KEY POINTS

  • All eggs had hatched and a trap has been laid to capture them
  • The rat snake was 2-foot-long and is common in the area 
  • Adam says the presence of rodents might have attracted the snake

A South Carolina family was shocked to find that a rat snake had made the power outlet at their home its haven. Not just that, the reptile also laid 15 eggs, all of which had hatched.

It was David Adams of Alpha Wildlife who found the snake and the eggs hidden behind the outlet. He captured the two-foot-long reptile and released it in a habitat more than 25 miles away, reports WRDW, a local CBS affiliate.

"The snake was a rat snake and she had laid her eggs, about 15-20, in the outlet, which was really interesting,” Adams said. “When you popped off the cover, there were all these little gems. They looked like porcelain eggs. They were really cool ... and they had all hatched,” said Adams.

His next job is to capture the babies. “I don’t know where the babies went but we had to trap them,” Adams said.

The wildlife rescuer says a snake curling up inside a power outlet might seem a bit weird and rare, but it is not.

"It’s more common than you would think. Snakes are going after rodents and that’s why they are attracted to your house,” Adams said. “We have a large problem with rodents in the Lowcountry. So, it’s very common for somebody to find a snake within their house."

Adam says it's the presence of rodents that attract snakes to homes. Besides food, warmth and shelter keep them around. But, he adds that there is little to worry about snakes.

“Snakes are very, very timid. They do not want to be around you at all. As soon as they feel you coming through the vibrations, they are going to try to get away as fast as possible,” Adams said.

“Snakes in general, with the exception of the venomous ones, are good snakes. They are there for a reason. They are good for our environment. They are good for the food chain. They are not bad. They are not going to hurt you.”

In a similar incident, a Sydney mom was in for a shock when she discovered an aggressive snake among her child's toys in her bedroom.

Meg, from Cammeray on the North Shore, was tidying her daughter's bedroom when she found something near the toys. She almost picked it up thinking it was a shoelace, only to find it was a venomous snake.

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