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Finding unwanted guests in your home can be unsettling, especially when it’s a creature you never saw coming. The shock of an uninvited animal can quickly turn your safe space into a source of unease.
That’s exactly what happened to a TikTok user named Sara Hutchinson (@barbellsbooks), who found out that there was a creepy creature lurking in the shadows of her home. “I’m gonna need somebody to talk me out of burning my house down,” she says at the start of the video.
According to Sara, she was moving her furniture around what appeared to be her living room so she could make space for a Christmas tree. As she moved her couch aside and started sweeping, her heart froze. There on the floor was an intact snakeskin, its eerie texture a spine-chilling reminder of something that had slithered through her home and might still be hiding somewhere. “Somebody send help. It’s in my house right now somewhere,” she stated.
Sara’s TikTok video has been played more than 3 million times, and viewers had a lot of things to say. One wrote, “Not to freak you out even more but… it’s bigger now.” Indeed, the commenter is correct. According to experts, snakes go through the process of shedding their skin — also called molting, sloughing, or ecdysis — in order to grow further. A snake’s skin doesn’t expand as it grows, so it needs to shed its existing skin to grow bigger. The process begins with new skin growing beneath the existing layer, and once it’s complete, the snake sheds its old skin, leaving behind a papery, translucent castoff.
Others expressed their discomfort and unease, with one writing, “I was not prepared. I gasped. I shivered,” and another one adding, “I’d simply pass away.” There were also those who said they’d never be able to stay in the house if they had discovered something like that. “It’s the snake’s house now, I’m out,” one said, while another commented, “Nah, baby nah. Hotel, Motel, HOLIDAY INN!” One user didn’t expect to see snakeskin and said, “I thought you were overreacting but after finishing the video I’m concerned you’re underreacting.”
Snake owners also reacted to Sara’s video, with one saying that she should check the warm places in her home, as they are most likely where snakes like to hide, even suggesting placing grocery bags on the floor so that Sara can hear it when it slithers over the plastic. Many also commented that it may be a rat snake, which is not venomous and is typically a docile creature. As its name suggests, its preferred source of nutrition is rats, but they also eat rodents and small animals. Sara felt somewhat reassured, knowing that if it was indeed a rat snake, there was no need to be overly alarmed.
Experts warn homeowners of what to do when snakeskin is found inside the home. First, it shouldn’t be handled with bare hands, as it may carry bacteria. Second, it should be placed into a plastic bag and disposed of properly. And while discovering one inside your home is creepy, in some cultures, finding a snakeskin can mean positive things, such as personal growth, transformation, or rebirth.