Frequently Asked Questions
Snakes as pets
We may be biased, but we think that snakes make excellent pets. They may not be snuggly and affectionate like a dog or cat (well, some cats), but they won’t chew on your favourite shoes or jump up on the bench and steal your food either!
Snakes are extremely low maintenance, requiring feeds only weekly (reducing to 1-2 times a month when older) and spot cleaning as required. We do recommend a minimum weekly clean of their water bowl to ensure that they always have a clean fresh supply of water.
Snakes are fascinating creatures with unique physical features and behaviours. Observing their natural movements, feeding habits and shedding processes can be a rewarding and educational experience for wildlife enthusiasts, both young and old. Most people find that they can’t just stop at one snake!
If you’re apprehensive about snakes, then that’s completely natural – especially the thought of one in your house and around your child. We’re parents too, and though our toddler loves snakes, she’s a bit young for a snake of her own!
Snakes can make great pets for children. They tend to be hardier and have less health problems than many other common pets, provided they are cared for properly. They’re certainly easier to care for – no risk of the adults being forced to take over walking duties and poop pickup! Snakes aren’t a temporary pet though, with a long lifespan of 15-20+ years. Consider whether your child is likely to hold that interest and what will happen with the snake if they move. If your child is under 16, then the parent or guardian must be the one to apply for a reptile keeper licence.
You know your child best – if you feel like they’re unlikely to be a responsible owner for a snake, then we encourage you to wait. If you feel like they are ready for that responsibility, then feel free to reach out to us to ask if we have any snakes with a suitable temperament for your family.
The Goldilocks Principle works for snakes as well as porridge – you want a snake that isn’t too big, isn’t too small, but is just right.
Some folks want a snake that is going to be nice and easy to manage, and think that this will restrict them to keeping only one type of snake. Some get a snake and end up disappointed with their adult size. Snakes have a long lifespan, and the urge to get another larger snake is not uncommon.
There’s nothing wrong with smaller snakes, but even though good things do come in small packages, they also come in slightly larger ones (but not too large)!
Many of the carpet pythons we breed are predominately from jungle carpet python lines. For people wanting snakes who are visually striking but stay a very manageable size, adult male carpet pythons tend be around 1.5m stretched out. This may sound large, but is actually surprisingly handleable! Here’s one of our adult boys, Taiyō, being held by Alex.
For those who like it big (but not too big), the girls have it going on. Most female carpet pythons will reach 2-3m and they can get thicc. It can take multiple years, but they can grow to be impressive specimens without growing to a point where they would be dangerous.
If you’re interested in getting a snake but want to make sure that the size is right for you, reach out to us and we’ll be happy to make a recommendation.
Many snakes, handled properly, are unlikely to bite – but as with nearly any animal, there’s always that risk. Some snakes require minimal work to be easily handled, while others are naturally a bit spicier.
A bite from a python (particularly smaller pythons) is significantly less dangerous than a cat or dog. It really is a case of the bark being far worse than the bite – for young snakes, often you may not even feel a bite at all.
The psychological fear of a bite is totally normal, even when you logically know that a bite will be harmless. If you or your child are interested in a snake, but are worried about handleability, we can advise on what snakes we have available that have a naturally calmer disposition.
Purchasing a snake
Simply go to our Available Snakes page and add any snakes that you’re interested in to your no obligation enquiry. Then you can fill out your details and submit your enquiry to us – it’s that easy! If you’re after only one snake but there are a few that you’re interested in, feel free to add in any snake that interests you and just let us know in the enquiry notes. Alternatively, you can send a message through our Contact Us form or message us on social media.
We’ll try to get in touch with you ASAP to advise on the availability of any snakes you’re interested in, provide a freight quote if requested, and answer any questions you may have. Once you’ve confirmed what snake you wish to purchase and have provided your licence details, we can finalise freight or a pickup time.
For freighted animals, we accept a bank deposit for payment. Payment of the freight fees must be made prior to the freight booking confirmation, and payment for the animal must be made at least 3 business days prior to travel. With the current level of scammers “selling” animals, we understand that this can be a nervous proposition – rest assured that you can contact our freight partners to confirm the legitimacy of the bookings. We will also send through photos of the animals at the airport or with our road freight partners.
For pickup or local delivery, we’re happy to do a bank deposit (minimum 24 hours prior to pickup) or cash on the day. We can also do a card payment on the day if desired (2% processing fee). We may ask for a minimal deposit beforehand to ensure that you actually want to buy the animal, refundable if you change your mind 24 hours prior to scheduled pickup/delivery.
We wish we could do this, but unfortunately we can’t.
In line with our quarantine protocols, we don’t allow people to visit and see our collection. This is for the safety of both ourselves and our animals, as there are multiple highly infectious reptile viruses that have no cure and are fatal to snakes. Even handling by someone who has washed their hands but is wearing clothing has come into exposure to these illnesses is sufficient for transmission.
These diseases have sadly resulted in many keepers euthanising entire collections; our reptiles are members of the family and we have strict protocols to reduce this risk. If you are interested in a particular snake, we’re happy to share photos or answer questions about the animal in question, but we do not allow people to come visit/handle our snakes.
Yes, we are usually able to do freight, and we often arrange road and air freight for snakes both within NSW and interstate. Freight is subject to availability – unfortunately not all locations may be possible.
As specialised carriers must be used for transporting live animals, freight does tend to be expensive. Typical prices are within the range of $150-$200 to major airports, non-inclusive of additional permits that may be required when an animal is travelling interstate. Road freight is also possible, though it tends to be as expensive than air freight. As an example, freight from Newcastle to Sydney is typically $120+ by road.
If you are interested in a freight quote, let us know and we can arrange one. Full payment must be made by bank transfer at least 3 business days prior to the freight day unless otherwise agreed.
For buyers who are local or willing to travel, we offer free pickup in our local area. We can often arrange pickups near the M1 in Beresfield for the convenience of buyers. Delivery by us within the Greater Newcastle or Central Coast areas may occasionally be available for a fee.
For buyers who cannot do pickup, we can organise road or air freight within Australia on request (subject to location). See Can you freight? for more details.
There are multiple diseases that reptiles can be exposed to that are highly infectious, have no known cure and can ultimately be fatal. Due to this, we are highly selective in who we purchase snakes from and recommend quarantining and testing when introducing snakes into a pre-existing collection. Unfortunately this also means that we don’t allow visitors to look at our collection to minimise risk.
Any new snakes we bring into our collection are quarantined for a minimum period of 6-12 months in a separate room from our main collection. Where new snakes are brought into our quarantine room, the quarantine period of all animals in that room will be extended another 6-12 months. We minimise all contact between our main collection and our quarantine room (including separate tools, no shared airspace, and no contact with the main collection without a full change of clothing and a shower).
Prior to bringing any animals out of quarantine, we take a sampling of quarantine animals and have PCR testing performed at a reptile vet. For pythons we typically test for Nidovirus, Bornavirus and Sunshinevirus. In the unfortunate event of a positive test, we have protocols to euthanise quarantine animals. While this is distressing, it is important to contain the threat of additional captive and wild snakes being exposed to these viruses.
As animals can be asymptomatic carriers for long periods of time, a breeder may not be aware of positive animals in their collection. No matter how much you trust a breeder, we recommend quarantine and PCR testing to reduce your risk of having to make the heartbreaking decision of euthanising your snakes. If you want information on how to arrange testing, feel free to contact us.
The laws and regulations for what species may be kept by an individual depend on the state that they are licenced to keep snakes in – for example, someone in QLD can buy a reptile from NSW, but they require a QLD licence and what snakes they can keep will depend on those licence conditions.
In NSW, keeping a reptile requires either:
- A Companion Animal Keeper Licence, or
- A Native Animal Keeper Licence, R1 Basic Reptile
Some species species of snake, like rough-scaled pythons, require an advanced reptile keeper licence (R2), which can be applied for after 2 years of keeping a python on a Companion or R1 licence. Dangerously venomous elapids, from red-bellieds to eastern browns, require R3-R5 licences, which have additional requirements.
More information on reptile licencing requirements in NSW can be found on the website for NSW Environment and Heritage. For keepers not in NSW, their own government authority will have a similar department where they can find relevant information.
We are able to sell to most places in Australia. Some states and territories may limit what species an individual may keep and what licence they must hold for certain species.
If you are not in NSW, there is an additional fee (approximately $28) payable by the buyer for a NSW export permit. The buyer is also responsible for the cost of any additional permits that are required by their state/territory. Freight is also an additional cost to consider.
Australia does not permit importing or exporting reptiles overseas, even if they are an Australian species. As we are an Australian breeder, we cannot sell reptiles if the purchaser does not have a reptile licence from Australia, and we cannot (and will not) illegally export any animals outside Australia.
If you’re interested in multiple snakes, then we can certainly discuss a discounted price. Just let us know!
Short answer: no.
It is illegal for individuals to keep non-native reptiles in Australia. Unfortunately, there are people out there who (knowingly and unknowingly) do keep non-native reptiles illegally.
While there are definitely very cool species out there that we would love to keep ourselves, it is important not to support the keeping and breeding of non-native species. In addition to protecting our native fauna from invasive species, this also reduces the risks of introducing several fatal and non-curable diseases into our captive and wild populations.
We are only a breeder and do not sell enclosures or accessories, but we are very happy to talk about recommended setups for snakes.
Caring for your snake
We know exactly how stressful this is. Some snakes, particularly younger ones, will eat perfectly at one home and then refuse to eat at the next. It’s not uncommon, but it’s definitely not fun. Rest assured that snakes can go for weeks without eating if need be, but here’s some things you can try to get them started:
- Make sure that you’re feeding your snake in the main enclosure. Snakes do not eat when they feel stressed or vulnerable, and being moved to a secondary location is enough for many snakes to feel this way. Feeding in a different enclosure to avoid cage defensiveness is a myth – if anything, feeding only inside the main enclosure is more likely to reduce the risk of feeding bites when you have your snake out for handling. When your snake comes out for handling, it will know that food is not on offer.
- Make sure that you’re prepping the food correctly. We recommend defrosting/warming the food item in warm water. Don’t use boiling water – having a boiled rodent explode is not pleasant (take our word for this). Warming it in water also allows the food item to take up extra moisture that it loses during freezing, which is good for your snake.
- Give the snake a rest for a few days. If you’re trying to feed on consecutive days, your snake is likely stressed. Stop trying to feed it and stop all handling. Make sure that the enclosure isn’t in a busy area of the house so that the snake is settled and comfortable before you go in to feed. After feeding is established, you can consider relocating the enclosure.
- Make sure that the enclosure has sufficient “clutter” to allow the snake to feel protected. This can include covering the top and sides of the enclosure at least an hour before attempting to feed. Even putting balled up bits of newspaper into the enclosure can act as visual barriers that will make your snake feel safer.
- Feed in the evening – snakes are nocturnal and more likely to eat at night.
- Leave the food item with the snake overnight. Just remember to check the next day!
Feel free to get in contact with us if your snake isn’t eating so we can help troubleshoot!
We sex our hatchling snakes by “popping” them when they’re quite young. Any snakes that “pop” out their hemipenes are then sold as male. While this has the benefit of definitively sexing male snakes, it means that there is always the possibility that a snake sold as a female will in fact be a male. This happens with snakes purchased from any breeder – we have a few boys from very experienced breeders that have very feminine names (our Princess Bubblegum is definitely not a princess). If you’re definitely after a female, for serious buyers we may be able to probe a snake prior to purchase.
This is a tough one. Unfortunately we can’t accept snakes back – we really wish that we could, but due to the prevalence of reptile diseases, we can’t safely do this without endangering our collection. Once a snake has left us, we have no way of knowing that it hasn’t been exposed without quarantining the animal and completing a round of expensive testing.
If you need to rehome your snake, then you can try listing it on the Reptile Classifieds or contacting a local herpetological society. If you require more information, you can contact us and we’ll do our best to assist you in rehoming.