Mammoth python is stuck basking in the sun on a family’s front yard after indulging in a possum breakfast and getting too full to move
- Giant python sunbathing in Queensland
- The snake had just eaten two possums
- Snakes eat more as the temperature cools
A carpet python has been forced to bask in the middle of a family’s front yard after indulging in possums.
The family in Pallara, in BrisbaneSouth, called snake catcher Bryce Lockett on Sunday to remove the python after it ate a mother and joey brush-tailed possum from a nearby possum box.
Mr Lockett, of Snake Catchers Brisbane & Gold Coastpromptly picked up the heavy python and moved it to a place where it could digest its meal in peace.
Towards the end of fall, pythons often seek larger meals to maintain their body fat before hibernating during the cooler winter months, Lockett advised.
A huge snake was seen basking in the sun (pictured) after having a huge breakfast before being moved to a game corridor by snake catcher Bryce Lockett
The giant python had just eaten a mother and joey possum from a nearby possum box (stock photo)
Mr Lockett, who has been a professional snake catcher for 11 years, said it is not uncommon to see reptiles out in public in Queensland at this time of year, especially as temperatures cool.
‘[At] at this time of year many pythons are feeding to get ready for the colder months,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
As pythons get bigger, so should their meals, increasing the risk of pets like cats or chickens ending up on the menu, Lockett said.
‘So [this is] best time to keep your pets’ fences closed properly to stop unwanted visitors in the cages,” he added.
The snake removal crew snapped a photo of the python and posted it online to warn people living in the area to watch out for hungry snakes that may be slithering through the area.
The carpet python in Pallara comes after other large pythons were spotted around Queensland.
Even in Melbourne, snakes have been spotted breaking into homes and slithering under doors in search of extra food.
A snake catcher showed how large snakes flatten themselves to squeeze under doors
Mark Pelley (pictured) removed the eastern brown snake in Melbourne in March
An eastern brown snake was found in March by Victorian snake catcher Mark Pelley, who removed it before it had anywhere to hide.
The large and highly venomous snake was removed from the Diamond Creek home in northeastern Melbourne.
A 2.8m carpet python was also removed from a home in Tallebudgera on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
Over the course of an hour, Tim Hudson – who has 10 years of experience catching reptiles – used a plethora of tricks to get the snake out before finally resorting to dismantling the roof.
Mr Hudson told Daily Mail Australia that statistically up to one in three homes on the Gold Coast have snakes hidden in the ceiling.
It took Tim Hudson (pictured) more than an hour to remove the python trapped in a Gold Coast home in March