A mother has discovered one of the world's most deadly snakes wrapped around her children's toys at a suburban Gold Coast home.
Snake catchers Tony and Brooke Harrison were called to the Tallebudgera home on Thursday afternoon to catch what they had been told was a carpet python.
But when they arrived Ms Harrison quickly recognised they were dealing with something much more dangerous: an eastern brown snake, the world's second-most toxic land animal.
"If she hadn't have noticed it there, and the kids went in to grab those toys, that snake wasn't there for a haircut if you know what I mean," Mr Harrison said.
"It very easily could have got messy."
The 1.7-metre-long male was nestled among toys but was trying to return outside and continue its primary quest: finding a mate.
Like young men in their 20s, snakes "drop common sense" during mating season, Mr Harrison said.
"He was on a mission," he said.
"But he was stopped by that invisible barrier called glass."
According to Australia Zoo, most snakes tend to cool down throughout winter before breeding season ramps up in spring.
The Harrisons bagged the snake without incident and were back at work on Thursday afternoon.
Mr Harrison, who said the mother had two kids, aged five and six, said it was a reminder to check with someone experienced any time you found a snake in your home, rather than try to remove it yourself.
"When I got there and said 'no, that's an eastern brown' you literally seen the blood run out of her face," he said.
"She went white, her mouth went all dry. She shit herself.
"She wasn't happy. She started putting two and two together of how things could have panned out."
Eastern browns were common in the rural Gold Coast hinterland area and were found in houses a few times a year, according to the snake catcher.
- With AAP