Woman Wakes up to Python Next to Bed, Gets 'Fright of Her Life'

A woman in Australia was left "terrified" after encountering a large carpet python snake in her bedroom in the early hours of Sunday.

Stuart McKenzie, owner of the relocation service Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, said in a Facebook post that the woman had spotted the reptile close to her bed after hearing noises inside the room and turning on a bedside lamp to investigate.

The expert wrangler said a team member called Dave was dispatched to the call, which came from a home in Beerburrum, a small coastal town in Queensland.

McKenzie wrote in a caption alongside a photo of the carpet python: "This is not exactly the visitor you want in your bedroom at 2 a.m. in the morning.

"A lady in Beerburrum was woken when hearing noises in her room and got the fright of her life when she turned the light on and saw the big healthy python.

"I sent Dave straight out and he was able to catch and relocate the snake straight away. As expected the lady was terrified but we reassured her that she was never in danger."

A species fact-sheet on the Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 website explains the region's carpet pythons are large constrictors, but non-venomous to humans.

The pythons can grow to be the largest snake found on the Sunshine Coast, reaching to more than 11 foot in length. The average size captured is around 6.5 foot, it said.

The snake lurking in the Beerburrum bedroom over the weekend was estimated to be between six or seven foot, McKenzie told local radio broadcaster Hot91.

He added: "I reckon most people would be pretty shaken by that sort of thing. Hopefully she [the Beerburrum resident] does move on and can get some sleep tonight."

McKenzie said local homeowners should check their doors and windows are sealed as some snakes will attempt to seek shelter during periods of warmer weather.

He added: "This is the time of year where snakes are on the move, big time, just looking for food because they have obviously come out of breeding season a lot of baby snakes are being born at the moment. Those... can sneak into homes quite easily."

On his website, the carpet python is listed as "by far the most commonly encountered species of snake within the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Deception bay regions."

Just last week, McKenzie was called to move a carpet python from a Buderim family's barbecue. He took it to a vet after feeling multiple bumps on its body. After an X-ray, it was confirmed the snake had eaten chicken eggs, and was relocated to the wild.