Anaheim Hills woman bitten by rattlesnake in her own bathroom

ANAHEIM HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- The canyons of Anaheim Hills are home to critters large and small, including those that slither. It's not uncommon for residents to see rattlesnakes on a driveway or a sidewalk.

"Usually you don't hear about them getting into people's houses. We see them a lot, but this is the first I've heard it being inside someone's house," said Danielle Contreras.

That's what happened to Contreras' neighbor in the 1000 block of Colin Court. A rattlesnake made its way inside a 66-year-old woman's home and bit her after she discovered it slithering in plain view on her bathroom floor.

"She had gone into the bathroom. There was apparently a snake kind of coiled underneath her sink and it fell out, and it bit her," said Katie Ingram of Orange County Animal Care.

Orange County Animal Care officers responded to the emergency call Tuesday night to remove the snake and relocate it to a suitable location away from the residences. Officers say it was a juvenile that bit the woman's foot.

The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Eli Eaton, who lives across the street, says he "feared for her age and the fact that it was a venomous snake." He says he's seen a rattler and other snakes in his backyard. He's taken steps to make sure they can't get inside his house. It's advice animal control workers recommend for people living in areas snakes call home.

"During the warmer months, rattlesnakes are actively searching for food, which consists of mainly rodents," the Orange County Animal Care said in a statement. "Residents can deter snakes by sealing openings around or under homes where snakes may enter, controlling rodent populations, trimming back bushes and shrubbery and removing stacks of wood or debris."