19/08/2026
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ก๐ผ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐
๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐๐'๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ผ๐บ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐๐ ๐๐
โThere'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....
โ"Oh... let me think about it."
โHalf 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....
โThis 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)
โ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐, ๐๐ข๐ช ๐ฅ๐๐ช๐๐ฅ๐
โSnake catching gets talked about like it's ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐: 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 ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ doesn't come close to matching that risk.
โCompare it to almost any other emergency call out trade: an electrician, a plumber, a locksmith.
You'll find their ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ are usually higher, their ๐ฝ๐ต๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ธ is lower, and nobody questions whether they deserve to charge for showing up.
A snake catcher handling a ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐น in someone's laundry gets asked to justify their fee in a way tradespeople rarely do.
โEver 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 ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ.
โCompare 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 ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ 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.
โSome of the fee resistance comes down to ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ.
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.
โ๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ
โMost catchers who take this seriously aren't pocketing pure profit. There's a long list of ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐๐ sitting behind that one call-out:
โโข ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ: Training courses, police checks, and entry level equipment like bags, hooks, and containers.
โข ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐: Upskilling courses, safety tickets, and specialized entry training.
โข ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ: Fuel and vehicle wear and tear.
โข ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ข๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ: Licence renewals, public liability insurance, and commercial car insurance.
โ....and that's before you factor in the biggest cost of all for anyone doing this full time!
๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐:
Being available on call, day or night, during the exact months when everyone else is at work, means turning your ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ 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.
โ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ก'๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ฆ๐ข๐
โA call-out fee isn't a hostage situation. In my experience, most catchers who take the job seriously are ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฐ.
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 ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ท๐ผ๐ฏ๐ over the years, where the fee wasn't the point.
โAnd even when a paid job isn't on the table, ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ 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!
โ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐๐
โThis is the part that worries me most, and it feels like it's getting worse as the ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด 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....
โ๐ข๐ป๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ 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 ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ, knowing that particular species' behaviour, and understanding exactly what can go wrong.
โPutting an ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป 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 ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ in seconds.
โ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ
โIf cost is the main thing stopping you from calling a catcher when you need one, here's a small idea....
โStart putting aside $5 or $10 a week heading into spring and summer. Think of it as a ๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐๐ป๐ฑ.
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!
โEither way, you're not stuck choosing between paying a fee you weren't prepared for or handing the problem to someone with ๐ป๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น.
โ๐๐ง'๐ฆ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐
โAt the end of the day, a snake in your yard isn't a ๐๐๐ผ-๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
It's not just "pay for a catcher" or "deal with it yourself."
Be proactive and exercise prevention.
โA 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 Snake Catcher Victoria Australia
on 0408 067 062
Or if in the Bendigo area, call Tameeka at Greater Bendigo Snake Control
Stay safe and remember to be nice to snakes.
Be kind to each other to
Pic of Burmese python was sent to me so I used it for s**tz & giggles
