[Maceman]

Did they not consider it was just a “normal” breeding ball that would later disperse or had it been going on for a very long time?

It had been going on for a very long time. Honestly, I was absolutely stunned by the size of the infestation.

Here's a brief video clip from the episode about it on the Animal Planet show "Infested!" But it doesn't really do the situation justice the way the entire episode did.

Also, there are some other YouTube videos about garter snake home infestations, including this one.

[Salamander]

It would seem that the house was built on an ancestral denning spot.

That would be like having a houseboat and complaining that spawning salmon were bothering you.

[if people saw me putting on heavy leather gloves to pick up a Garter, I’d die of shame]