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Massive boa hiding in attic for years bunked above woman’s chair

Posted at 2:38 PM, Aug 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-10 12:04:48-04

ENGLEWOOD, Fla. -- A Florida man discovered a more than six-foot boa constrictor living in his home after his wife and son complained of noises in the attic for years.

Bob van der Herchen told WFLAthat his son had a sinking feeling over the past few months that something just wasn't right.

"He used to complain he'd hear sounds in the attic,” van der Herchen said. “I didn't think much of it. I thought maybe it was rats."

Bob van der Herchen

Bob van der Herchen

But his son was convinced it was a snake.

When van der Herchen went to investigate, he found the big boa hiding among insulation.

"It took three-and-a-half minutes for this snake to move into that rafter space," he said. “It was bigger than I expected."

Trapper pulls snakeskin from roof.

Trapper pulls snakeskin from roof.

A snake trapper said the boa may have been in the home for anywhere from two to four years. In fact, the trapper pulled out a portion of a snakeskin the reptile had shed while living in the attic.

"It was actually bunking in the rafter space right above the Florida room chair where my wife sits,” van der Herchen said.

The trapper is looking to find a new home for this big boa.

The trapper is looking to find a new home for this big boa.

Bob van der Herchen told WFLA he thinks the snake was someone's pet and got loose. He believes the reptile gained access to his home via an overgrown tree branch and warned others to keep overgrown trees pruned.

The trapper that removed the snake is looking to find a new home for the boa.