Blanket-swallowing python will survive

KETCHUM, Idaho, July 20 (UPI) -- A 12-foot long Burmese python that ate his Idaho owner's electric blanket and controls was recovering from surgery Thursday and was expected to survive.

Karl Beznoska said he noticed the blanket missing after he fed his 18-year-old snake named Houdini his rabbit dinner Sunday night in Ketchum, Idaho, east of Boise.

On Monday, he noticed the snake seemed ill, and took him to veterinarian Karsten Fostvedt, who was shocked to see the x-ray showing a tangle of electrical filaments and power cords, the Idaho Mountain Express reported.

Fostvedt and fellow vet Barry Rathfon performed the surgery after consulting on the telephone with specialists who advised them of the techniques.

"The prognosis is great," Fostvedt said. "The surgery was as routine as possible."

Owner Beznoska speculates the rabbit became entangled in the blanket, and Houdini just kept swallowing until he'd eaten the whole thing, the report said.