Ask Onix
Python found on woman's chest in Brisbane home
Rachel Bloor awoke in the early hours of Monday to discover a large carpet python resting on her while she slept in her Brisbane residence.
Discovery in the dark
Half-asleep, Bloor initially mistook the heavy weight on her chest for her dog. Upon touching the creature, she realized it was a smooth, slithering snake. Her partner turned on the light, confirming their alarm-a 2.5-meter python had settled on her.
"Oh baby. Don't move. There's like a 2.5m python on you," her partner said.
Calm response amid chaos
Bloor's first reaction was a string of expletives, followed by an urgent command to remove their dogs from the room. She feared her Dalmatian might attack the snake, leading to a dangerous confrontation. With the dogs safely outside and her husband wishing he could join them, Bloor carefully slid out from under the covers.
"I was just trying to shimmy out from under the covers... in my mind, going, 'Is this really happening? This is so bizarre.'"
How the python entered
Bloor believes the non-venomous snake entered through a window shutter, slithering onto her bed. After freeing herself, she calmly guided the python back outside the same way it had come in. Even as she handled it, the snake remained docile, its tail still partially visible through the shutter.
"I grabbed him, [and] even then he didn't seem overly freaked out. He sort of just wobbled in my hand."
Reactions and reflections
While Bloor remained composed-having grown up around snakes in rural areas-her husband was visibly stunned. She noted that snakes often mirror human behavior; staying calm likely contributed to the python's tranquility. However, she admitted that encountering a cane toad, an invasive and reviled pest in Australia, would have been far more distressing.
"I can't stand them, like they make me dry retch. So if it was a cane toad, it would have scared me."
Outcome and background
All individuals-human and animal-emerged unharmed from the encounter. Carpet pythons, common in Australia's coastal regions, are constrictors that typically prey on small animals like birds.
