THE brown house snake is nature’s very own pest controller and is one of the most widespread snakes found throughout South Africa.

It is also one of the few species that tolerates urban development well and can thrive in towns and cities.

As a professional snake catcher, Warren Dick always encourages people to allow the brown house snake to remain in their gardens. These snakes play a vital role in maintaining balance in the environment.

Also read: A guide to the snakes of Durban

Diet and hunting

When they are juveniles, brown house snakes mainly feed on small lizards such as geckos and skinks. As they grow, their diet expands to include mice and rats. They are also known to prey on small birds such as sparrows.

Brown house snakes are nocturnal constrictors, meaning they hunt at night and kill their prey by suffocation, much like a python does. They do not have fangs or venom. However, like pythons, they have small teeth. A bite from a brown house snake is harmless and usually no more painful than a minor scratch from a cat.

Identification

One of the easiest ways to identify a brown house snake is by the two distinct light stripes on either side of the head. One stripe runs from the nose through the top of the eye and sometimes continues partway down the body. The second stripe runs from the nose, under the eye, to the bottom of the jaw.

Their general colour is always brown, although this can vary from dark brown to sandy or light brown. They have a pearl-white belly, and many individuals display a mottled pattern on the first half of their bodies. Brown house snakes typically grow to about 80cm in length, but they can reach 1.2m, with some individuals growing up to 1.5m.

Contact Warren to have some of your interesting insects, snakes or spiders identified. Call or WhatsApp him on 072 211 0353, or visit his Facebook page Warren’s Small World.

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