Missing 15-foot python named "Big Mama" safely found and returned to Chatsworth family
A Chatsworth family is elated to have the safe return of their beloved 15-foot python named "Big Mama," who went missing more than a week ago.
According to the Villalta family, the reticulated python was found in one of their neighbor's backyards. She is unharmed and set to receive a bath after exploring the wild for the last week.
The Villaltas says that Big Mama went missing back on July 4, and they hadn't been able to locate her until Wednesday. They've owned her for the last two years, spoiling her with two separate habitats -- an outdoor enclosure and an indoor pen that is both temperature and humidity controlled to ensure her comfort.
On top of her astounding length, Big Mama is 8-inches in diameter and is a beloved part of the neighborhood.
"She's an animal that has been used during parties to showcase and to educate people on reptiles," says Big Mama's owner Alex Villalta, who notes that she's not poisonous or aggressive, but rather friendly.
When they checked her cage the morning of July 4, the Villaltas noticed that the door was ajar and she was nowhere to be seen.
"That's when I knew something was wrong," Villalta said.
The family says that they had initially checked the area where Big Mama was found, and they believe that she probably slithered over the wall of the neighbor's yard sometime between then and her location on Wednesday.
The day prior to her disappearance, Big Mama was fed a large frozen rabbit, so experts said it was very unlikely she'd prey on any other neighborhood animals while she was at large.
Instead, they believe that she was probably taking advantage of the warm weather.
"Snakes definitely sunbathe," said Connor Merkovich, a local snake rescuer with All Star Animal Trapping. "They're cold blooded, so they need to warm up and basically just sit out in the sun under a nice rock or some debris that they can keep shelter in."
