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2. Lizards
If you live in an area with a large lizard population, it’s worth keeping in mind that they can easily find a way into your toilet. Many lizards love water and are small enough to squeeze into your plumbing system. Lizards are usually attracted to your toilet by other, smaller insects, so again, keeping your toilet as clean as possible can seriously help reduce the risk.
Some plumbing systems are connected to a home’s garbage disposal, which can lead rats into your toilet bowl in search of food scraps. If this is a concern, you should stop throwing food scraps down your garbage disposal and make sure they go with the trash. This should prevent rats from exploring your pipes, but if you’re still concerned, you can install a specialized rat guard.
4. Opossums
Like rats, small opossums are excellent swimmers, can hold their breath for long periods, and are flexible enough to navigate small pipes. Like rats, keeping your pipes free of food scraps is essential to deterring opossums from entering your plumbing system. To properly clean your toilet pipes, mix equal parts sugar, water, vinegar, and 5 to 10 drops of dish soap and flush it down your toilet. Boiling water can also be a good way to deep clean.
5. Snakes
Snakes are essentially the perfect shape to fit into long, thin pipes and thrive in cool, dark, and moist environments. While the majority of snakes that appear in toilet bowls are relatively harmless, it’s probably not worth the risk of trying to remove them yourself. If you’re unlucky enough to spot a snake in your toilet bowl, the safest thing to do is call pest control to take care of the problem. Once your toilet visitor has left, you should deep clean your pipes again using the concoction of sugar, water, vinegar, and dish soap to remove any food residue in your pipes and ensure there are no more unwanted guests.
