What to do when you wake up to a snake in your bedroom

If you’re a little sensitive about the thought of finding a snake in an unlikely place, look away now, because a woman in Mooloolaba in Queensland woke up to find a large python slithering across her bedroom curtain rod of all places.

Luckily, professional snake handler Stuart McKenzie from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 was at the ready. Stuart posted a video to Facebook saying, “A snake in your room is not the ideal alarm clock! It certainly got her out of bed though!”.

He went on to explain how the woman was woken at 4am by the sound of an hourglass falling off her shelf, but it wasn’t until she turned on the bedroom light that she discovered what was causing the disturbance in her bedroom. “This would probably scare anybody, I reckon,” the snake-catcher said, with a fair bit of understatement.  

Read more: The most Aussie snake ever gets caught trying to quench thirst with beer

Stuart videoed himself trying to catch the snake, which slithered onto a shelf. He managed to snare it, but as he placed the snake into the bag, it escaped and had to be recaptured. “They move fast don’t they … he does not want to go in the bag,” the snake-handler said. “We’ll get him out of here and back into the bush where he belongs.” 

Despite it being a little scary to find a snake in ones bedroom, there’s actually little to be concerned about.

Read more: Python’s hiding place in a mulch pile has snake spotters stumped

Coastal carpet pythons aren’t venomous and live mainly on mammals such as rodents and possums (although they’re not averse to a dog, cat or guinea pig if the opportunity arises) but can grow to more than three metres (10 feet) in length. They live in rainforests, forests and dry woodland but aren’t unhappy in suburban backyards and farmland.

Wildlife Queensland says that the pythons are commonly found in roof and wall cavities, exposed beams on verandas, in shed and garages, and likes to live in trees, shrubs, discarded building materials and garden debris.

What do you think? What’s the strangest spot you’ve found a snake?