The first-time homeowners say inspections failed to uncover a snake den beneath their front porch before they bought the property.
SALVISA, Ky. — A Kentucky couple who bought their first home in August says they have since found at least 25 snakes inside the property, along with dozens of snake eggs beneath a concrete porch that had gone undetected during multiple home inspections.
Jessica and Johnathan Perry said the problem emerged about three weeks after they purchased the Mercer County house. Jessica Perry first encountered a snake on the porch while she was home with the couple’s 5-year-old son. More snakes appeared over the following days, and the discovery grew more serious when Johnathan Perry and a friend found two adult snakes and several juveniles in the basement.
The Perrys told WKYT they have now counted at least 25 snakes inside the house. The snakes they have encountered are not venomous, according to the report, but the number of animals and evidence found around the property have raised concerns about how extensive the problem may be.
Multiple inspections conducted before the sale did not reveal a snake den beneath the front porch. The couple later hired a contractor to break into the concrete in that area. Jessica Perry said the work exposed dozens of snake eggs, including what appeared to be both newer eggs and older remains.
The discovery also prompted the couple to learn more about the home’s history. Jessica Perry said neighbors indicated that snakes had long been associated with the property. She also contacted a previous owner, who told her that the property had been known as the “snake house” when he was a child. The Perrys now fear there could be additional dens within or around the home’s foundation.
The possibility of more hidden snake activity has turned what the couple expected to be a routine first-home purchase into an expensive repair project. Jessica Perry said the family has already spent thousands of dollars addressing a problem they did not anticipate when they bought the house.
The family has also changed its routine since the discoveries began. Searching the basement for snakes has become a regular task, according to the couple. They have cleared brush near a creek on the property and are planning additional work as they try to determine where snakes may be entering or nesting.
Further work is expected to include removing the back porch to check for another possible den and examining areas around the foundation. The Perrys said they worry that fully addressing the problem could require significant structural work if additional snake dens are found within the foundation.
The situation has also brought particular concern because the couple’s young son lives in the home. Although the snakes found so far have been described as nonvenomous, Johnathan Perry said the family remains uneasy about the possibility of snakes moving from the basement into other parts of the house.
The Perrys said the repair and mitigation process could continue for months and cost thousands of dollars more. As of this week, the family was continuing to monitor the property while preparing for additional work to determine the full extent of the snake problem.
Author note: Last updated November 11, 2026.