photograph it from up close or identify the species. Call 1300 599 938. We'll talk you through what to do until we arrive.

For acreage and horse properties, the location of the sighting matters. Tell us if it's in a stable yard, a feed shed, a hay shed, a tack room, a chicken coop, a machinery shed, a paddock margin, a citrus orchard row or a nursery row. We attend these specific job types regularly and the location helps us understand what we're walking into before we arrive.

Snake Bite First Aid

A snake bite is a medical emergency. Treat every bite as if it's venomous, even if the snake looked harmless. Symptoms can take time to appear, and that's exactly why fast action matters.

If someone is bitten:

• Call 000 immediately.
• Keep the patient still and calm. Movement spreads venom through the lymphatic system.
• Apply a pressure immobilisation bandage firmly over the bite site, then bandage the entire limb from fingers or toes up to the armpit or groin.
• Splint the limb if you can, to prevent movement.
• Do not wash the bite. Venom residue on the skin helps hospital staff identify the species and choose the right antivenom.
• Do not try to catch, kill or photograph the snake from close range.
• Wait for paramedics, or get the patient to hospital as fast as is safely possible.

Australian antivenom is highly effective when administered promptly. Time matters.

What Actually Reduces Reptile Activity on a Arcadia Property

Deterrent products sold at hardware stores, powders, sprays, ultrasonic devices, are not effective. Don't waste money on them.

For Eastern Browns on acreage and horse properties, reducing rodent activity is the single most effective measure. That means active rodent control around feed sheds, hay storage and stable yards. Lift hay bales off the ground where possible. Keep feed in sealed metal containers. Tidy machinery yards and clear accumulated yard storage. Manage chicken coops and aviaries so they don't sustain a permanent rodent population. Seal gaps in shed walls and around stable doors where you can.

For Diamond Pythons in roof cavities, hay sheds and feed sheds specifically, reducing rodent activity is the single most useful thing. Pythons follow rats. If a Python turns up in a hay shed, the rodents got there first.

For Red-bellied Black Snakes, keep dam surrounds, trough areas and pool pump housings tidy. Thin out heavy garden beds along the wetter sections. Manage frog activity where it has concentrated against the house, without killing the frogs, they're protected.