When Florida couple Bob and Linda Van Der Herchen heard something rattling around in their attic, like most people, they assumed it was some sort of rodent or possibly a bird. Bob says his son Adam and Linda would often complain that they heard scratching noises coming from the ceiling, but he had no idea what he would find.

Like most people that hear odd noises above their ceiling, the family figured that a mouse, squirrel, or other rodent, or possibly a bird, had managed to find its way into their attic. One day, though, Bob saw something moving across his ceiling and realized the family had been very wrong about the creature living in their attic. He called in an exterminator.

Bob realized that a snake had taken up residence in his attic, not just any snake, but a boa constrictor. These snakes are not native wildlife in the United States. They are found in wooded areas, dry tropical forests, and desert like environments, but are not native to the United States.

There is, however, a large pet trade for boa constrictors in the U.S., and Bob guessed that the new inhabitant of their attic had likely been someone’s pet at some point that had been released or escaped.

Snake trapper Mark Lampart came to help Bob get the snake out of his attic. It took several hours to coax the six-foot long snake out of the attic using a long, white PVC pipe and an abundant amount of patience. They got a snake skin first, which told them that the snake had been living in the attic for quite some time. Next came the snake.

Lampart says that boa’s don’t pose too much of a threat to humans because humans, even children, are much larger than what a boa would normally prey on. Their bite is painful, but not venomous, and usually causes no problems with proper medical treatment. The snakes rarely attack unless it’s in defense.

The snake trapper says he stays busy trapping all sorts of exotic animals including snakes, lizards, sharks, and a lot of other different types of wildlife. He says that if you suspect a wild animal is living on or in your premises, it’s always best to call in a professional because some of them can be very dangerous and even life-threatening.

Now that the snake is no longer in the attic, Bob says he plans to give the snake a much better home than that of the attic.