A Curtin family had an uninvited visitor slither by this holiday season - a coastal carpet python that ventured far from home.
Michele Lamb and her family found the 1.3-metre snake in the middle of the driveway just before New Year's Eve.
"I was absolutely petrified," she said.
"It also looked like it had eaten something, you could see a bulge in the middle of it.
"Luckily, because it was in the middle of the driveway, we had easy sight of it."
While the coastal carpet python isn't venomous, it has small sharp teeth that can cause lacerations.
Ms Lamb called ACT Snake Removals and then kept a torch on the python which slid its way to the neighbour's yard before it was swiftly picked up by snake catchers.
She said they quickly identified the animal as a coastal carpet python, which is not native to Canberra. It is typically found in the northern parts of NSW and Queensland.
ACT Snake Removals founder Gavin Smith said this meant the snake was either an escaped pet, had been illegally released or had hitchhiked to the capital. He believed the latter was the most likely scenario.
"Usually when someone loses a pet snake, they will report it to ACT Licensing and Compliance and they will then be on the lookout for a snake. So far no one has claimed it," he said.
"Also the behaviour it is exhibiting, to me as someone who works with snakes every single day, would suggest that it's a wild snake, in terms of it's not used to being handled.
"Most captive snakes tend to be quite easy to handle but this one, we've all found it to be quite agitated. That would make me think that it's a wild snake that's been transported accidentally to Canberra."
Parts of Queensland have been experiencing severe thunderstorms, Mr Smith saying it was possible the snake had been flooded out of its home by stormwater before finding refuge in a vehicle or container that was then transported to Canberra.
He added this was not uncommon.
"Only a few days ago, we had a red belly [that] had been transported from the South Coast back to Canberra," he said.
"The people had seen the snake entering the car, they'd left the car open for a few hours ... and hoped the snake had come out itself but it didn't. It stayed in the car and came all the way to Canberra."
Mr Smith said the coastal carpet python would either be returned to its owner or given to a licensed reptile keeper to care for.
"Because we don't know where the snake has come from, we can't just drive up to Queensland and let it go. They're very sensitive to where they are," he said.
"I suspect, sadly, this is not an escapee, it's a snake that's come from up north and will have to stay the rest of his life in Canberra as a captive snake. It's very sad but ... that's the law."
Mr Smith urged residents to call a licensed snake handler and keep away from any snakes causing a hazard.
