An Australian guy discovered a python in his toilet after it slithered up the drain, so there’s one country I’ll never be visiting again.
As if their horrific abundance of giant spiders wasn’t enough to send you running for the airport, apparently it’s not actually that uncommon to see a slithery little visitor residing in your toilet if you live in Australia.
The man who found this particular snake got an early morning surprise when he went to the bathroom at 6am, only to come face to face with the intruding reptile.
At least, I assume he came face to face with it – it could actually have been a bum-to-face situation. I’m not sure if the man or the snake would have been more shocked if that was the case.
In order to once again make their toilet a reptile-free zone the family called Stewart Lalor, who works for Brisbane Snake Catchers – a snake catching company based in Brisbane, in case you didn’t figure that one out for yourself.
Speaking to the Courier Mail, as reported in The Sun, Stewart explained this wasn’t the first time he’s had to pull a snake from the watery depths of a toilet drain; in fact, sometimes he’s had to really dig deep to extract the creatures.
He said:
I’ve had jobs in the past where I’ve had hands in the toilet for half an hour.
This guy half took himself out [of the water] for me which was unusual. I think he was curious to see what was going on.
In the grand scheme of things, I think this was actually quite a polite snake. It seems like he came out of the water far enough for the homeowner to see he was there, hopefully avoiding any nasty surprises, while also making it easy for Stewart to remove him without having to delve his hands too far into a stranger’s toilet.
Also, if the reptile really was curious to see what was going on, as the professional suspected, it could have slithered right out of the drain and gone for a venture around the house, but it obviously didn’t want to overstep the mark.
Thankfully, Stewart managed to grab the python quite easily and take it back outside where it belonged.
Brisbane Snake Catchers shared a picture of the uninvited guest to Facebook, where they wrote:
A family from Wynnum west got a fright early this morning when they discovered a Carpet python inside their toilet. They gave us a call to have it removed so they could finish their business in peace, without the local natives watching..
PYTHON FOUND HIDING INSIDE BAYSIDE BRISBANE TOILET 🐍🚽A family from Wynnum west got a fright early this morning when…
Posted by Brisbane Snake Catchers on Friday, 18 January 2019
The snake catcher was also kind enough to offer some advice for anyone else who might spot a slithery intruder in their bathroom – though I hope most of you will never need to use it.
Stewart explained that, although it might be your first instinct, the worst thing you could do would be flush the toilet and push the creature further down the pipe.
As well as making it harder for a catcher to reach, sending a cascade of water into the snake’s face would probably only anger it, and you definitely wouldn’t want a vengeful snake hanging around in your drains.
At least Stewart was there to save the day – hopefully the family will be able to go to the toilet in peace from now on!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.