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Ben and Amber Sessions thought they were getting their ideal house. And the 5 bedroom property in countryside Rexburg, Idaho was a great deal at under $180,000. But their ideal house ended up being a nightmare. They were sharing their property with hundreds of snakes. Article source - Snakes infest Idaho house by Newsytype.com.

Home with snakes in it

The Sessions purchased the property in 2009, thinking it would be a wonderful place to raise their two young sons. Then the snakes came -- so several that at times the ground seemed to be moving, and the sounds of slithering in the walls kept them awake at night. Their story was showcased on Animal Planet's "Infested" series. The garter snakes themselves were harmless, but their sheer number made life a nightmare.

"It was like living in one of those horror movies," 31 year old Ben Sessions said. He was done after he had killed 42 snakes in one day. "They won," he said.

Not the first sent packing

The Sessions didn't make it long. They left after three months of living there. They couldn't do anything about it though since they signed a document about how they knew there was a snake problem. According to Sessions, the realtor told them the previous owners, the Arns, lied about the issue once they defaulted on their mortgage.

Not attempting to sell the home right now

Selling the snake house will probably not take place anytime soon. It is not even on the market right now. A professional was hired to trap the snakes, according to a spokesperson.

Right news to a snake den

Rob Cavallaro, a wildlife biologist with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said the house was likely built on a hibernaculum, a den where snakes collect to hibernate for the winter. The weather warmed up and woke the snakes up. They left the den after this, more than likely.

"It is an important site for the snakes," Cavallaro said. "Every now and then we build on them, and it becomes a conflict." Cavallaro says he has heard of only one other Idaho house built on a snake den. Workers found a hibernaculum in a bridge-widening project once too.

Snakes infesting other homes

Just this month, many poisonous copperhead snakes were found in the back of Savannah, Ga., resident J. Anne Mize's backyard. She called the authorities because of it. That infestation ended up being the result of a mini-food chain behind her shed. Cockroaches were feeding off rotting wood there, and lizards and other small predators ate the roaches, and the snakes went after them.

Copperhead snakes were also found last August in the yard of Tony and Lynn Gatlin in Corsicana, Texas. Andy Gluesenkamp, a herpetologist with the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, said it is an unusual but not unheard of problem. "We know of reliable reports of copperheads being very abundant for short amounts of time, of them up in trees, feasting on cicada, or locust blooms," he said.

The snake infestation problem needs to be fixed

With a small infestation, using just a little kerosene works. Just dap just a little around the infestation area. Check for professional help if it is dangerous. It is always dangerous when there is a poisonous snake loose.

Citations

Associated Press

google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gToM-eTsYtI2rL_vjNeANwFR-PYw?docId=59f1f1a49ed24679833db9dae534ce04

New York Daily News

nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/06/15/2011-06-15_snake_house_of_horrors_idaho_family_driven_from_home_after_finding_thousands_of_.html?r=news/national

Coastal Source

thecoastalsource.com/mostpopular/story/Savannah-families-deal-with-snake-infestation/JDxgYqte3UKV_1Fa1VDDlQ.cspx

Norman Transcript

normantranscript.com/local/x91130991/Family-copes-with-snake-infestation

Previous owners, the Arns, at the 'snake house'