Woman finds snake slithering under vacuum in her cupboard

Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A London woman looking for a pair of shoes in a cupboard inside her apartment found something far more startling -- a snake.

Kasia Radochonska, who lives in the Southwark area of London, said she was going through the cupboard Feb. 16 when she spotted a snake slithering from under her vacuum cleaner.

"I opened the cupboard in my flat where I keep my shoes and other bits and bobs," she said. "I looked at the vacuum cleaner and noticed something red, like rope. Then it moved and I thought: 'Oh my god, it's a snake!'"

Radochonska alerted the RSPCA, which sent animal collection officer Joe Tambini to the scene.

"Kasia had been knocking on doors in her block to find out if anyone was missing a snake but no one claimed her. She was a bit cold so I took her to RSPCA Putney Animal Hospital where she was put in a vivarium to heat up," Tambini said.

The corn snake, nicknamed Mavis, will be moved to an RSPCA rehoming center if no one comes forward to claim her as an escaped pet.

"People are always surprised to hear that we actually get called out to collect lots of escaped snakes who have gone wandering around the neighborhood. They can slither out of their vivariums and into strangers' homes; we've even had some hide for months before coming out later, much to the householder's shock," Tambini said.