Hisssss! San Jose Family Surprised by Snake in Their Home

A San Jose couple got a slithering surprise inside their home this week: A snake inches away from their couch as they sat and watched TV.

It's not the first report of snakes inside a house in the newly built townhome community on Communications Hill. At least two people in the area say they found a snake inside their home. One neighbor said he had never seen that before in San Jose.

The black snake, about a foot long, slithered across the carpet in Kian Massarat's living room.

"We were in here watching TV after dinner, just sitting here on the couch, and the snake came from over that direction and ended up in the middle of the floor," Massarat said. "We’ve seen snakes when we go on walks through the neighborhood but never inside the house."

The city of San Jose’s Animal Care and Services told NBC Bay Area that since January, its officers have responded to four calls of snakes inside San Jose homes. And that number is slightly down from last year’s total.

"We do get those calls where people find them in their garage or sometimes, scary enough, in their bedrooms," Capt. Jay Terrado said.

Terrado said there may be even more cases that aren't reported to them.

Massarat didn’t call Animal Services and instead managed to set the snake free outside.

"How did this thing get inside because I obviously don’t want this to happen again?" he said.

Terrado said snakes can get into homes through a quarter-size hole. They're typically looking for food and water, he said.

"They will move into the city a little bit closer because they’re looking for resources," Terrado said. "They’re trying to survive like any other animal or just like humans."

Animal Services says anyone who finds a snake in or around their home should call the agency right away and never try to handle the snake on their own.

Animal Control did not confirm what type of snake was in side the house.