A family was shocked to find a three foot snake in their bathroom in Grays, Essex.
RSPCA animal collection officer and exotics officer Joe White said: “The caller’s daughter found the snake in their bathroom and was absolutely hysterical. A lot of people find snakes very frightening so it must have been a huge shock to come across one slithering around the bathroom!
“The snake was obviously quite scared by the commotion, too, as he slithered inside the toilet. When I arrived I had to reach around the back of the toilet and into the basin where the snake was curled up around the inside of the toilet bowl.
“It was dark inside and he was laid on the uncovered concrete so probably felt like he was outside, in comparison to the clean, shiny bathroom floor.”
Joe managed to get hold of the corn snake and pull him out to check him over.
FEISTY
“He’s a little skinny but was feisty and that’s usually a good sign,” Joe said. “I took him to a wildlife centres nearby where they’ll care for him until he’s strong enough to be rehomed.”
Snakes are talented escape artists and will take the opportunity of a gap in an enclosure door, or a loose-fitting lid, so the RSPCA advises owners to ensure vivariums are kept secure (and locked if necessary) to prevent accidental escape. The charity’s officers have been called to snakes that have been found in lots of unusual places including in a vacuum cleaner, in an oven and in a kitchen drawer.
The RSPCA collects more snakes over the summer months, which the charity suggests could be due to snakes having more opportunity to escape if owners take them outside to take advantage of the natural sunlight. Snakes can be microchipped and the RSPCA recommends that owners ask their exotics vet to do this when possible, so that snakes can be easily reunited if lost and found.
