In the summer of 2023, a woman in Arizona came home to find an unwelcome guest in her toilet.

Coiled up in the bowl was an almost four-foot snake, whose terrifying hisses gave toilet users everywhere chills.

This is just one of many times a creature has made its way into a home and settled in the porcelain throne. In this story, we’ll share some tips on how to prevent and handle creatures that 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.