Shock As Homeowners Find Venomous Snake Above Wi

Most of us are familiar with the snake-like tangles of cables around our Wi-Fi routers. What is less common is to find an actual snake there, and a venomous one at that.

When a resident in Berry, New South Wales, in Australia, went to organize a tangled wire above their router they discovered a pair of beady eyes staring back at them.

"It was just about grabbed when they realized it wasn't a cable," Glen Peacock from Illawarra Snake Catcher, told Newsweek. "Obviously it was a pretty big shock."

Peacock shared footage from the incident to his Facebook page, Illawarra Snake Catcher. In it, his wife, Pam Peacock, can be seen coaxing the snake from the top of the router.

The snake in question was a venomous eastern small-eyed snake, a small species that can be found along the east coast of Australia.

Their venom contains a potent myotoxin that attacks the muscle tissue, including the heart. Serious bites from this species are extremely rare. "[There] has been one recorded death in Australia," Peacock said.

Eastern small-eyed snakes are fairly common but also very small and nocturnal so they are not seen very often. However, they may make their way into peoples' homes to escape from the outdoors.

"During winter or the warmer months can be pretty common for them to enter a house," Peacock said. "They are normally trying to escape the weather, the heat as well as the cold. Also rain."

This particular snake appears to have been warming itself up from the heat given off by the router. "A second snake was found later that day in the same spot," Peacock said. "Pretty sure they entered through a hole in the wall behind the router."

In their efforts to escape the outdoors, snakes find themselves in all sorts of places. "We have found them just about everywhere," Peacock said. "In cars, boats, toilets, washing machine, golf carts, fruit basket, airport."

If you want to keep snakes off your property, the best thing you can do is to make it an inhospitable environment for these animals with limited food sources. "Best way to keep snakes away is to maintain your property," Peacock said. "Keeping grass mowed. Controlling rats and mice. Keeping garden clean and trimmed.

"Be mindful, water features, chickens, bird aviaries all attract things snakes like to eat. Rodents, frogs and lizards. Also a good idea around the home to fill in gaps. Mesh plugs in weep holes, good door seals, also good seals under garage doors."

If you should ever find a snake on your property, the best thing do to is to call in your local snake catcher. Snake bites are rare but they are more likely if the snake is feeling harassed or is handled.