Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

mdc · Jul 14, 2008, 09:04 AM

On Saturday morning I woke up, opened my bedroom door, and noticed that there was a large snake coiled up in front of my feet.
I stood there for a few seconds letting my brain realize what I was looking at and then went to get my camera. During this time my wife woke up, noticed the snake, and got on the phone to 311 (New York City Non-Emergencies) who told her that animal services was closed on the weekend and told her to phone 911.

I took a few photos of the snake and then it slithered under the fridge. Two police officers arrived, looked at the photos on my camera and radioed two more officers to come. One of the second officers had a pair of leather gloves on, which he promptly took off once he saw the snake photos, and the other had a large animal transport box; which could fit a medium sized dog, and which the snake could easily slither out of, so they phoned ESU.
While waiting for ESU to arrive some more officers came over to look at the snake photos and to see what was going on.
ESU arrived shortly afterwards with one of those long poles with a loop on it.

Once they moved the fridge they titled it backwards and tried to get the snake out, only to have it slither up into the fridge coils/machinery. We gave them a wire coat hanger and a pillow case and let them try get it out for about 15 minutes.

Eventually they had to open the back of our fridge and finally got the snake.
They think that someone in our building must own the snake as a pet -- which they said is illegal -- and it must have slipped out and snuck in under our front door.

I uploaded some photos to flickr and was wondering if anyone had any idea what type of snake it was?

subego · Jul 14, 2008, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by mdc

Two police officers arrived, looked at the photos on my camera and radioed two more officers to come.

I can just see the cops squinting at the photo and saying "we're going to need backup."

Uncle Doof · Jul 14, 2008, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by mdc

own the snake as a pet -- which they said is illegal

wtf?

subego · Jul 14, 2008, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by Uncle Doof

wtf?

Local jurisdictions can decide what is and isn't a pet. In general, I believe the idea is based on keeping farm animals outside of urban centers.

From there you can pretty much ban whatever animal you want.

Some people are trying to make Pit Bulls illegal.

Paco500 · Jul 14, 2008, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by mdc

I was wondering if anyone had any idea what type of snake it was?

Based on that one picture, I'd say Ball Python. Harmless.

Mrjinglesusa · Jul 14, 2008, 09:36 AM

Not very good pictures but that looks to be a small boa constrictor. Harmless.

Oooooo, yeah, ball python. That's what I was trying to think of. Either way, harmless.

- - e r i k - - · Jul 14, 2008, 10:01 AM

You should have kept it. Snakes are great fun and very gentle pets.

Tiresias · Jul 14, 2008, 10:07 AM

Great fun? Aside from sleeping, slithering, and engorging rats, what do snakes do?

besson3c · Jul 14, 2008, 10:24 AM

What does snake poop look like and smell like?

subego · Jul 14, 2008, 10:30 AM

Chicken poop

nonhuman · Jul 14, 2008, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by besson3c

What does snake poop look like and smell like?

More or less like bird poop. And by bird poop I basically mean owl poop because they have pretty much the same diet as the snakes generally kept as pets.

Uncle Doof · Jul 14, 2008, 10:35 AM

Snakes actually smell horrendous. Did a couple of months in a studio with its own pet snake once. I was glad to get home so I could rub my nose in the cat litter tray.

besson3c · Jul 14, 2008, 10:44 AM

I'm hearing all of these conflicting stories... chicken poop, bird poop, owl poop, Doofy liking cat litter.

I'm not a farm boy so I don't know what chicken poop smells like, and I've never seen owl poop, unless some of the stains on my car have been owl poop.

Bird poop is just weird... Sometimes it is purple, sometimes it is white, but it always creates these smears when you run the windshield wipers. How could it smell like snake poop though when snakes eat rats and grass while birds eat worms, bugs, and cookies?

OreoCookie · Jul 14, 2008, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by subego

Local jurisdictions can decide what is and isn't a pet. In general, I believe the idea is based on keeping farm animals outside of urban centers.

… or if it belongs to an endangered species.
I've met a woman who had a rattle snake without being trained (well, she is self-taught) and with no anti-venom in the house (too expensive). I was a bit uncomfortable. She was living on the country side (= too far away from anyone with antivenom), I don't want to imagine if anyone had such a dangerous pet in suburbia.

SeSawaya · Jul 14, 2008, 11:03 AM

If my wife would've woke up and saw this she would be hospitalized for emotional trama. Then I would be forced to find a new house for us once she recoverd.....in 5 years or so.

subego · Jul 14, 2008, 11:04 AM

Rattlesnake fact: the venom doesn't kill you, it just causes so much tissue damage you die of shock.

OreoCookie · Jul 14, 2008, 11:11 AM

That's what I thought … it's just not a good idea

dcmacdaddy · Jul 14, 2008, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by subego

I can just see the cops squinting at the photo and saying "we're going to need backup."

Too true. Too true.

Although, my guess is that the teenage son of one of New York's finest who showed up will be the new owner of that snake.

olePigeon · Jul 14, 2008, 12:25 PM

The pattern on the scales looks like a python of some sort. They're not venomous, but they can bite REALLY hard.

el chupacabra · Jul 14, 2008, 02:00 PM

probably could a made a nice buck on that snake. It's not native to NY so it had to be someone's pet. It seems most those eastern states have banned almost every reptile based on the uneducated presumption they'll escape and become an environmental hazard or invasive....however you say it..

RAILhead · Jul 14, 2008, 02:13 PM

Burmese python.

smacintush · Jul 14, 2008, 02:48 PM

It's not a burmese. Looks like a dark ball python. The pattern isn't right for a burmese and you can see the tell-tale thick and stubby tail of the ball python.

analogika · Jul 14, 2008, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by Tiresias

and engorging rats

-5 pts., usage

Tiresias · 03:43 PM

What's wrong with "engorging rats" ? Or have I missed the joke/reference?

en·gorge verb (used with object), verb (used without object) 1. to swallow greedily; glut or gorge. 2. Pathology. to congest with blood.

rickey939 · Jul 14, 2008, 03:51 PM

It's just a baby anaconda, no?

analogika · Jul 14, 2008, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by Tiresias

What's wrong with "engorging rats" ? Or have I missed the joke/reference?

I would've thought "engorging on" is correct, with "engorging rats" meaning "to inflate rats with blood", but I'm not so sure anymore.

Tiresias · Jul 14, 2008, 04:11 PM

engorged

Having pulled down my heaviest dictionary, I am now willing to concede that my "engorging rats" falls under the, "best avoided in careful usage" category of near-solecisms.

analogika · Jul 14, 2008, 04:15 PM

analogue SPRINKLES · Jul 14, 2008, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by Paco500

Based on that one picture, I'd say Ball Python. Harmless.

Unless you have any small pets in the house.

mdc · Jul 14, 2008, 05:35 PM

I forgot to mention that we live on the 4th floor of an apartment complex in Manhattan, so it must have been someone's pet.

Quite a crazy day. The living room was a mess after the police left and we got to put the fridge back and clean the snake skin and poop.

FireWire · Jul 14, 2008, 08:18 PM

hyteckit · Jul 14, 2008, 08:21 PM

That's a cute snake.

mdc · Jul 14, 2008, 09:15 PM

FireWire.

My wife burst out laughing when I showed her that.

- - e r i k - - · Jul 14, 2008, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by Tiresias

Great fun? Aside from sleeping, slithering, and engorging rats, what do snakes do?

Get chicks

Atomic Rooster · Jul 15, 2008, 01:12 AM

Your lucky the cops didn't sniff out your grow-op.

@pplejaxkz · Jul 15, 2008, 01:24 AM

Hilarious Firewire!
----
mdc if I was in your shoes and woke up to a snake I don't know what I'd do. I'm easily startled when I'm tired.

Tiresias · Jul 15, 2008, 02:04 AM

I don't know what I'd do either, but I know it'd involve a lot of girlish screaming.

Rumor · Jul 15, 2008, 02:46 AM

Originally Posted by Paco500

Based on that one picture, I'd say Ball Python. Harmless.

Seconded.

Paco500 · Jul 15, 2008, 05:17 AM

Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES

Unless you have any small pets in the house.

Point taken. But harmless in the sense that I, as someone scared of snakes to the point of phobia, would not be terribly bothered by it. If I had found it in my house, I would have most likely preferred someone else to pick it up, but I would not have freaked out.

I can confirm that snakes can smell- pretty bad. I shared a house with a guy that kept a snake and it smelled worse that I would have thought. I suppose if he had been better at cleaning the aquarium it would have been ok, but they eat meat, and meat poop smells like decomposed meat. Because it is.

smacintush · Jul 16, 2008, 09:02 AM

I had an albino Burmese Python about 13 years ago.

The only smell they give off is their urine and feces…and yeah, it's pretty awful.

That's one pet I don't miss.

At all.

Tiresias · Jul 16, 2008, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by smacintush

I had an albino Burmese Python about 13 years ago.

The only smell they give off is their urine and feces…and yeah, it's pretty awful.

That's one pet I don't miss.

At all.

No morning breath? Body odor?