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How Snakes Are Able To Get In Through The Toilet And What You Can Do About It
You might think a kid's toy or giant clog are the worst things you can find in your toilet bowl. And you'd be right, unless you're among the unfortunate few who've snuck off for a quick bathroom break only to find a snake slithered inside or wrapped around the seat or tank. Instead of panicking, your best course of action is to stay calm, shut the lid, close the door, and call an emergency pest control service or your local animal control agency for help safely removing it. But whether you find a benign garter snake or a venomous rattlesnake, it's important to determine how it got there and what you can do to prevent another snake from slithering into your toilet ever again. From ensuring your septic tank lid is snug to sealing your ventilation pipes, there are several steps you can take to eliminate points of entry for snakes to keep them out of your toilet. Snakes seek out cool, dry places to avoid overheating during the summer months. Their complex anatomy allows them to climb, swim, and slink into extremely tight spaces. These traits mean that certain spots in your home, like the dark area behind your toilet or the cool water inside it, are particularly attractive hiding places. Snakes are just as likely to quietly creep into your house through an open door as they are to slither inside your septic tank and through the pipes connecting it to your toilet. Because they are capable climbers, snakes can also make their way onto your roof where they can easily access the ventilation pipes connecting to your home's plumbing fixtures. Read more: 9 Creative Ways To Repurpose Silica Gel Packets Around The House Secure All Potential Entry Points To Keep Snakes Out Of Your Home Keeping snakes out of your yard is a great way to reduce the likelihood that one of the reptiles will end up scaring the crap out of you in the bathroom. Keeping your grass cut and vegetation neat will help. But there are no foolproof chemical repellents to keep snakes away. And, it can be almost impossible to completely remove all potential food and shelter sources no matter how hard you try. So, to really reduce the chance a snake can get into your home, start by securing your doors and windows especially if you like to leave them open to get more fresh air inside. Seal any holes and make sure your screens are in good repair. Next, you'll want to make sure there are no other openings. There are three important places to secure. First, get familiar with how your home's septic tank works and make sure the lid is on tightly. If a snake works its way into your septic tank, it can move through the drain pipes connecting it directly to your toilet. A tight lid all but eliminates this possibility. Second, cover the ventilation pipes on your roof with heavy duty mesh to create an impenetrable barrier. This requires risky work, so you may want to consider hiring a handyperson or pest control professional to do the job. Finally, whether you're worried about snakes or other creatures like rats or frogs ending up in your toilet tank, consider installing a multi-flap valve. The one-way valve allows your toilet to flush and release water, but then quickly shuts to completely cut off access from any curious critters. Enjoyed this article? Get expert home tips, DIY guides, and design inspiration by signing up to the House Digest newsletter! Read the original article on House Digest. Solve the daily Crossword
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
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How one Gaza family dedicates each day to finding enough food to survive
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Every morning, Abeer and Fadi Sobh wake up in their tent in the Gaza Strip to the same question: How will they find food for themselves and their six young children? The couple has three options: Maybe a charity kitchen will be open and they can get a pot of watery lentils. Or they can try jostling through crowds to get some flour from a passing aid truck. The last resort is begging. If those all fail, they simply don't eat. It happens more and more these days, as hunger saps their energy, strength and hope. The predicament of the Sobhs, who live in a seaside refugee camp west of Gaza City after being displaced multiple times, is the same for families throughout the war-ravaged territory. Hunger has grown throughout the past 22 months of war because of aid restrictions, humanitarian workers say. But food experts warned earlier this week the 'worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza.' Israel enforced a complete blockade on food and other supplies for 2 1/2 months beginning in March. It said its objective was to increase pressure on Hamas to release dozens of hostages it has held since its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Though the flow of aid resumed in May, the amount is a fraction of what aid organizations say is needed. A breakdown of law and order has also made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food. Much of the aid that does get in is hoarded or sold in markets at exorbitant prices. Here is a look at a day in the life of the Sobh family: A morning seawater bath The family wakes up in their tent, which Fadi Sobh, a 30-year-old street vendor, says is unbearably hot in the summer. With fresh water hard to come by, his wife Abeer, 29, fetches water from the sea. One by one, the children stand in a metal basin and scrub themselves as their mother pours the saltwater over their heads. Nine-month-old Hala cries as it stings her eyes. The other children are more stoic. Abeer then rolls up the bedding and sweeps the dust and sand from the tent floor. With no food left over from the day before, she heads out to beg for something for her family's breakfast. Sometimes, neighbors or passersby give her lentils. Sometimes she gets nothing. Abeer gives Hala water from a baby bottle. When she's lucky, she has lentils that she grinds into powder to mix into the water. 'One day feels like 100 days, because of the summer heat, hunger and the distress,' she said. A trip to the soup kitchen Fadi heads to a nearby soup kitchen. Sometimes one of the children goes with him. 'But food is rarely available there,' he said. The kitchen opens roughly once a week and never has enough for the crowds. Most often, he said, he waits all day but returns to his family with nothing 'and the kids sleep hungry, without eating.' Fadi used to go to an area in northern Gaza where aid trucks arrive from Israel. There, giant crowds of equally desperate people swarm over the trucks and strip away the cargo of food. Often, Israeli troops nearby open fire, witnesses say. Israel says it only fires warning shots, and others in the crowd often have knives or pistols to steal boxes. Fadi, who also has epilepsy, was shot in the leg last month. That has weakened him too much to scramble for the trucks, so he's left with trying the kitchens. Meanwhile, Abeer and her three eldest children — 10-year-old Youssef, 9-year-old Mohammed and 7-year-old Malak — head out with plastic jerrycans to fill up from a truck that brings freshwater from central Gaza's desalination plant. The kids struggle with the heavy jerrycans. Youssef loads one onto his back, while Mohammed half-drags his, his little body bent sideways as he tries to keep it out of the dust of the street. A scramble for aid Abeer sometimes heads to Zikim herself, alone or with Youssef. Most in the crowds are men — faster and stronger than she is. 'Sometimes I manage to get food, and in many cases, I return empty-handed,' she said. If she's unsuccessful, she appeals to the sense of charity of those who succeeded. 'You survived death thanks to God, please give me anything,' she tells them. Many answer her plea, and she gets a small bag of flour to bake for the children, she said. She and her son have become familiar faces. One man who regularly waits for the trucks, Youssef Abu Saleh, said he often sees Abeer struggling to grab food, so he gives her some of his. 'They're poor people and her husband is sick,' he said. 'We're all hungry and we all need to eat.' During the hottest part of the day, the six children stay in or around the tent. Their parents prefer the children sleep during the heat — it stops them from running around, using up energy and getting hungry and thirsty. Foraging and begging in the afternoon As the heat eases, the children head out. Sometimes Abeer sends them to beg for food from their neighbors. Otherwise, they scour Gaza's bombed-out streets, foraging through the rubble and trash for anything to fuel the family's makeshift stove. They've become good at recognizing what might burn. Scraps of paper or wood are best, but hardest to find. The bar is low: plastic bottles, plastic bags, an old shoe — anything will do. One of the boys came across a pot in the trash one day — it's what Abeer now uses to cook. The family has been displaced so many times, they have few belongings left. 'I have to manage to get by,' Abeer said. 'What can I do? We are eight people.' If they're lucky, lentil stew for dinner After a day spent searching for the absolute basics to sustain life — food, water, fuel to cook — the family sometimes has enough of all three for Abeer to make a meal. Usually it's a thin lentil soup. But often there is nothing, and they all go to bed hungry. Abeer said she's grown weak and often feels dizzy when she's out searching for food or water. 'I am tired. I am no longer able,' she said. 'If the war goes on, I am thinking of taking my life. I no longer have any strength or power.' ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
