What lurks under your house might surprise you (in a not-so-good kind of way.) Twenty-four rattlesnakes in total were removed from a West Texas family’s home after one of them made its way into the house through the toilet! The house, just north of Abilene, was not only home to the unwitting family, but to 13 adult rattlesnakes in their cellar, ten that were underneath the house, and the one that crawled into the bathroom.
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Rattler Comes Through West Texas Toilet: Gives New Meaning to Snaking a Drain
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Rattlesnakes are Secretive
Photo: Facebook/Big Country Snake Removal
Having found an opening in a relief pipe, the snake entered the bathroom up through the toilet and had been the first one the family has said they’ve seen on their property in years. The discovery, which was posted on Facebook by Big Country Snake Removal, was captioned as: “It’s actually quite simple; rattlesnakes are secretive and can be very cryptic. They rely heavily on their camouflage. This is simply how they survive. Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there….”
It May Be Your Home, But You’re Seen as a Threat
Photo: Wikimedia
Despite the fact that potentially 15 types of venomous or dangerous snakes call Texas home, more deaths in the state are attributed to lightning than to snake bites. That being said, snake bites, and those from dangerous ones, are still something to be cognizant and cautious about, considering the nature of the various species. In July of 2016, a resident of Vernon, Texas found a snake on her kitchen counter. When it tried to escape, she grabbed it by its tail and killed it using a meat cleaver. The following evening she discovered another by her sink, and this one bit her, because invariably, it saw her as a threat. She managed to kill the second snake, and promptly called 911, after which it was determined to be a bull snake.
Watch Where You Walk, and Where You Place Your Hands
Photo: Pixnio
It’s been cited that the warm Texas winter is bringing the slithery things out of hibernation early, and residents are warned to be vigilant. Texas Parks & Wildlife biologist Annaliese Scoggin explained that over the coming weeks, rattlesnakes, in particular, will come out during the warmer days, and then retire to their place of hibernation in the colder evenings. She also advised that on cooler days, the rattler is less likely to rattle, and Texans are advised to watch where they walk and place their hands as a result of this lack of traditional warning.
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