Python in the roof

Python in the roof

Postby wildfrontier » Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:33 pm

I was called by a resident in our area to come an rescue an African Rock Python that was stuck in the roof of an outbuilding that was being demolished.

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The Python had obviously recently eaten quite a substantial meal, and the bulge of the food in it's belly had caused it to get stuck between the roof and the rafters.

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We were perplexed as to how it managed to eat a meal and then climb into the roof, with no obvious places of entry large enough to fit it's full stomach through.
After about an hour of sweat and toil, we managed to extract the 2.8m beast from the roof. Working on a ladder at arms length above your head, supporting such a large, heavy snake was equivalent to a weeks worth of gym time! It took 4 guys to lower this fellow safely!

Upon release at a nearby dam, the mystery meal was revealed as the snake regurgitated it's food, as pythons do, in an attempt to make a hasty getaway.

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The prey turned out to be a large rock monitor. The lady who owned the property told us that there had been a large rock monitor living in the roof of the dilapidated out building. This solved the mystery. The snake must have climbed into the roof, and made it's kill inside the roof, consumed it's meal, and then had no way of escape, as it was now too big to exit through the same hole that it used to gain entry to the roof.
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Re: Python in the roof

Postby Ryuu » Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:45 pm

Nice Catch
glad it was released, I know of a few people(Baka's!) that would want that awesome python Killed. they are not as common anymore. We need to take care of them.
How long was the python?
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Re: Python in the roof

Postby shneaky » Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:48 pm

nice pictures
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Re: Python in the roof

Postby dasie » Sat Jan 08, 2011 10:22 pm

Thats cool,a thing almost the same as this happened to me before. I friend called me over because their was a brown house snake in the mice cage,it was small enough to get into the cage but after 3 mice it couldn't escape.I had a quit a laugh
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Re: Python in the roof

Postby Bushviper » Sun Jan 09, 2011 8:33 am

I did not think Natal rock pythons would eat leguaans. Must have been one hell of a struggle too.

Next time just lift the roofing and try to leave it to go on its own. That way it gets to keep the meal too. I suppose it all depends on the land owners feelings towards snakes on the property.
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Re: Python in the roof

Postby BOOGY » Sun Jan 09, 2011 2:05 pm

Great work man! Nice to see there is someone in your area takeing care of our snake friends. Pity it lost its food tho.
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Re: Python in the roof

Postby wildfrontier » Sun Jan 09, 2011 10:03 pm

@ Ryuu, the python was about 2.8m long.
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Re: Python in the roof

Postby uncutdiamonds » Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:28 am

Very interesting pictures. Would make a nice web site to focus on that kind of pics.
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Re: Python in the roof

Postby Silvrav » Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:46 am

Very nice find and pictures. Question?

Would a snake ever take regurgitated food if it sense that it does not have to make a hasty escape?
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Re: Python in the roof

Postby Rishaad » Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:27 am

Very nice call out. A python taking on a monitor, now that is something I would love to see.
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Re: Python in the roof

Postby wildfrontier » Tue Jan 11, 2011 1:58 pm

@ silvrav, I haven't heard of a snake eating the food again once it has regurgitated.
Usually the only thing on the snake's mind after that is getting the hell outta there.
Anyone else have any experience with this?
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Re: Python in the roof

Postby Wolf777 » Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:50 pm

Welldone on the rescue.

@Dk I have had a snake eat a mouse halfway and regurge it, then eating it later on, not entirely the same but I wouldn't find it that strange if the meal was still freshly eaten and then regurged soon after. Any other input?
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