Jun 10, 2008 4:14 pm US/Pacific
Snake Found Coiled Around Baby's Leg In Crib
Foot-Long Calif. King Snake May Have Been Stowing Away In Mattress
BRENTWOOD, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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California king snakes eat birds, small mammals, and other reptiles.
U.S. Gov't
You've heard of snakes on a plane. How about snakes in a crib?
That's what happened to a family after they discovered a California King Snake inside their baby's crib while she was sleeping.
"An urban legend, you don't believe it could really happen," grandmother Joyce Abatemarco said.
A real life urban legend came true. The 2-3-foot long constrictor that will grow to a size of more than 8 feet was discovered in the crib, wrapped around the leg of tiny 7-month-old Isabella Abatemarco, visiting her grandparents in Brentwood, a community on Long Island.
"No grandfather wants to come home to find a snake wrapped around her leg," John Abatemarco said.
In the middle of the night it was Uncle Charlie who heard the shrieks upstairs of mother Cari and her daughter, Isabella.
"I heard screaming and I came running into the room. The snake dropped off her leg into crib. I grabbed a back scratcher to capture it, not knowing if it was venomous," Charles Vecchiarelli said.
The Abatemarcos say they hand just purchased the mattress from Toys R Us in Bay Shore. They took photos of the mattress before they returned it. It was a baby Sealy with plastic packaging they they say was open before they bought it, never dreaming that a hungry and thirsty snake might possibly be slithered up inside. They've hired a lawyer and plan to sue.
"Either the heat from the baby drew the snake out of the mattress or just the snake migrated out on its own looking for a meal," attorney Brian Gunn said.
The snake is not poisonous, but also not indigenous to Long Island. The plan now is to have it adopted by an exotic animal expert.
The snake is being cared for at the Islip Town Animal Shelter. The toy store and mattress company say they are not aware of the case, and won't comment on pending litigation.
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