Our guides are intended to help Australian households understand a situation and find a safer next step. They are general information, not an inspection of your home or a substitute for advice from an appropriate professional.
Who writes the guides
Guides are published under two fixed pen names: Sam Whitfield covers possums, rats and mice, and birds; Tess Calloway covers snakes, spiders, and frogs and toads. Keeping the same names means you can follow one writer’s guides over time. A pen name doesn’t change how a guide is checked: every rule and fact links to the source it came from.
Where we look first
For laws and requirements, we start with the relevant state or territory government. We use council material for local services and matters a council administers. For identification and other background, we also consult sources such as museums, universities and wildlife organisations where relevant.
Each guide lists the sources used and the dates they were read. References within a guide point readers towards the relevant source. A source about one state should not be treated as the rule for every state. When an answer depends on local circumstances or the available source does not settle the question, check with the responsible agency.
Our source list is a way to follow up, not a claim that a government department has written or endorsed this website. We are independent of the agencies we link to.
What the checked date means
The checked date on a guide is the date it was last compared with its listed sources. It does not mean that someone inspected your situation, or that the information cannot have changed since. Rules, agency contacts and web addresses can change. If a linked government page and a guide differ, follow the current government information and let us know so we can review the guide.
Images and identification
We use photographs with permission to do so, including public-domain and Creative Commons images, and show the photographer and licence with the image. A photo is an example, not proof of the identity of an animal at your property. Individual animals of the same species can look quite different, and lighting changes how colours appear in photos.
Corrections
If you notice a wrong statement, an outdated rule, a photograph that appears misidentified or a broken link, please use the contact page. Include the page address, the part that needs attention and, if possible, a link to the relevant source. We will review the report against available sources and correct the guide where needed. A checked date is updated when a guide is checked again; it is not a promise that every page is reviewed on a fixed schedule.
Advertising and independence
The site may carry display advertising to help fund its operation. Advertisers do not approve our guides, and we do not accept payment to place a business or service in an article.