GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- Gaithersburg residents be warned: A domestic python is slithering freely through the community.
Christian Pitillo told Gazette.net he discovered the golden Burmese python missing Friday. He was pet-sitting for a friend and found the homemade cage empty at feeding time.
The snake resided in a unit at Rosewood Condominiums on Streamside Drive and probably escaped through a sliding door left cracked open for the owner's cat, Pitillo said. Neighbors spotted the python slithering along Streamside Drive July 23.
Pitillo told News4's Michael Flynn he believes the snake used wooden branches in its aquarium to get leverage to lift the lid and get out. The lid had been weighted down.
Seeing a python roaming free in the suburbs likely could cause someone quite a scare, but fear not, this python is only 3-to-4-feet long and not considered dangerous.
Burmese pythons can grow more than 20 feet long. They are not venomous.
Pitillo is offering a $100 reward for his friend's snake, Gazette.net reported. The snake's owner doesn't know it's missing, Pitillo said, so you might be able ransom it if you're brave.
