She said residents of the hostel had called the emergencies services to complain about the smell of a decaying body. Rescuers smashed the door open to find a corpse and five poisonous and three non-venomous snakes.
The reptiles were kept in huge glass cages with climate control. Rescuers also found a container with live bugs and a calendar showing when to distribute the food. The snakes were reported to be in a good physical condition.
Long-term residents of the hostel said that although the man had rented a room for about ten years, most of them had no inkling of their neighbor's hobby.
The cause of death is being established.
Municipal authorities have not allowed the man's mother to take the snakes home, saying without proper handling they pose a serious threat to others.
The rescuers have found local owners for the three harmless snakes - a 4.2-meter (14-foot) python and two colubrid snakes. The other reptiles - two Indian cobras, two Texas diamondback rattlesnakes and a blunt-nose viper - were taken by experts from the nearby city of Novosibirsk.
