A mother in Chester has spoken of her shock after discovering a 7ft Taiwanese Beauty Rat Snake slithering through her three-year-old daughter's bedroom. Natasha Robinson initially thought her fiancé, Gary Minshull, was playing a prank, but quickly realised the serpent was real when its tongue flicked out.
The 34-year-old wedding accessories business owner said she was in disbelief, especially knowing the snake had been in the room with her daughter Primrose. She immediately moved the children—Primrose, Jacob (7), and Theo (6)—to the garden and checked on her pet cats, fearing they might have been eaten.
Mrs Robinson and her partner, a 40-year-old health and safety manager, contained the snake for two hours before a local couple who own exotic pets took it away. The Taiwanese Beauty Rat Snake is a non-venomous constrictor, legal to keep without a licence in Britain, but can grow up to 10ft and may strike if threatened.
The mother expressed relief that her daughter did not accidentally tread on the snake. She believes it may have entered through an open window days before the incident. Since its discovery, the snake has been safely fostered, but Mrs Robinson spent days afterwards frantically checking the bed in case another had got in.
'The children weren't frightened... they thought it was really cool,' she said, adding that she has become something of a local celebrity, constantly being asked about the bizarre episode.
