During the summer months of 2023, an Arizona resident returned home to discover an unwelcome surprise in her bathroom – a four-foot snake lounging in her toilet.
This alarming encounter, which sent ripples of unease among homeowners worldwide, is not an isolated incident. Often, critters find their way into homes through pipe networks, making your toilet an unexpected hotel. This article offers advice on preventing and dealing with these toilet critters.
For Arizona’s Michelle Lespron, July 2023 was marked by a nightmarish encounter. Upon lifting her toilet seat, she found a coiled serpent. Thankfully, professional help was summoned to extricate the reluctant intruder.
“Seeing a snake in your toilet is everyone’s worst nightmare,” noted an understandably shaken Lespron.
1. Snakes
Snakes are naturally attracted to cool, wet, and dark environments like toilet pipes. Snakes aren’t just in it for the thrill; usually, they seek an escape route after hunting for food in the sewer. When they finish dining, the quickest exit often happens to be a pipe leading into a toilet.
Slim snakes, such as the non-venomous coachwhip found in Lespron’s toilet, are typically capable of sliding through these pipes. If you live in a chillier climate, your fear of serpentine toilet guests can be put to rest—unless, of course, your neighbour houses pet snakes.
2. Rats
Rats, like snakes, find toilet pipes irresistible, often lured by a potential food source. For certain homes, the toilet and garbage disposal drain through the same pipes, making these systems easy access points for rats.
Despite their repugnant reputation, rats are exceptionally flexible and are natural swimmers. Austin Wildlife Removal warns rats can swim up drainpipes, but they are more likely to enter your home through holes in walls or doors.
3. Spiders
Though spiders can’t swim through pipes, their vast resourcefulness often leads them to your toilet. Some considerate eight-legged guests might use the seat merely to scare you. Still, others, like black widows, might web across the bowl—though this is more likely in outdoor facilities unconnected to main sewers.
Always check the seat before making yourself comfortable, especially in an outhouse, as spiders like black widows, brown recluses, and hobo spiders can inflict painful bites.
4. Lizards
From Floridians finding iguanas frolicking in their toilets to a British tourist in Thailand encountering a monitor lizard’s venomous tongue, watery lizard encounters are common in warmer climates. Homes in these areas usually have open vent stacks on their roofs to disperse odours and gases.
“Iguanas can sense water, leading them into pipelines and, sometimes, your toilet,” notes wildlife removal specialist Harold Rondon.
5. Marsupials
Pursuing the less tread path, a San Diego woman found a baby opossum in her toilet around eight years ago. This was likely due to a broken window rather than having crawled up the plumbing.
An Australian home also had a similar surprise in 2016. “This was the first report of a possum coming up through the toilet system in 30 years,” said the rescuer who extricated the critter.
6. Tips to Deter Intruders
The unsettling tales might have left you second-guessing your bathroom visits. But worry not; here are some suggestions to make your loo less inviting to critters.
Keep your toilet clean by frequently using disinfectants, white vinegar, or baking soda. Ensure that your bathroom is dry, as pests often gravitate towards moist environments. Regularly flush a cleaning solution down the drain to discourage pests. Always keep the seat down and inspect before you sit.
If you encounter an unexpected guest in your toilet, don’t assume the role of a superhero. Call a professional removal service instead.
Let us know what you think of this astonishing journey into the world of unwelcome toilet visitors, and don’t forget to share this article with others.
