Rural Montana, 27-year-old Callie wey dem know as callieoverseas for social media, don dey live with snake infestation for her house since 2020. According to her yarn with PEOPLE, the first time her family see snake na when her mother-in-law dey stay with them.
“E come from the entryway for our house. We get that one for 2020, and then for fall of 2020, we get another one, and na my mom find am,” Callie recall.
She first see snake with her own eyes for December 2020. “I dey go take my daughter from her pack and play. She dey about 6 months old at that time, and I turn around, and e small well well, but e dey right for floor for living room. That one catch me off guard because na December,” she explain.
Callie talk say even though e common to see snake for dia remote area, especially with water source three miles down the road, you no dey expect to see them dey come out like this. “Things really bad last summer when we realize say this no be just random snake wey enter house because e be old farmhouse. The house na den,” she say.
One time, dem see about four snakes for living space of the house at the same time. The foundation na cinder block, so we get entryway wey go down to basement, and that one dey lined with cinder block of foundation. Right now, dem don seal front door. But from “the door wey go down to that entryway,” dem fit “watch them drop from foundation of the house, up to five, six or even more snakes per day. At one point, we see eight for spring, dey drop outside,” Callie share.
Though she know say dem “no dey harmful,” she still no want them for house. “Dem just be garter snakes, and dem eat plenty bugs. People dey tell me all the time, ‘No worry about them, dem harmless,’ but still get my irrational fear. I no go ever touch them. I no want them for my house,” she share.
Callie don dey share her experience online to raise ,000 to move to new house. She say her audience dey engaged with her snake journey, and the most common comment na to “burn am down, and move out.”
“We get plenty people wey dey ask, ‘Why you no just move? How you dey sleep at night?’ People usually dey horrified. Plenty people dey overlook say e be reality of rural living,” she explain.
From sharing her story for social media, she receive messages from people wey don experience similar thing. “E just wild because I never know. We don hear of people wey get snake for house for Montana before, because plenty areas dey remote, but I never hear of so many people get true infestation like this, and I get plenty DMs from people wey get am,” she say.
Callie husband na ranchhand, and dia house dey included for his pay package. “E never be about neglect for terms of the owners of the house. We no get amenities for this area, so we just find contractor wey don come our house two or three times for last week, and we go do major renovations for the house. This include overhauling foundation, sealing am and put new siding,” she say.
“Dem dey completely gut the bathroom and wetin. So dem go do plenty work to make sure say house dey properly sealed and basically keep snakes from entering. We use all kinds of things; there be snake-away powder wey you fit put around perimeter of house. We buy plenty spray foam to seal any holes, caulking, anything and everything,” she add.
The history teacher say she know say people dey against am, but dem also leave row of sticky traps at perimeter of dia kitchen at night. Thankfully, dem never see the reptiles for bedrooms, and dem want do wetin dem fit to make sure dem no spread to “the rest of the house. I no want them dey go elsewhere. We get young pikin, and I definitely no want them make way to where dem go find them,” she tell PEOPLE.
Her pikin, she say, “no too fear them. Dem dey play outside and everything without fear, but dem no go ever touch one.” For those wey dey question whether the mother of three dey make am up for views, she say the suggestion na “almost so absurd say e funny. How you go ever come up with that? Where you go even come up with that? No, absolutely not. I wish that be the case, honestly. Unfortunately, e no be,” she share.
“I get people wey dey joke, ‘Oh, you just dey stay for house for content.’ I dey like, ‘Yeah, right.’ I don talk plenty times, dem be my irrational fear. I get no desire to dey for presence of snake,” she say.
Throughout the years-long ordeal, she say dem don “learn plenty snake facts against our will. Wait for point where dem stop. Dem usually quit coming out of foundation of our house or quit exiting house around June sometime, and then spray foam and caulk every crack and crevice you fit find. Try to find entry point. If you think e be den, try to locate nest. Hopefully, dem go live for area where dem get access to more options for pest control. Snake be one of hardest things to get rid of because you no fit poison them. You no really fit trap them,” Callie add.
As of now, Callie say dem plan to stay for house. “I don make goal of making $75,000 for social media, and I still want to, as title of that series be, ‘Using social media to make 75K to move out of our snake-infested house.’ I still want keep the goal. Eventually, I go like own our own home,” she note.
While dem go love get dia own place one day, e no dey for cards yet. “I think the renovations go help. I dey really optimistic about that. E be unfortunate scenario because he really love his job, and he really love the people wey he work for, and we like where we live,” Callie share.
Since completing some home improvements, Callie don see only two snakes for living space. She get more for entryway, about seven, but only couple for kitchen. She dey try look at upside of having snakes, mainly say e be excuse to “make significant improvements on our old farmhouse.” The worst part, she say, be say dem take away “the sense of comfort wey you feel when you dey for home. You dey really just on edge. I no even want go kitchen to make lunch during day and things like that. E just so unnerving. Dem take away the peace wey you feel for your own home, and the fear say you dey constantly go come across one, e definitely cause plenty anxiety,” she admit.
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