Our home is our safe haven and a personal space no one should invade. Unfortunately, we’re often in for nasty surprises, and no, we’re not talking about robbers. Nasty surprises in our home can come in the most unexpected of space such as the toilet bowl. It can be ‘invaded’ by a variety of critters and creatures even bigger than you can expect.
There have been plenty of stories on the web about unwanted creatures crawling up in people’s toilets. From racoons and nasty rats to giant snakes, here are the nastiest creatures that can invade your toilet and how to prevent them.
Rats
Is it even a surprise that rats top this list? They are nasty and disease-riddled creatures no one wants to see near there home, not to mention within. However, the fact that they live in sewers and are always looking for food makes them one of the most common invaders of toilets around the world. This goes double for homes on the first floor in a building or for those who live in the basement.
Pipes are often empty and rats are free to climb in, finding their way to the toilet. They can even open the lid and get out, surprising you in the worst possible way when you get into the bathroom.
How to prevent them? Well, there are many special ‘obstacles’ experts can install in your pipes that prevent them from getting to your toilet. Talk to a professional and you’ll surely get a price for one of these contraptions that will keep them out.
Snakes
We’ve seen all the stories on the web about snakes turning up in toilet bowls. Heads up – they’re true. Yes, it’s one of our worst nightmares too, but that’s a possible reality if you live in the land down under. In 2010, one snake popped up in a 19th floor apartment in New York, so it seems that no one is safe.
According to herpetologists, snakes are good swimmers and obviously, they can squeeze in tight spaces. They rarely end up in sewers or a toilet bowl, but it can happen. There’s no sure way to stopping it. We’d say always open the lid quickly and take a look in the bowl before you sit on it.
Frogs
Yet another creature on the list that surprised no one. Frogs can get into your toilet bowl by going through cracks in the plumbing. This happens in Florida pretty often, and people just call the plumber to solve it. Many recommend putting a mesh screen over the toilet vent that should keep them out. Rats too, if they don’t chew through it.
Squirrels
Squirrels are always out for an adventure, and one found it in a toilet bowl in Oklahoma back in 2010. They are great climbers that can get into pipes with ease and into toilets even easier. The woman who found the squirrel in her toilet called the authorities who then managed to get the squirrel out safely.
They aren’t a common toilet bowl intruder, but it has been known to happen.
Possums
In 2008, a Brisbane man called and shocked the opportunities when he told them there’s a possum in his toilet. It was a baby one and probably got through the sewers, and it was luckily saved without a scratch. But, others have reported finding dead possums in their toilets, which makes sense as they try to get out of the water unsuccessfully.
To prevent them from entering your toilet, a stronger mesh over the toilet vent should help.
