Terrible moment: Arizona woman finds a hissing SNAKE in her toilet bowl
- Michelle Lespron of Tuscon found a black and pink whip snake after returning from a short trip in July
- The personal injury attorney was forced to seek expert help to remove the unwelcome guest
- After a two-day ordeal, the snake was removed and returned to its natural habitat
A woman from Tuscon, Arizona, made a terrifying discovery when she opened the lid of her toilet seat at her home in Catalina Foothills to find a giant hissing rattlesnake inside.
Michelle Lespron, a personal injury attorney, had been on a short trip and met the unexpected guest on her return on July 15.
“I was gone for four days and I was looking forward to being able to use my own toilet in peace.” “I lifted the lid and he or she was curled up,” Lespron told The Associated Press.
“Thank God the lid was closed,” she added.
After her father tried unsuccessfully to remove the snake from the toilet bowl that night, Lespron quickly contacted Rattlesnake Solutions, a Phoenix-based company that specializes in removing such unwanted visitors.
Michelle Lespron, a personal injury attorney, had been on a short trip and met the unexpected guest on her return on July 15
It took the experienced handler three attempts to get a firm grip on the non-venomous black and pink whip snake
“Everyone has the same reaction, ‘Oh my god, this is my worst nightmare,'” Lespron told CBS News of the video the company posted of the removal process.
It took veteran handler Nikolaus – whom Lespron referred to as “my hero” – three attempts to get a firm grip on the non-venomous black and pink whip snake.
He was then able to fight the snake with one hand and film the ordeal on his phone with the other.
The handler later released the snake, which was between 3 and 4 feet long, into a natural habitat away from the home.
Bryan Hughes, the owner of Rattlesnake Solutions, said it’s not the first time his employees have seen a carriage whip snake in a home, although it’s rare to find reptiles in residences.
Writing on the company’s Facebook page, he wrote: “It’s happening – Nicholas was called to a house to catch a rattlesnake said to have been seen in the toilet.”
“After three visits in two days he was finally able to get his hands on it – a beautiful black and pink carriage whip!
“It was in the Catalina Foothills near Tucson.” We have to catch a snake or two in toilets every year, and that’s very unusual.
“These snakes can enter the plumbing through vaults in sewage treatment plants, wash in from other homes, and in various other situations,” he added.
Lespron told CBS News that after the snake was removed, she had to use her guest bathroom for three more weeks before she felt comfortable enough to return to her own bathroom.