Image: 9News

A Gold Coast mother has shared details of the terrifying moment she found a deadly brown snake in her daughter's cot, moments before putting her bub down for an afternoon nap.

"I don't know if that's why she was unsettled, I don't want to think about it," Aleisha Mitchley told 9News, explaining that her four-month-old baby Sophie was asleep in the cot less than an hour before she found the metre-long snake.

"I couldn't believe it can climb, so it was climbing on through the window," Ms Mitchely said. "It was up around the bassinet, in her cot, it was all over."

Describing the ordeal as "petrifying", the mum-of-two added, "I was very scared, I didn't know what to do. I'm trying to reach for my phone and stop my son from trying to go see the snake."

A Gold Coast mother says she's terrified and struggling to sleep, after finding a deadly brown snake in her baby's cot. #9News pic.twitter.com/X1d6VKBYEb — Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) September 23, 2018

Speaking to Sunrise, Ms Mitchely said that neighbours came to the rescue with a mop, a pool cleaner and a set of tongs, getting the snake inside an esky while they waited for professional snake catchers to arrive.

"I didn't sleep at all last night," she admitted. "It was very scary."

Photo: 9News


Brown snakes are considered the second deadliest land snake in the world and are responsible for about 60 per cent of fatal Australian snake bites.

Earlier this year, Queensland Health warned residents not to judge a brown snake by its colour, noting that they can appear brown, grey, black or a combination of these colours. "Their bite causes severe thinning of the blood, and has been described as causing cardiac arrest," they noted.

According to WIRES , if you see a snake in your house you should: