The Reptile Bloke

30/08/2026

I’m so excited to share these photos with you of these very special umbrellas!
These aren’t just any ordinary umbrellas. These are the “Sambrellas” from Sammys World Of Colour.
Sammy didn’t ask me to do this but I wanted to share the great work he is doing.
Sammy is a young man who has Mosaic Down syndrome and he creates these most beautifully vibrant colourful umbrellas.
The best thing about all of this is that every Sambrella sold helps to shelter women and children who are escaping domestic violence.
This is such a great cause, and Rachel and I are super excited to be able to support in this small way.
TBH I can’t wait for the next rainy day!
Check out Sammys World Of Colour

28/08/2026

Happy Friday.
I saw this in my feed. 🤣
No need to panic.
If you see an Eastern Brown Snake (or any snake) in your backyard give it space and call me if you need me.

24/08/2026

REPTILE AWARENESS: Each week, thanks to Troy, The Reptile Bloke, we share interesting information about reptiles.

It’s almost the end of August, and that can only mean one thing: snake season is beginning!

But here’s something really cool about the beginning of snake season.

Male Red-bellied Black Snakes are usually the first to appear in this part of the world, as they start combatting one another to gain mating rights with nearby female Red-bellied Black Snakes (RBBS).

When two male RBBS begin combatting, they entwine their bodies around each other as each snake tries to get on top of the other. This is often mistaken for mating behaviour between a male and a female, but mating is very different from combatting, and it’s easy to tell the difference when you know what to look for.

As I mentioned, when two male snakes are combatting one another, they will be entwined around each other, almost resembling strands of rope. Their movements will be fast and erratic, whereas mating behaviour is much more peaceful.

During mating, a male and female snake will align their bodies, joining at the cloacas, and remain together for some time. The male makes some twitching movements, but this is very different from the combative movements of two males.

If you’re out in the garden, on a bush track, or in a local parkland over the next month or two, keep an eye out—you might just be lucky enough to witness this incredible behaviour for yourself. If you do see it, be sure to keep a respectful distance as you observe. Feel free to take video or photos of the moment, but please don’t interfere with the snakes.

Have you ever seen this behaviour in snakes before? Let me know if you have.

Stay safe and be nice to snakes.
𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 - 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱

Troy Hovenden is a licensed and insured snake catcher servicing the Blue Mountains and Penrith areas. Fees apply. TROY - 0404 109 421

Web: www.thereptilebloke.com.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thereptilebloke
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/SaveTheSnakes
Photos: ©Troy Hovenden

19/08/2026

G’day G’day!
It’s that time of the year again. Almost spring!
Snakes are beginning to move around a little more as the days get longer and a little warmer as well.

If we haven’t met, my name is Troy. I am a licensed snake catcher who has grown up here in The Blue Mountains and I have been involved with reptiles for two decades now.

This season I will celebrate my 10th anniversary as The Reptile Bloke and I’m so grateful to everyone who has supported me over these last 10 years.

If you need a snake catcher at any time don’t hesitate to give me a call.
Save my number in your phone so that you’ve got it handy.
0404 109 421.

Also, be sure to follow along on my socials as I regularly post info about snakes that you may find interesting and educational.

Stay safe this snake season.
Remember, if you do spot a snake on your property or out in the bush, do not pick it up and try to handle it, nor harm it in any way.

Feel free to call me anytime for advice, identifications or snake removal.
0404 109 421
www.thereptilebloke.com.au

Don’t be frightened - Be fascinated.
Take care.
Troy.

14/08/2026

Happy World Lizard Day!
I know I mostly talk about snakes on here, but how freaking cool are lizards!!
Here’s a few of my lizard friends.

12/08/2026

Promising early results are emerging from a new project helping to conserve the vulnerable pale-headed snake in the Pilliga region 🙌

To address the loss of natural tree hollows, Saving our Species have partnered with NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust to trial artificial habitats. Excitingly, six pale-headed snakes have been detected across monitoring sites so far.

These preliminary findings provide encouraging signs that habitat enhancement works are benefiting this elusive threatened species 💚

📷: Lachlan Copeland/DCCEEW, Ali Bragg/DCCEEW

31/07/2026

We might be off to a warm start to the season. The days have been really nice lately and snakes have been on the move.
Make sure you have my number handy and ready to go in your phone.
Call any time.
Troy.
0404 109 421

25/07/2026

WHY WE SHOULDN’T KILL SNAKES

In Australia, we’ve been taught to fear snakes, but why?
Perhaps it’s just my algorithm on social media at the moment, but I’ve been seeing some rather upsetting videos being posted of people killing snakes, or posting photos of snakes that they have killed. Not only here in Australia, but overseas as well. In some cases these are completely harmless species, so why would they need to be harmed?

I was talking with an older bloke while I was camping recently. It was great chatting with him as we sat around a campfire, but when he found out I was a snake catcher he told me he’d prefer snakes were just eliminated from the world altogether! I didn’t get upset at him or anything like that, but I couldn’t help but wonder why he’d think that’s a good thing.

Snakes in Australia cause maybe one or two human fatalities a year on average, which is very low, especially compared with many other countries around the world.
Roughly four people each year in Australia are also killed by dogs, but a dog is a man’s best friend, right?
Should we eliminate all the dogs?

Anyway.

So why should we care about conserving snakes?
One really good reason to have snakes around is they are really good at hunting rodents.

A 2023 study by Rick Shine et al. crunched the numbers on Eastern Brown Snakes living on farmland in rural areas. The study found that in a single square kilometre, you can have around 100 adult brown snakes, each consuming roughly 100 mice a year, which equates to 10,000 mice total, gone before they chew through grain and profits. (I’ll put the link to the study in the comments)

Yes, many Australian snakes are venomous, and you absolutely need to treat them with respect. Give them space, don’t try to handle them, and if one is genuinely posing a risk near the house, or inside a building, call a local snake catcher to relocate it. But running for the shovel every time you see a snake is not only illegal in Australia, it’s giving pest species like rats and mice a free pass, not to mention it’s also creating a greater risk of you being bitten in the process.

Here’s the golden rule: leave snakes alone and they’ll leave you alone (And they will get rid of the rodents for you too).

Let’s not kill snakes. Let’s learn about them, and learn to live with them instead.

Don’t be frightened - Be fascinated.
Take care.
Troy.

19/07/2026

This year I am participating in “Move 26”, an initiative by City Church Care that helps the less fortunate people in our community. Our goal is to provide at least 1000 Christmas hampers to people in the community this Christmas.

I’ll be committing to do two laps of the River Walk at the Nepean River on the 19th September with a bunch of other great people to raise money for our community.

I’d love for you to donate if you can.

G’day, G’day! I am currently fundraising to help those who are less fortunate in our community by partnering with City Church Care, and I’ll be participating this year in “Move 26”. A bunch of us will be doing the river walk at the Nepean River on Saturday 19th September. I’m committing ...