Reptiles are certainly not the friend of man and must be prevented one way or the other from getting close.
A Nigerian Doctor on Twitter has therefore shared some safety tips and measures few days after an incident of an eight-months pregnant woman died after getting bitten by a snake when she went to pee at night.
The doctor has further explained how reptiles especially snakes get into toilet bowls and the necessary actions to be taken to prevent any havoc.
He wrote on his tweet……
ALWAYS FLUSH AND COVER THE TOILET SEAT AFTER USE,
Even if it is just pee,
Flush and cover the seat,
And once you finish, stand up and go.
And for those in the habit of sitting on the seat for hours browsing twitter, making phone calls and checking Instagram, this is for you.
So how do snakes really get into the toilet?
1. Ventilation pipes! Yes, mostly, the one on the roof. Because bathroom plumbing is usually connected through ventilation pipes on the roof, snakes can find their way through that ventilation system and, soon, into your toilet.
Especially if you have trees surrounding your house and an open ventilation pipe attached to your house leading to the roof: snakes can easily drop on your roof from those nearby trees and slip into the open ventilation pipes and crawl into your toilet and any part of your house.
2. Bathroom and toilet openings that lead directly outside.
If you live in a house surrounded by forests or trees, and your bathroom/toilet drainage goes directly outside as an open hole- just know snakes, rats and even village people can disguise to come in for dinner any time.
3. And also you know snakes feed on rats. So naturally, snakes will follow rats to wherever they are plenty.So if you live in a house with a lot of rats, just be aware that sooner or later, you may be getting a visit from a snake.
And that visit may take place in your toilet.
There is a lot you can do to avoid snakes showing up on your toilet and homes.
1. If your house has an open ventilation system, make sure you cover it with a mesh. The mesh allows the ventilation system still do its work while also stopping snakes. (see pics)
2. Try to check your house plumbing system and all the drainage system.
Make sure it is blocked where necessary and also make sure that you put a mesh wherever it is that total blockage may be impractical or cause worse plumbing problems.
A simple way to do this?
Get a plumber.
I have been seeing in the reply section that pouring salt or pouring sniper and 2litres of kerosene down the toilet bowl and flushing it down can prevent snakes.
I DO NOT KNOW how true it is.
Make sure you speak with an engineer or your plumber before trying anything unverified.
This is quite serious though.
Check the drains and exit holes in your toilets, check your bathrooms too, check the ventilation system on your roofs, check the plumbing in your house-
Make sure you fix anywhere that has leaks or is open to the outside. This is how snakes come in.
