ROSWELL, Ga. — A Roswell couple came home from vacation to an unsettling surprise — a four-foot python hiding under their deck.
“I saw it out of the corner of my eye, and I look over, and it’s right up there,” said homeowner Julia Joiner. “I was terrified. I was shaking.”
Julia said she immediately called out to her husband. “She yells, ‘Larry, you need to get down here,’” said Larry Joiner.
The couple tried to figure out what kind of snake it was. “I started texting friends and Facebooking,” Larry said. “Everyone is coming back saying this is a Copperhead, be careful. One friend said it’s a python. I said it can’t be a Python. She said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘Because it’s under my deck.’”
While the python wasn’t venomous, snake experts say it’s not unusual to see snakes this time of year.
Jason Clark, founder of Southeastern Reptile Rescue, said exotic pets like pythons often end up outside.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“They’re not very expensive, which means lots of people have them, and some of those people don’t securely keep these snakes, so we often get calls,” Clark said.
Clark added that while fall is an even more active time for snakes in Georgia, residents are still in the middle of snake season.
“In Georgia, we have three species of rattlesnakes, your Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake, your Timber rattlesnake, your Pigmy rattlesnake, then we have your Copperhead and your Cottonmouth as well as your Coral snake,” he said.
Most others, he noted, are non-venomous. However, in metro Atlanta, people are more likely to find a Copperhead. He said people will find Cottonmouths usually south of the city, mostly in Clayton and Fayette counties.
Timber rattlesnakes are more likely to be found in Douglas County or more rural areas, and Pigmy rattlesnakes are usually in South Georgia but can reach the metro area.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Fulton County Jail floods as rain moves through Atlanta
- Metro Atlanta high school named among best in U.S.
- At least 600 CDC employees are getting final termination notices, union says
Experts say snakes like to hide in ivy, overgrowth, and shrubbery. “Trimming shrubbery, trimming bushes where you can see the ground around it, and eliminating places for snakes to hide will make the snakes want to go somewhere else,” Clark said. “As you change the habitat and remove food sources and hiding places, the snake now doesn’t have much of a reason to want to be in your yard.”
As for the Joiners, Larry said he’s still uneasy. “I don’t know if there’s another one, and I’m just terrified of snakes, and I don’t know where it came from.”
Officials remind residents that killing non-venomous snakes in Georgia is against the law and considered a misdemeanor. Attempting to kill or remove a venomous snake is also risky, as most bites happen that way. Experts say the safest option is to call a professional — or leave it alone if it’s harmless.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
