Woman wakes up from nap to find 3ft snake slithering through her bedroom window
25 October 2022, 12:16
An Essex woman had to ring the RSPCA when she woke from a peaceful weekend sleep to discover a snake trying to get into her room.
A woman from Essex was left terrified earlier this month after she woke up to find a giant snake in her window.
On Saturday 8th October, the startled woman awoke from a nap when she spotted the creature and quickly ran out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
She went on to call the RSPCA immediately to help her get rid of the unwanted visitor from her Basildon home.
The male snake was later identified as a non-venomous corn snake and was trying to come into the warm.
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RSPCA officer Enola Evans was tasked with getting the creature out after only starting the job a month before.
They explained: “It’s not every day you get woken up by a snake trying to get into your bedroom through a window – the woman was terribly shocked.
“By this time, there was no sign of the snake at the window, so the resident gave me permission to search her bedroom, in case it had come inside and hidden somewhere warm.
“But after thoroughly checking bed linen, and other possible hiding places in the bedroom, the snake was still nowhere to be found.”
Corn snakes are a North American species of rat snake found throughout the southeastern and central United States, and are often kept as pets.
They can grow up to 150cm long, just shy of 5ft, but they don’t have any functional venom which makes them harmless.
They need access to heat to keep their bodies warm - which is probably why this one was found slithering through a window - and they can live for 10 to 15 years.
Enola continued: “As the window had been open for so long, it was getting quite chilly in there, so I decided to shut it. That’s when I spotted something moving.
“It was the snake, coiled around the window’s rim. He had been very well-hidden, so I was really pleased to find him.”
After being rescued, the snake was taken to an expert boarding facility for care until his owner comes forward to collect him or he is put up for adoption.
Last year, the RSPCA received 1,219 reports about pet snakes needing help, including those which had escaped from their owners.
A high number of calls come in during the summer months as snakes become more active during hot weather.
