It comes after a Kaniva mum snapped a photo of her daughter Molly, 2, and a brown snake on Wednesday afternoon.

The photo, which has since gone viral, featured the two-metre-long reptile, which slithered into the frame at the right moment.

Wimmera Reptiles’ Jason Stephens said the extended heat meant snakes were still out and about.

“It hasn’t been that cold yet,” he said.

“At the weekend we had about eight to 10 calls from people with snakes near their homes.

“I would expect there would start to be a decline in activity over the next week or so.”

Mr Stephens said the snake likely got so close to Molly because it bad eyesight.

“She probably would have been standing in the path it was heading,” he said.

“By the looks of it, she was standing quite still and snakes have poor eyesight, so it probably just thought she was a tree.”

Brim snake catcher John Zanker said said it wasn’t common for brown snakes to get close to people.

“If people are moving around and making nose – they tend to stay away,” he said.

“However, if you stay still, they can’t sense you and that’s when they can get close.

“If you are sitting still, they will just think you are a stump.”

Mr Zanker said if anyone had a snake near their house, the best thing to do was leave it alone.

“They don’t chase after people and they are rarely aggressive,” he said.

“Like other wildlife, they only become defensive when they feel threatened.”

Mr Zanker said first aid was also important, especially if a snake bites a person.

“People should learn first aid how to apply pressure immobilisation bandages,” he said.

“Then the best thing to do is to call triple zero.”

Mr Zanker said it was important people didn’t try to catch or kill a snake.

“You’ll only get bitten again,” he said.