After a tip-off, Department of Sustainability and Environment officers and Rutherglen police searched the property on Tuesday.

Two carpet pythons and two water dragons were seized from the home during the raids at 11am.

The department has not been able to establish where the reptiles were purchased from, leading officers to suspect they may have been taken illegally from the wild.

A man, 36, was interviewed and a woman from the home will be interviewed.

The man was not licensed to have the animals and could not provide details on where they had been obtained.

Department officials said a tip-off from the public had been crucial to the discovery of the native reptiles.

“We rely on information from the public, the information we received in this case was accurate and detailed,” Department of Sustainability and Environment senior wildlife officer Leigh Murray said.

The reptiles will be forfeited if further inquiries confirm they are not from a legal source.

Under the Wildlife Act, the Barnawartha pair could face a maximum penalty of $24,000 and/or two years’ jail.

“Reptiles have to come from a lawful source and keepers have to be licensed,” Mr Murray said.

“Wildlife record books have to be maintained.

“We find people do get slack but we do monitor them and people can be fined.”

Mr Murray said the reptiles were in “fairly good” condition and were now being cared for at the Beechworth Correctional Centre.

Department officials also visited three Rutherglen homes in search of a bearded dragon.

Three men were interviewed regarding possession of the lizard.

“None of the men involved are licensed and the lizard appears to have escaped,” Mr Murray said.

Investigations into both matters are continuing.