VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) — A 4-year-old and his mom made a frightening discovery in Virginia Beach.
Erin Higginbottom took to Nextdoor.com on Thursday to share pictures of a snake she and her son found slithering around the window of their home in Cape Story. She has seen her share of snakes in the area, but this one terrified her.
“It wasn’t one of the ones that I knew,” said Higginbottom. “With the juvenile colored pattern, it looked like a python to us.”
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries confirmed the snake was a juvenile Eastern Black Rat Snake. This type of non-venomous snake is common in Virginia.
The snake was patterned because of its young age. Once it matures, it'll take on the full black color the species is known for. It slithered onto the family’s window sill as 4-year-old Sam Higginbottom was lying around the house.
"He yells at me, 'Mom, mom there's a snake outside!' I didn't come over right away, and I’m like, ‘Oh, no there's not!’” said Higginbottom. “Sure enough, I finally came over and there was a little snake popping out of the window.”
The snake lingered around for about five minutes. Luckily, their window was closed that day. Higginbottom said if it was a cooler day, the window would’ve been open, which means the snake would have likely crept into the home.
Now Sam is keeping his eyes peeled, hoping to get another glimpse of the reptile he named "Snakey." He and his siblings said they wanted to keep it as a pet.
“We have two bigger boys and I showed them pictures and they were so upset that we didn't catch it,” said Higginbottom.
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said right now is the peak time for snakes to be born. The recent wet weather in the region means snakes are on the move. Wet weather leads to frogs hatching and they’re a good source of food for snakes.
However, the Outreach Director at the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Lee Walker said the public shouldn’t panic.
“If you don’t want to have snakes around your house, take precautions by cleaning up brush piles, rocks, removing bird feeders and any place that would be suitable habitat or food source is usually what attracts a snake to a location,” said Walker.
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