Jacob Edwards's four-year-old ball python, Xanthe, was found alive in a neighbour's garden nearly three weeks after escaping from his home in Bretton, Peterborough. The 1.4m snake had slipped through a vent in her enclosure and left through an accidentally open door. Vets have diagnosed Xanthe with septicaemia and prescribed antibiotics and pain relief. Edwards, who has kept snakes since age 13, says he is hopeful she will recover.
Miracle Recovery: Pet Python Found Alive Nearly Three Weeks After Escape in Peterborough
Xanthe went missing from Jacob Edwards' home in Bretton more than two weeks ago [John Devine/BBC]
A pet ball python has been recovered alive almost three weeks after slipping out of her owner's home in Bretton, Peterborough.
Jacob Edwards reported that his four-year-old ball python, Xanthe, went missing on 11 September after squeezing through a small vent at the back of her enclosure and exiting the house through a door that had been accidentally left open. The 4.5 ft (1.4 m) snake was finally discovered on a Tuesday in a neighbour's garden, wrapped around the roots of a rose bush.
Rescue and Condition
Edwards said he ran home from work as soon as his partner told him Xanthe had been found. "It was absolute torture trying to get her out of there and the neighbour was terrified," he recalled. The rescue was difficult but ultimately successful, and Xanthe has been returned to her owner's care.
Xanthe has since returned to her home [Jacob Edwards]
A veterinarian has diagnosed Xanthe with septicaemia, a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection of the blood, and prescribed antibiotics and pain relief. Edwards said he had feared the worst because Xanthe's enclosure is normally heated to a maximum of about 32°C (90°F), considerably warmer than recent outdoor temperatures.
Care Advice
The RSPCA advises that ball pythons should be kept in enclosures with warm and cool zones, with ideal temperatures between 24–32°C (75–90°F). Edwards, who has kept snakes since he was 13, said he remains hopeful that Xanthe will recover after having "beaten the odds" outside.
“She beat all the odds outside so I'm really hoping she can beat the odds with this as well,” Edwards said.
If you have information about lost pets in the Peterborough area, local news outlets encourage readers to get in touch.
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