How Do Snakes Get Into Toilets?

Many people have had the experience of lifting the toilet lid and finding a snake coiled up in the bowl. But have you ever wondered how snakes get into toilets?

Snakes mainly get into toilets through a home’s sewer system or drainage pipes, then move through the plumbing, until they emerge inside the bowl.

When snakes get into your toilet, they are usually in search of food or shelter.

For example, you have rodents or frogs near your sewer system, and snakes searching for food are drawn to that area. Eventually, these snakes can end up inside the pipes, and emerge in your toilet bowl.  

Snakes Get Into Toilets Through the Sewer Lines

Snakes normally begin outside, going into sewer pipes or drains. They are able to go through open pipes, cracks in septic systems, or ventilation pipes.

After they have gained entrance, snakes move through the pipes connected to houses and buildings. They can squeeze through thin pipes with their flexible bodies.

They do not need eyesight to find their way in the dark pipes; they rely on their sense of touch and smell.

Snakes can slither up, down, or horizontally through the pipes effortlessly even against small flows of water. This is especially true in wide pipes that provide the snakes with some space to breathe.

As they slither through the pipes, snakes begin climbing up to your toilet through a special pipe known as a soil stack. This pipe connects your toilets and sinks with the main sewer line.

For the final part, snakes climb up the curved part of the toilet pipe which is full of water, known as the S-bend.

This water stops smells from the sewer from coming into your toilet. But a snake will still be able to push through the water if it is slender enough.

Once it gets through the pipe, it pops up in the bowl, still alive, but pretty confused.

It will often curl up in the bowl and hang around for a bit, particularly if the toilet lid is closed.

Why Do Snakes Get Into Toilets?

Snakes are not deliberate intruders. They just want to survive, eat, and be protected from predators.

Here are 3 main reasons why snakes often end up in people’s toilet bowls.

1. Searching for Food

Snakes, like any animal, are highly motivated by food. They enjoy eating bugs, frogs, rodents, and small birds.

Urban areas and homes can be full of rats and mice, especially if they’re poorly maintained.  

Snakes smell the mice and rats and track them, even in pipes and walls.

Occasionally, a rat or frog will get into a drain or sewer. A snake will then follow behind, “smelling” the rat with its forked tongue and locating it with surprising accuracy.

Toilets are usually at the end of these pipe systems. For this reason, a snake tracking down its prey can suddenly end up in your toilet.

It was hoping it would see a rat or frog, but now it is seeing your bathroom.

2. Seeking Shelter

Snakes, particularly in urban areas, need to find safe places to hide, just like they need to find food. Drains and pipes are ideal hiding spots.

• Darkness – Snakes like dark, secluded areas where they feel safe Pipes are similar to the holes and caves that they’d encounter in the wild, so they are very attractive spots to shelter.
• Moisture – Most snakes prefer moist areas, particularly where they consume frogs. Sewer and toilet pipes stay moist, so they can be attractive spots.
• Quiet and Safety – Pipes are quiet areas where snakes can hide undisturbed by any other animals (including humans).
• Good Temperature: Pipes can be cooler during summer and warmer during winter than outside, allowing snakes to remain comfortable and maintain optimal temperatures.

Basically, pipes are kind of like surprise snake motels! They have everything snakes need to hide, relax, and protect themselves from the elements.

3. Moving Through Underground Routes

Beneath our roads are tunnels and sewers. We use them for waste and water, but snakes use as as ideal locations to live. They’re dark, damp, and hidden, the type of environment snakes prefer in the wild.

They also have adequate food sources there, such as rats and insects. Since people don’t disturb them too much, snakes might go undetected for decades.

Once the snakes enter the sewer, it is simple for them to enter the buildings, particularly old buildings.

They can travel through the pipes and drains to places such as bathtubs, sinks, and even toilets!

It is not always by accident when snakes appear in your toilet. Sometimes, snakes learn certain routes through the sewer system, and these become part of their territory.

Snakes Are More Likely to Get Into Some Toilets Than Others

Having a snake in your toilet can be a terrifying experience, but it is more likely to happen in some places and buildings than in others.

Warm climates

Snakes prefer hot and humid climates. If you are in Southeast Asia, India, Africa, Australia, or the Southern United States of America, there are more snakes and they are more active.

This means they are more likely to wander into pipes looking for food or shelter.

Old or Damaged Buildings

If your home is old or poorly maintained, there are more crevices and openings for snakes to enter.

Problems such as leaking pipes, missing drain caps, or uncaped pipes allow snakes to easily find their way in.

Outdoor toilets (which exist in a few places) are not secure either.

Ground-Level toilets

Bathrooms on the ground floor or in the basement are easier for snakes to access through underground pipes.

Bathrooms that are close to crawl space or septic systems are also easier to access.

Bathrooms on upper floors are safer, but there are still opportunities for snakes to enter through pipes that go from the ground to the roof.

In general, if you’re in a warm location, an older house, and your bathroom is on the ground floor, then you’re more likely to see a snake in your toilet.

That said, taking care of your home and paying attention can reduce the possibility.

What Snake Species Are Commonly Found in Toilets?

Not all snakes will end up in your bathroom. The ones that are usually, comfortable around human environments, eat small animals like mice, and are good at climbing or swimming.

Snake Type	Regions	Why They Show Up	Notable Species

Venomous vipers in general (such as rattlesnakes), are less likely to enter toilets. These snakes are more terrestrial, less aquatic, and less agile in a confined space.

5 Tips to Prevent Snakes From Entering Your Toilet

Here are 5 tips to stop any snakes from getting into your toilet:

1. Seal All Entry Points

Snakes are capable of entering through very thin cracks, sometimes no thicker than a finger. The most important and simplest thing to do is to seal them.

• Check and seal up cracks in foundation walls, basement slabs, roofs, and window frames.
• Seal openings around utility line entrances where cables, pipes, or wires come into your house.
• Cover external vents and drainage holes using fine wire mesh or screens that will not allow rodents to enter.

If a snake can stick its head through a hole, it can probably fit its whole body through.

2. Maintain Plumbing and Sewer Systems

Defective or aged plumbing is a common entry point for snakes if joined with aged sewer pipes.

• Schedule regular plumbing inspections, particularly if you live in an older building or a high-risk area.
• Check for broken, cracked, or misplaced pipes, particularly on floors, in crawlspaces, and surrounding toilet seals.  
• Ensure that sewer grates and covers are tight and not cracked. Loose grates provide an easy snake entry.
• Consider relining worn sewer pipes to close off cracks and gaps inside.

Good pipes mean fewer pathways for snakes.  

3. Use a Toilet Lid and Keep It Closed

Though an open toilet lid won’t deter a determined snake from swimming up, it does discourage it and provides you with some protection from unwanted snake encounters.

• Teach everyone in the house to keep toilet lids down, particularly in ground-floor bathrooms.
• Where there is heavy wildlife activity, install heavy or latching lids.
• In areas where attacks are common, inspect the bowl before use as a preventive measure.

It is easy but efficient, particularly during nighttime.

4. Install a One-Way Valve

This is one of the best mechanical ways of snake-proofing against entry via the toilet.

A non-return valve prevents water and waste from leaking out of your pipes but permits anything from flowing back down, such as rodents and snakes.

These are fitted in sewer or drain pipes and need professional assistance.

Some of the newer designs will also prevent unwanted odors, bugs, and floodwater from entering your home again.

A non-return valve is like a door doorman for your pipes, nothing is coming in unless invited.

5. Control Rodent and Insect Numbers

Snakes very rarely are after you; they’re hungry to eat. By removing their food supply, you remove their motive to come inside your home.

• Seal food garbage and waste cans to discourage mice and insects from being drawn in.
• Clean out basements, attics, and yard spaces filled with clutter where rodents may nest.
• Use rodent-proof containers and traps around your home.  
• Repair dripping faucets and eliminate standing water, which is what attracts insects eaten by snakes.

No prey means no predators. Cut off the food supply and snakes will have fewer reasons to come to your toilet.

Conclusion

Snakes slithering into toilets is not very common, but it is still a real possibility, especially in tropical countries.

Snakes only act out of instinct. They’re following prey, seeking moisture, or escaping extreme temperatures, and sometimes wind up in your toilet.

Featured image credit: Saar Dayag (סער דייג), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons