‘I slammed the lid back down’: Woman finds snake in toilet after returning from vacation

CATALINA FOOTHILLS, Ariz. — An Arizona woman received an unwelcome surprise after returning from vacation.

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Michelle Lespron said she found a coachwhip in the toilet of her Catalina Foothills home, KPNX-TV reported. It took two days and three trips before a company that specializes in snake removal was able to extricate the reptile from Lespron’s plumbing system.

Lespron told the television station that she had been looking forward to returning home from Nashville, Tennessee, several weeks ago, but her privacy was jarred when she walked into the bathroom and saw the snake curled up in the water.

“I slammed the lid back down right away when I saw it,” Lespron told KPNX.

Lespron, an attorney in nearby Tucson, enlisted the services of Rattlesnake Solutions to remove the nonvenomous viper, KTVK reported.

The company filmed the final removal of the dark-colored coachwhip, which did not appreciate being moved from its perch.

According to the Tucson Herpetological Society, the coachwhip becomes aggressive when humans attempt to handle it. That was evident in the video, as the snaked lunged at the Rattlesnakes Solution worker.

Lespron praised the Rattlesnake Solutions technician who removed the snake.

“He’s my hero, Nick at Rattlesnake Solutions is my absolute hero,” Lespron told KPNX.

Bryan Hughes, the owner of Rattlesnake Solutions, said the coachwhip can be an elusive challenge.

“It is a fast, intelligent snake, it eats rattlesnakes, it climbs trees, it climbs houses, it does what it wants,” Hughes told the television station.

“I couldn’t use (the bathroom) for three weeks even after he got it out,” Lespron told KPNX. “I actually had all my toiletries from the trip I had been on, so I just moved everything to the other bathroom.”