Countryside homes sometimes get uninvited guests.

Ken Johnson’s house in Altadena, California, is one such place. The unusual guest that came after Thanksgiving, however, had to be driven out for trying to squat in a crawl space under his abode.

Johnson sought help from wildlife officials to shoo away the 550-pound black bear, but their use of air horns, cherry- and caramel-flavored bait, and a trap failed to evict the animal, the LA Times (LAT) reported.

As the bear squatted, it damaged the underground gas line, forcing the homeowner to live without hot water.

On 6 January, volunteers with the BEAR League, a nonprofit based in Lake Tahoe, chased out the bear in roughly 20 minutes using paintball guns, LAT reported.

 Johnson, who was unemployed, started a GoFundMe to raise money to fix the damage inflicted by the bear, and more than 100 people initially donated $4,200 in less than a week.

Meanwhile, an uninvited guest in the home of a family living in a two-story house in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, was found in a second-floor bedroom on 12 January.

Rachel Bloor was woken up by a heavy weight on her stomach and chest. When she reached out under the covers, she felt something smooth move beneath her hand and realized it was not her pet, according to Fox News. 

Not panicking, Bloor woke up her husband, who turned on the light and saw the 2.5-meter-long python. She told him to quietly move the dogs out of the room while she side-shuffled away from the snake, according to Fox News.

The daring Bloor then safely ushered the large reptile out of the bedroom herself through a window. She is not afraid of snakes but told the BBC that toads freak her out.