SEATTLE TIMES (Washington) 29 April 06 Ex-roommate abandons boa constrictor (Susan Gilmore)
When it comes time to move out, it's almost a tradition for college roommates to leave behind a stray item or two: a CD, an old T-shirt, maybe a tired pair of flip-flops.
But nothing prepared Peter Stone for what he found beneath a couch at his Brooklyn Avenue apartment Thursday night. Curled under the couch was a boa constrictor, apparently left behind by a former roommate.
"I don't think it was feeling too good," Stone said of the reptile. He wrapped it in a sheet and called Seattle Animal Control.
Virginia Dalton, Animal Control supervisor, said Friday the snake is being cared for and being fed frozen rodents.
She said the snake will be held for 72 hours in case the owner wants to claim it before it is put up for adoption. Dalton said Animal Control has a long list of people waiting to adopt snakes.
There was a difference of opinion over the size of the snake. Stone figured it was about seven feet long, but Dalton said it was more like four feet. She said the snake, gender unknown, appears to be 4 to 8 years old.
Stone, 22, a University of Washington student, said his former roommate collected snakes, but when he moved out two months ago he apparently left the boa behind.
"You think he would have noticed he didn't have it when he moved out," Stone said. "He neglected it for two months. He doesn't deserve it."
Ex-roommate abandons boa