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THE AGE (Melbourne, Australia) 10 December 07 Missing snake 'not bitey' (Adam Carey)
The owner of a three-metre carpet python missing in Melbourne's inner north has pleaded for its safe return.
'Rusty' — a three-metre, 10 kilogram rust-coloured python about as thick as a man's arm — was reported missing at midday yesterday after escaping from its owner's home on Noone Street, Clifton Hill.
"He's been with us a long time, he's a favourite pet and it's distressing that he's lost and it would be even more distressing if he was hurt," snake owner Tim Marshall said.
Mr Marshall said the python posed no threat to people and would probably seek shelter on or inside somebody's roof.
"He's like most snakes, he's timid, he's shy, he'll try and hide and he's not at all aggressive, he's not bitey," he said.
Melbourne Zoo reptile specialist John Birkett agreed the snake would probably be placid.
"Some (carpet pythons) can be very quiet, some can be a bit cranky," he said.
"But generally speaking they're fairly well-behaved, especially if the animal's been in captivity for a while."
Mr Birkett, a licensed snake controller, described carpet pythons as climbers and said Rusty may well have gone up a tree.
"It's most likely going to climb, because they're very arboreal. It's not likely to be cruising down the footpath. But who knows?" he said.
He said the snake could also be hunting rats or birds.
Victoria Police had warned bird owners nearby not to leave them outside.
"Anyone with canaries or budgerigars are advised not leave their birds outside in small cages,'' a police spokesman said.
But Mr Marshall said Rusty, who lives on a diet of rats and rabbits, would probably not be looking for food.
"He eats every couple of weeks, he had a big feed last week, so he certainly won't be hungry," he said.
Mr Marshall said he had kept Rusty and a second carpet python as pets in a tank for about 10 years.
Anyone who has seen a snake resembling Rusty's description should contact police.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/missing-snake-not-bitey/2007/12/10/1197135327639.html?s_cid=rss_news

THE AGE (Melbourne, Australia) 19 December 07 Hiss-taken identity: it's not Rusty (Adam Carey)
A carpet python has been found in Melbourne's outer-east, but police on the scene have confirmed it is not 'Rusty', the pet snake reported as missing early last week.
But today's find could offer hope to Rusty's owner - the carpet python is also a missing pet.
Carpet python 'George' was rescued from a tree in Endeavour Hills after being reported missing two months ago.
Sergeant John Blackburn, who kept watch below a tree up which the snake had climbed, said George would be reunited with his owner, an eight-year-old boy.
Police believe the snake was stolen from a backyard enclosure two months ago and had been roaming around the neighbourhood ever since.
Sergeant Blackburn said a cleaning lady at work saw the snake climb up a drain pipe and on to a roof before police were called to the scene.
"When we got down here it was going up the tree and being the brave policemen we are we weren't prepared to grab it and try and pull it to ground because we didn't know what sort of snake it was," he said.
Sergeant Blackburn said a snake controller from Snake Busters began "hacking away at the tree and trying to shake the tree" to bring the python down.
In a chaotic scene, The Age overheard the snake controller asking the police officer to fetch ropes from the back of his van, only for the officer to refuse because "there's death adders in there".
"He's got the top 20 deadliest snakes in the back of his car, and he wants us to go through his car to find some ropes," Sergeant Robertson told The Age.
The snake controller brought George to ground and captured him soon after.
Rusty's disappointed owner, Tim Marshall, said he was still holding out hope that his own pet python would eventually make it back home.
"It's hard to be optimistic, but the snake controller says there's a good chance he'll show up in the end," he said.
Rusty - a three-metre, 10 kilogram rust-coloured python about as thick as a man's arm - was reported missing last week after escaping from his owner's home in Noone Street, Clifton Hill.
"He's been with us a long time, he's a favourite pet and it's distressing that he's lost and it would be even more distressing if he was hurt," snake owner Tim Marshall said at the time.
Mr Marshall said the python posed no threat to people and would probably seek shelter on or inside somebody's roof.
"He's like most snakes, he's timid, he's shy, he'll try and hide and he's not at all aggressive, he's not bitey," he said.
Lost or stolen pet snakes must be reported to police, but many snake owners do not have a licence as is required by law, and therefore do not report them as missing.
Unclaimed carpet pythons often end up being released into the wild in Queensland or sold to reptile parks.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/hisstaken-identity-its-not-rusty/2007/12/19/1197740362990.html?s_cid=rss_news