As I write this there is a python loose and hiding somewhere in this apartment! We made the ghastly discovery today when we saw that the ball python had escaped her enclosure. This is not my pet rather it belongs to the owner of the flat I am staying in.
Sally The Ball Python
The snake we are hunting for is named Sally and she is a one year old ball python. These are non venomous constrictors and are usually docile and easy to handle. She was purchased from a reputable dealer and had been living in an enclosure but she is getting bigger and stronger. Last night she was able to force her way out and into the flat!
I am not frightened of snakes but I have a healthy respect for them after years of living in Australia and Asia. I watched Sally being fed the other day and although she is only a year old she is one solid coil of muscle. She is strong!
The Nocturnal Hunter
We have checked all the usual hiding spots but haven't even seen a scale of hers. It is very doubtful that she would have flung herself off the balcony to her death so we can only assume that she is somewhere around us, hiding and unseen.
Sally hunts at night and during the daytime she rests in the dark. We are sure that if she is alive she is coiled somewhere safely until after dark. Then we will have to keep an eye out for her... There are a few less likely places still left to check.
Is There Anything To Worry About?
Although she is not venomous Sally does have long fangs and rows of teeth that she uses to catch her prey and hold onto while she coils around it. The prey she is fed on is dead and frozen in the freezer.
Sally can climb up under tables and coil around many things. If we don't find her an even more thorough search of the flat will be required. I am just wondering what risks there are for me sleeping in a flat with a loose python around. Obviously she could bite me. Although it would hurt and draw blood it wouldn't be anything to worry about.
Secondly because snakes are cold blooded and she is active at night when I am asleep I wonder if she would climb up my bed and into the sheets with me. Will she want to warm her blood up? Her owner has said that sometimes when he handles her she likes to coil around his neck and he really can feel her strength.
Although I am not frightened of snakes I don't particularly like the thought of her snuggling up next to me. A nightmare scenario would be me waking up unable to breathe. I am sure I am worrying for nothing but the fact that she is loose in the flat is making my imagination run away with me. 🤣
I suppose we will just have to wait until the evening to have another good look. Hopefully we will see her gliding across the floor to where she is usually fed. I hope she is OK and that we find her quickly. I can only imagine the pandemonium the discovery of a ball python would cause in a block of flats full of children!
Let us hope it all works out well in the end for this fascinating and beautiful creature... 🐍
Jockey loves you All & Plants as Medicine!
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