Snake Left in Apartment Turns on Water

On the morning of August 6, 2011, in Calgary, AB, basement tenants Christie and Wade Taylor awoke to the sound of running water in the suite above them, a suite they knew was vacant.  They decided to investigate and found a large snake in the bathtub.

Christie said that when Wade opened the shower curtain the "nine-foot snake jumps out at him.", but of course we all know that snakes cannot jump!

It turns out the snake was a very large Boa Constrictor, measuring 2.5 meters long and requiring six people to lift it.  The snake had been left by his owner who was moving out.  Owner Serena Dobmeier says she was on her way back to collect her pet snake when the problem occured.  The problem being that the snake managed to turn on the water in the bathtub.

You can read the full news story here.

photo - not the Boa in the story.

It is not unusual for people to leave unwanted pets behind when they move out.  Although Serena, in the story above, did say she was coming back for the snake, and not abandoning it, other people do leave their pets in this way - never to return.

The tenant assumes the landlord will find the pet and deal with it by taking it to the animal shelter.  Sadly this does not always happen.  Landlords do not always check vacated apartments right after a tenant has left, as such many landlords have found dead, or dying, pets left by their owners.  You may want to note that animal abandonment in this way is a crime in most areas.

Snakes and large lizards are often left simply because the owner has no idea what to do with them, other pets are left because the owner could not find a place that allows pets, or they simply no longer wanted the pet. 

A boa constrictor could certainly live longer in an empty apartment than most other pets, as they do not need to eat as often, however had this snake turned on hot water it could have burned itself very badly.

Learn what to do if you have an Unwanted Pet or Pet you Cannot Take with You