As letting and property management agents we are used to our client landlords relying on us to organise refurbishments, repairs and maintenance work at their properties, particularly between one tenant leaving and another moving in.
Luckily for us and our landlords, any problems are usually straightforward and never involve the RSPCA. However, when we read about a landlord in St Helens in the north west of England and what he found whilst tackling some DIY in his rental property, we couldn’t resist sharing the story…..
During the start of July, a landlord decided to carry out some work after his tenants had moved out. His first project was to remove an existing electric fire in the living room, intending to replace it with a new model.
What the landlord actually discovered curled up behind the electric fire was a 4ft desert Kingsnake. The non-venomous reptile is native to Arizona, Texas and parts of Mexico. The snake usually feeds on small mammals such as birds, lizards and smaller snakes.
As soon as the landlord discovered the uninvited resident, he decided to contact the RSPCA for guidance on what he should do. They immediately sent an inspector and animal rescuer, Anthony Joynes, to the property.
Mr Joynes said: “I was surprised at the size of the snake. I am not sure how it managed to get behind the fire but snakes are adept at squeezing through gaps and getting into wall cavities. The reptile was in such good condition it was likely to be a pet that had escaped from its home with a local resident. It is a more unusual species of snake for us to see and their diet consists of rodents, small birds, frogs, lizards and smaller snakes including rattlesnakes.”
