Deadly snakes stretching up to 10 feet in length were among 10 illegal exotic reptiles seized from a Brampton home in January.

The reptiles, which included snakes, crocodiles and a tarantula, were removed from a house on Cavendish Crescent and are now being temporarily sheltered at the Indian River Reptile Zoo near Peterborough.

Among them was a reticulated python, a green anaconda, and an African puff adder, which according to Indian River Reptile Zoo curator Kyle O’Grady is especially dangerous.

“It’s a species of snake that can grow to one metre in length and possesses a highly toxic venom … (which) can kill with one bite,” he said.

O’Grady said the person in possession of the snakes didn’t have anti-venom in the event of a bite.

“They are wild animals; they belong in the wild,” he said.

O’Grady also noted the dangers associated with reticulated pythons.

“This particular snake can kill by constriction,” he warned. “In captivity that can translate in mistaking its keeper for food.”

No charges have been laid at this point even though the species are illegal in Brampton. Every municipality has different rules concerning exotic pets, and O’Grady says that’s problematic.

“Ontario doesn’t regulate this at the provincial level,” he said. “It’s up to the municipalities to regulate the ownership of exotic species … and that opens up a lot of loopholes.”