20/08/2026
Hey, it won't be long until our slithery friends are out and about. First of all, thank you to everyone that has rang me or stopped me down the street and either gotten advice or had me out for a snake. Mostly people dont mind paying the call out fee but occasionally, some call and when I inform them that there is a call out fee, they have either told me not to worry or on occasions, i get told it is all good. They just want the snake gone. Once I remove it, I never hear a word again. Hopefully this post with the attachment, if I manage to attach it right, will explain why I have to charge a fee. I keep my fees as low as i can and since the fuel prices sky rocketed, i never increased my fee's. I have tried to absorb the increasing costs of doing this because I want to make sure that the people are ok as well as the snake. I do charge less for pensioners, doesnt matter what type of pension it is and it sometimes costs me money for these calls. Depending on how far i travel for them. Keep safe with the warmer months coming up and dont forget to call if you have a slithery visitor. If you cannot afford it, talk to me. Something can always be arranged.
Thanks,
Ash
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝘆
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗺 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗜𝘁 𝗜𝘀
There's a moment that plays out over and over during snake season....
Someone calls a snake catcher, panicked. There's a snake in the yard, kids inside, dog barking at the fence, and yhen the catcher mentions the call-out fee, and suddenly the tone changes....
"Oh... let me think about it."
Half an hour later, the neighbour's had a go with a broom or the husband's found an old pillowcase and decided he's basically a snake catcher now because he watched a video once. Or a mate who "owns a python" gets a phone call instead....
This post is about why that fee exists, what it actually covers, and why the alternative is a lot riskier than people think.
It's a long post (sorry)
𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛 𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗞, 𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗
Snake catching gets talked about like it's 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆: turn up, grab a snake, leave with cash in hand.
The reality is closer to the opposite, it's one of the few jobs where a bad five seconds can put you in hospital, or worse, and the 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘂𝗽𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 doesn't come close to matching that risk.
Compare it to almost any other emergency call out trade: an electrician, a plumber, a locksmith.
You'll find their 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 are usually higher, their 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 is lower, and nobody questions whether they deserve to charge for showing up.
A snake catcher handling a 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 in someone's laundry gets asked to justify their fee in a way tradespeople rarely do.
Ever had a plumber or electrician out for something that turned out to be a simple switch flip, then an invoice for a couple hundred dollars lands in your inbox? Nobody rings around questioning whether that trade deserved to charge for the visit.
It's accepted as the 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽.
Compare that to a snake call out....
You'll probably end up paying less for a venomous snake to be safely removed than you would for that quick trade fix.
In most (of not all cases) if the snake isn't found on the day, you're not left with nothing...
youll walk away with 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 to manage the area and reduce the chance of another visit, and the actual chance of a snake coming back to the exact same spot is generally low, roughly around 10 percent.
Some of the fee resistance comes down to 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲.
If you don't see any worth in the snake, it's easy to assume there's no worth in the person removing it either.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗘𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥
Most catchers who take this seriously aren't pocketing pure profit. There's a long list of 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 sitting behind that one call-out:
• 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱: Training courses, police checks, and entry level equipment like bags, hooks, and containers.
• 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Upskilling courses, safety tickets, and specialized entry training.
• 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱: Fuel and vehicle wear and tear.
• 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱: Licence renewals, public liability insurance, and commercial car insurance.
....and that's before you factor in the biggest cost of all for anyone doing this full time!
𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀:
Being available on call, day or night, during the exact months when everyone else is at work, means turning your 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 into the job itself.
The fee isn't just for the ten minutes of catching. It's for being reachable in the first place.
I've also offered invoices the help people. I'n most cases people have been honest and have paid it, but there were a few bad apples who ripped me off... So by me stepping away from work to help, I've LOST money, used fuel and increased work loads.
𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗡'𝗧 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘𝗧𝗬 𝗔𝗧 𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗢𝗠
A call-out fee isn't a hostage situation. In my experience, most catchers who take the job seriously are 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰.
If someone can't afford the fee, plenty of us will still help where we can, at a reduced cost or no cost at all.
I've done my fair share of 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 over the years, where the fee wasn't the point.
And even when a paid job isn't on the table, 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 almost always is.
If you're not sure what to do, ring a catcher anyway......ask what to do while you wait, ask whether it's actually a snake, ask if it's safe to keep an eye on it from a distance.
IF the fee is genuinely the barrier say so, because a lot of us would rather talk you through it for free than have you attempt something risky on your own!
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗬 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗠
This is the part that worries me most, and it feels like it's getting worse as the 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 bites harder.
A call comes through, the fee gets mentioned, and instead of paying it or asking for help, the caller decides the neighbour, the husband, or a mate can just take care of it....
𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 hasn't helped because there's no shortage of videos showing someone casually picking up a snake with their bare hands, making the whole thing look far more manageable than it is.
Guilty..
What doesn't make it into those videos is 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, knowing that particular species' behaviour, and understanding exactly what can go wrong.
Putting an 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 in a room with a venomous snake is a genuine risk.
People getting bitten trying to handle a snake themselves or getting someone else to do it is a decision that can turn a minor inconvenience into a 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 in seconds.
𝗔 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗔 𝗜𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗘𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗬
If cost is the main thing stopping you from calling a catcher when you need one, here's a small idea....
Start putting aside $5 or $10 a week heading into spring and summer. Think of it as a 𝘀𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱.
IF you end up needing a catcher, the money's already there and it doesn't feel like an unexpected hit.... and If you get through the season without needing one, you've just banked a bit of extra cash for yourself!
Either way, you're not stuck choosing between paying a fee you weren't prepared for or handing the problem to someone with 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹.
𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗢𝗥 𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟
At the end of the day, a snake in your yard isn't a 𝘁𝘄𝗼-𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
It's not just "pay for a catcher" or "deal with it yourself."
Be proactive and exercise prevention.
A good catcher isn't just there to remove a snake and leave....
...They're there to help you understand your property, your risk, and your options, so you're better equipped next time.....
I pinched this from Greater Bendigo Snake Control .
Tameeka is a good Bendigo snake catcher.
Knows her s**t.
She had some excellent training from what I hear.
If you want free advice, snake catchers, property inspections and assessments or educational snake awareness workshops call
Slithery Little Suckers
0447 553 441
Stay safe and remember to be nice to snakes.
Be kind to each other to
