It's not unusual to hear odd noises in your home. Most of the time, it's water going through the pipework or the creaking of a shifting foundation. But occasionally, it's something completely out of the ordinary!
After years of hearing strange sounds in their house, one Florida family finally realized they were facing a real problem. Rather than the run-of-the-mill creaks and groans of an old home, those sounds were indicators of a dangerous issue they would soon have to tackle head-on—literally.
When one Englewood, Florida, family heard odd sounds coming from their attic, they initially assumed it was the water running through their pipes. After several years, however, they began to suspect something else. So homeowner Bob Van der Herchen decided to do some investigating...
Bob hoped he wasn't going to stumble upon some kind of infestation. He knew people who had dealt with the headache of rats' nests before, and he was well aware of the nightmare—and pest control bills—that came with them.
Bob and his wife, Linda, kept their fingers crossed that the unusual noises weren't rats as they headed up to their attic. Little did they know, the problem was much bigger than they thought...
As much as the Van der Herchen family hoped they wouldn't find a mass of insects or rodents, they knew the odds were high that they would: Bob was in the pest removal business, though he only dealt with removing and relocating honey bees.
Unfortunately, the sounds that this family heard weren't bees. Bob's son, Adam, lived directly below the attic, and he was one of the first family members to realize something fishy was happening in the room above.
The utility room above Adam's bedroom was the first place the family checked. They slowly opened the upstairs door, and the first thing they saw was a massive tunnel carved into their fiberglass insulation. What the heck had created it?
As Adam, Bob, and Linda all stared into the mysterious gap in the insulation, Adam suddenly spotted what was causing the sounds. That was when the family completely freaked out...
It was an enormous snake! The entire family was horrified to see part of the body of the scaly monstrosity that was making a home for itself in their attic. How did a snake get into their attic? And just how were they supposed to remove it?
Bob immediately called Sarasota Animal Control, a local company that specialized in the removal of large animals and infestations. He hoped they'd have the tools and experience required to help.
Two animal control officers arrived at the Van der Herchen's home armed with catch poles. Bob gave them a thorough description of the scaly squatter, they scoured every inch of the house to find it...
The officers then told the Van der Herchens the worst news possible: it was a diamondback rattlesnake—and it was incredibly poisonous. One face-to-face interaction with it could easily result in death.
Unfortunately, the snake had retreated deep into to walls of the home by the time the workers arrived, and they couldn't seem to locate it anywhere. The family would need to try another option...
Luckily, a family friend knew a man named Mark Lampart who specialized in handling dangerous animals. He had experience with sharks, snakes, and other wildlife, and they hoped he would be the right man for the job.
As it turned out, Mark was the man for the job. As soon as he arrived on the Van der Herchens' property, he knew exactly where to start his search. He began investigating the gutters—and almost immediately found a piece of snakeskin nearly two feet long!
After several hours, Mark finally located the snake in the ceiling. The easy part was done... but removing the creature was going to be difficult. Mark spent several minutes carefully breaking away part of the insulation. Then, he reached in...
Mark finally got his hands on the snake! Luckily, it wasn't a diamondback rattlesnake at all, but rather, an enormous Columbian red-tailed boa constrictor. This snake wasn't poisonous, but it was large and strong. If mishandled, it was still deadly.
In one quick motion, Mark yanked the snake out of the ceiling and quickly positioned himself so the reptile couldn't do any damage. The snake was enormous, but fortunately, Mark remained calm throughout the entire process.
Bob, Linda, and Adam couldn't believe their eyes: Mark was standing in their front yard holding the biggest snake they had ever seen. So, how exactly did the reptile find its way into their attic in the first place?
Mark explained that boa constrictors are skilled tree-climbers, and this particular snake must have climbed a tree in the Van der Herchens' back yard—and entered the home through their roof.
Finally, Mark safely removed the snake from their property. It was an ordeal the Van der Herchen family would always remember... and definitely hoped would never happen to them again!
While it's bad enough to imagine finding an enormous snake in your attic, just imagine finding one in your bed! Well, that is exactly how one woman tucked herself in every night... right next to her pet snake. That is at least until she realized something that made her stomach drop.
It's not uncommon for the dog and cat owners of the world to spend every possible moment with their furry friends. Yet that's not always so easy for anyone whose pet isn't conventionally cuddly.
Obviously, the owners of animals that are more exotic don't always get to enjoy that privilege. For many reptile lovers, for instance, spending every minute of every day alongside their beloved pet just isn't possible.
Sure, their pets might like to hang out, but most of them still need to spend the majority of their time in a tank and under a heat lamp. One woman who owned a pet python, however, was determined to spend as much time with her snake as possible—and it nearly cost her!
For starters, this woman would frequently allow her snake to lie across her body. Yep, that meant from her head right down to her toes! That's more than enough to make most people shake in their boots...
However, the snake never once attempted to harm his owner. From the woman's perspective, this was because they had a special relationship. She'd been consistently caring for him since he was a baby, after all. They were pals!
LucysLittleCritters / YouTube
It's true that maintaining a positive and caring relationship with your pet is one of the main ways to build trust. When animals recognize that these people provide so much for them, they're more likely to reciprocate the positive relationship. Still, there's a difference between reptiles and, say, dogs.
Unfortunately, this woman discovered that firsthand. It all started when, one day, she noticed something alarming: her pet python had suddenly stopped eating for no apparent reason. What was the problem? Was he sick?
CorrieMiracle / Pixabay
Growing concerned by this unexpected change in her beloved python's behavior, the woman decided to bring him to the veterinarian as soon as she could. She was determined to figure out what was wrong with him.
The veterinarian asked the woman a series of questions about the python's unusual behavior. At that point, the woman admitted that her relationship with the snake wasn't just a close one: in fact, she actually slept alongside her snake each and every night!
After learning that information, the veterinarian quickly realized the problem. While it would've never occurred to the woman what was going on, the doctor's answer was surprisingly (and frighteningly) simple...
Katy Warner / Flickr
After considering what the woman told her about her pet python's behavior, the veterinarian delivered some shocking news: the snake was not sick. In fact, he'd intentionally stopped eating. And he had a terrifying reason for doing so...
The python stopped eating because he was preparing to consume a large meal. Snakes do, after all, eat food that's larger than them—and their ability to unhinge their jaws makes that all the easier.
ojatro / YouTube
In fact, it's not uncommon for a snake to attempt to eat cattle or other large wildlife, including other snakes. Snakes can also go a long time without eating. When they eat that much at a time, they need to make room. So, what was the large meal that this woman's python planned to eat?
The woman was in complete shock when the veterinarian relayed her theory: her beloved python might just have been preparing to eat her while she slept! She absolutely had to stop sleeping next to her snake... or else she wouldn't live to see another day.
Still in shock, the woman returned home with her pet python. She smartly decided that he would finally need to start spending his nights alone in his tightly sealed terrarium—far away from her bedroom.
David Danihel DDREPTILES / YouTube
If this woman wanted to cuddle with her pet, she probably should've considered getting a dog. While pythons are fascinating creatures, they're definitely dangerous—for children and adults alike!
Sure, it's perfectly fine to own a snake—they're great and wonderful pets to countless people across the globe! Yet, you might want to think twice before you start asking yours to share your bed...
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