Helen Richards was bitten on the bum by a carpet python while trying to use the toilet

• Queensland lady was bitten on the bum by a snake while she was on the toilet  
• Helen Richards went to the toilet in the dark when the carpet python bit her
• Jasmine Zeleny, a local snake catcher, removed the snake and took it to a creek 
• Ms Zeleny warned snakes appear in toilet bowls more often than people think  
• The incident occurred during 'snake season' which is due to the warmer weather

An unlucky lady got an unexpected surprise when she was bitten on the bottom by a carpet python as she tried to use the toilet. 

Helen Richards described the startling moment the snake sank its teeth into her behind at her sister-in-law's home in Brisbane's west earlier this week.  

The 59-year-old has cautioned others to 'look before they leak' in a bid to stop anyone else suffering the same fate. 

Jasmine Zeleny (pictured), who works for Snake Catchers Brisbane, removed the snake and took it to a nearby creek

I felt this sharp tap and a little bit of pain. I thought it was a green frog, but then I thought green frogs don't have teeth,' Mrs Richards told The Courier Mail.

'I jumped up with my pants down and turned around to see what looked like a longneck turtle receding back into the bowl,' she added. 

Mrs Richards, who estimated the carpet python was 1.6m long, said the snake bit her so hard it drew blood – but thankfully, carpet pythons are a non-venomous breed of snake.

(File picture) Mrs Richards, who estimated the carpet python was 1.6m long, said the snake bit her so hard it drew blood

In a bid to keep the python contained she shut the lavatory lid and took an extra precaution by placing two plant pots on top.

She then called local snake catcher, Jasmine Zeleny, to remove the animal from the toilet bowl. 

Ms Zeleny, originally from New South Wales, said being bitten by a snake in such a way was a very rare occurrence. 

'Snake Catchers has been running for 25 years and we've never seen anyone bitten on the bum by a snake whilst on the toilet before,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 

'The situation was extreme in that Mrs Richards got bitten. I think they spooked each other and the snake had a bit of a fright and lashed out in fear,' she added. 

However she noted snakes do creep up into toilets more often than people might think.

'It's not something that happens everyday but it happens more often than you think,' she said. 

Ms Zeleny also noted that Mrs Richard's had handled everything perfectly after the incident occurred, and offered some words of wisdom to anyone that might come face to face with a snake.

'If you do find a snake don't poke it and certainly don't try and flush it down the toilet as this could cause it to retreat down the pipes again. 

'If you leave it alone and don't interfere there won't be any dramas when a snake catcher comes to remove it,' she added. 

As to reasons why the snake might be lurking in the lavatory Ms Zeleny explained. 

'Snakes appearing in toilets is often as simple as them just navigating the pipes, and every now and then, a snake may reach that particular end point which is the toilet bowl.'

Ms Zeleny removed the snake and released it back into a nearby creek.

Mrs Richards later paid a visit to her local doctor for a precautionary tetanus shot, but added it was her sister-in-law who came to her aid shortly after the incident with a gin and tonic to 'sooth the shakes' from the shock. 

There are approximately 3000 snake bites recorded each year in Australia, of which 300 receive anti-venom medication, and only one or two bites prove to be fatal.