Rachel Bloor awoke in her Brisbane home to find a roughly 2.5‑metre (8‑foot) carpet python coiled on her chest after it entered through plantation shutters. She initially thought the weight was a dog, then calmly side‑shuffled out and guided the non‑venomous snake out through a window. Snake catcher Kurt Whyte said sightings rise as eggs hatch and hot weather encourages snakes to move, and warned that housing expansion and gaps around homes can increase encounters. Experts advise contacting trained handlers rather than attempting removal.
‘Don’t Move’: Brisbane Woman Wakes To 8‑Foot Carpet Python Coiled On Her Chest
Woman wakes up with 8-foot python coiled on her chest while sleeping: 'Don't move'
Rachel Bloor woke in the middle of the night in her second‑storey Brisbane home to the heavy weight of a large snake across her chest. At first she assumed one of the family dogs had climbed on top of her, but when she reached beneath the covers she felt smooth scales instead of fur.
"To my horror, I realised it wasn’t my dog,"Bloor told the BBC.
Rachel Bloor calmly handled the nearly 8-foot carpet python herself instead of calling professionals in the moment.(Getty Images)
Her husband immediately switched on the light and warned her, "Oh baby. Don’t move. There is like a 2.5‑metre python on you." His first priority was to remove the dogs from the room to prevent a dangerous confrontation.
After the pets were taken outside, Bloor says she carefully side‑shuffled out from under the covers. Rather than waiting for a professional snake catcher, she guided the reptile out of the bedroom through a window herself. "I grabbed him," she recalled, saying the python "didn’t seem overly freaked out" and "sort of just wobbled in my hand." Part of the snake’s tail remained protruding from the plantation shutters, which Bloor suspects is where it entered.
Bloor said she just 'sort of side-shuffled out.'
What Kind Of Snake Was It?
The snake was identified as a carpet python — a non‑venomous constrictor commonly found along Australia’s coastal regions. While their bite can be painful and they kill by constriction, carpet pythons are not venomous to humans.
Expert Perspective And Safety Tips
Snake catcher Kurt Whyte told ABC News that sightings often rise as breeding season ends and eggs begin to hatch. He noted hot weather encourages snakes to bask and become more active. Whyte also warned that expanding housing developments push into bushland, and common home features such as gaps under garage doors, loose shutters or open vents can provide easy access for snakes looking for shelter.
Safety reminder: If you find a snake in your home, keep a safe distance, secure pets and children, and contact a trained wildlife handler or local snake catcher. While Bloor safely escorted this non‑venomous python outside, handling snakes is risky and best left to professionals.
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