A Spring Break getaway in Florida turned into a nightmare for a group of friends when they returned to their Airbnb rental in Punta Gorda, only to find a baby ball python lurking between the sheets of their bed. The shocking discovery was captured in a dramatic video that has since circulated widely on social media.
Chaotic Scene Unfolds as Snake is Discovered
The video shows the small python curled up on the bed, with one man screaming, "There's a f***ing snake in the bed," while TikTok user Mary Chandler Hicks can be heard screaming in the background. Her boyfriend, Clayton Robert George, appeared visibly distressed by the sight, combing his fingers through his hair as he processed the unsettling scene.
Quick Thinking Saves the Day
George soon sprang into action, taking off his shirt and using it to carefully grab the snake. "Nobody move, nobody move, nobody move," he warned as he carried the reptile wrapped in his shirt. Chandler Hicks, hiding in the doorway, pleaded with him to take the snake outside and throw it over the fence.
"Oh my god, oh my god," she exclaimed. "I'm washing the sheets. I'm not sleeping on that." The man filming the incident remarked that he was glad he had suggested checking the bed beforehand.
How Did the Python Get Inside?
In a follow-up video, Chandler Hicks explained the circumstances that may have led to the python's appearance. She and her boyfriend had been out late and left a bedroom door connecting to a screened-in porch open, though the porch door itself was closed.
Upon returning, Chandler Hicks found a pair of shorts in their room that didn't belong to her. One of their friends had apparently thrown them in there, mistakenly thinking they were hers. This prompted a thorough room inspection.
"So we were like checking the room, moving the sheets - there's the snake," she recounted. "Y'all, I had to like blink three times. I thought I was hallucinating. I literally thought I was hallucinating."
A Narrow Escape
Chandler Hicks expressed relief that she hadn't simply collapsed onto the bed without checking first. "Like, thank God I did not decide to just conk out and lay on the bed, because if that were the case, it would've been way worse," she told her 13,000 followers.
She praised George as the "boyfriend of the year" for his quick instincts in removing the snake. Once the python was safely disposed of at a distance, the couple immediately threw the sheets into the wash.
The incident has raised questions about safety and unexpected encounters in vacation rentals. The Daily Mail has reached out to Airbnb for comment regarding this alarming situation.
