A woman was scared "shirtless" after finding 18 snakes under her bed in Georgia.
Trish Wilcher was headed to sleep on Sunday in her Augusta home when she noticed something odd.
"I spotted what I thought was a piece of fuzz on the floor, went to reach for it and it moved,” Wilcher told WJBF-TV.
She said that a second later, another piece moved, and she went to her husband to let him know they had snakes.
The family learned they had 17 babies that had recently hatched and a mother snake as guests in their home.
Her husband, Max Wilcher, used a grabber tool to place each snake in a linen bag before taking them to a nearby creek and releasing them.
"Still not confident that was the last of those things. Scared shirtless to be honest!" Trish said in a Facebook post.
Daniel Sollenberger, a biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said it’s not uncommon for snakes to get into homes.
“Being small means they can get in small cracks at times and sometimes wind up in houses and garages,” he said.
They are also hard to detect because they don't smell or make much noise.
"There is a myth out there that snakes smell like cucumbers, but unfortunately they don’t smell that good,” Sollenberger said. “They usually don’t smell like anything unless you pick one up and smell it a lot; you might smell a musky, really nasty smell.”
Sollenberger said weather stripping doors can help keep the reptiles out. If they do get in, killing them in Georgia usually isn't an option – nonvenomous snakes are protected by state law.
"Most of the snakes you would see in your house, and most of the snakes you would see in general, are nonvenomous and protected,” Sollenberger said.
The Wilchers told WFBJ they called a wildlife catcher and learned they had garter snakes in their home, but no more were found.
"I am struggling to move about the house much less sit down anywhere!!!" Trish said in a Facebook post on Monday. "I may need a cardiologist after this !!!"
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Contributing: Jozsef Papp, The Augusta Chronicle. Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: [email protected].
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