In the summer of 2023, a woman returned to her home in Arizona to find an uninvited guest using her toilet.
Coiled up in the bowl was an almost four-foot snake, whose horrifying hisses sent a shockwave of shudders to toilet users across the world.
This is just one of many incidents where a creature finds its way into your home and camps out in your porcelain throne. In this story we’re going to offer you some tips on how to prevent, and deal with creatures who crawl through the pipes and into your toilet.
In July 2023, Arizona’s Michelle Lespron returned home to a horrifying scene in her bathroom.
“I lifted up the lid and he or she was curled up,” Lespron told The Associated Press of the almost four-foot long snake that was nestled in her toilet. “Thank God the lid was closed.”
Calling for professional help, the snake was removed but he didn’t go willingly.
The employee who pulled the snake from the bowl captured the rescue on camera and the snake was hissing in objection.
“Everybody has the same reaction: ‘Oh my god that’s my worst nightmare,’” Lespron said.
Snakes
Snakes love cool, wet, and dark places, which is why toilet pipes can be very inviting. But they’re not just slithering through the pipes for fun, typically they are looking for an out after chasing food in the sewer.
And when they’re done snacking, they take the quickest path to freedom, which is often through a pipe into a toilet.
Like the coachwhip found in Lespron’s toilet, it’s often the non-venomous kind of snake, with the occasional anaconda, that are slim enough to fit through pipes.
If you live in a colder climate, you needn’t worry too much about unwelcome serpents in your bathroom. Unless you live in an apartment building where snakes are kept by residents as pets.
Rats
Like snakes, pipes are also enticing to rats, who are always hunting for a food source.
In some homes, the toilet and garbage disposal flow through the same plumbing tubes and rats can easily find a way through.
Rats unfortunately are shockingly flexible and spend much of their lives running through tight spaces.
The rodents are also natural swimmers and according to Austin Wildlife Removal, “they can also swim up drainpipes and end up in your home that way as well. This isn’t very common though and it’s more likely that rats will come into your home through an opening such as a hole in the wall or door.”
Spiders
Spiders can’t swim through your pipes however they are very resourceful and will find a safe path to your toilet.
Most will use the seat for the only purpose of frightening the next user, however, some – like black widows – cast a web across the bowl. But that usually only happens with outdoor toilets that don’t have plumbing and are not connected to a sewer system.
If you’re ever using an outhouse, always carefully inspect the seat.
Black widows, along with the brown recluse and the hobo spider, will leave you with a nasty bite.
Lizards
In Florida, people have found iguanas splashing around in their toilet bowls and in Thailand, a British tourist was terrified when he found a monitor lizard flicking him off with his venomous tongue.
Water-loving lizards in toilets is common in the southern states, where homes have vent stacks on the roof that are left open to air out odors and gasses.
“If these iguanas are not by water, they can sense where water is. If they’re on a roof, they can smell the water. They end up going into the pipeline,” said Harold Rondon, wildlife removal specialist. “Once they get into that pipeline…the only way [out] is through your toilet.”
Marsupials
About eight years ago, a San Diego woman found a soggy baby opossum trapped in her toilet.
“Not to worry, we don’t think this one came up through the plumbing. After finding a second opossum in her home, the resident found a broken window where they likely gained access,” writes San Diego County Animal Services about the rescued infant and its buddy.
And then in 2016, a baby possum was found in the toilet of an Australian home.
“It’s the first time in 30 years that I’ve ever heard of a possum coming up through the toilet system,” the rescuer said. “I’ve heard of rats before, but never a possum.”
Keep your bathroom free of critters
Now that you’re likely nervous about going to the bathroom, we’ll offer you a few tips to hopefully make creatures feel less welcome.
- Keep your toilet clean: Frequently clean your toilet with a disinfectant. White vinegar or baking soda are also great alternatives.
- Keep it dry: Many pests love humidity and are drawn to wet bathroom floors. Use a towel to dry the floor after showers and if there are any leaks, call a plumber.
- Maintenance: Flush a cleaning solution down the drain to make it less inviting to pests.
- Keep your seat down and always look before you sit.
If you do find anything splashing around in your toilet, don’t be a hero and call a professional removal service.
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