A Texas woman’s ordinary trip to the bathroom turned into a nightmare when she sat down and felt something jab her leg.
The frightening surprise happened in Cedar Creek, where Maria Jaimes said she quickly realized something was very wrong. At first, she thought her husband may have accidentally left something on the toilet seat.
Then she turned on the light.
“I felt like a little like poke on my leg, and I said, ‘Oh, something happened, my husband left something on the toilet,’” Jaimes told WSVN. “So I then turn on the light, and then I see that there’s a snake under my toilet.”
A photo taken after the scare showed the snake tucked beneath the toilet seat, exactly where no one ever wants to find one.
While snake-in-the-toilet stories may sound like urban legends, experts say they can happen, even if they are extremely rare.
Alan Brown, technical director at ABC Home and Commercial Service, told WSVN that in 25 years of pest control, he has never personally handled a case like it.
“Snakes coming out of a toilet is an infrequent occurrence,” Brown said. “In 25 years of pest control, I have never dealt directly with it, or have anybody that I know of deal with it. I think it’s more of an urban legend most of the time, but it does happen.”
Brown explained that snakes can sometimes find their way into plumbing through roof vent stacks, damaged sewer lines, or even cracks and crevices around a home. Once inside, they may end up near toilets or sinks while looking for water.
Jaimes was checked by a doctor after the scare, and the snake was believed to be nonvenomous, according to WSVN.
Still, the experience was enough to rattle anyone.
Even after the shocking bathroom encounter, Jaimes said she did not let it stop her from going about her day.
“I still went to church,” she said. “I got up and I went to church.”
Now, she wants others to take the bizarre incident as a warning.
“It does happen,” Jaimes said. “And I just want people to be aware of their vents and what might come in through their toilets or sinks.”
For anyone who already checks behind the shower curtain before stepping into the bathroom, this story just added one more place to look.
