Python found in Hawaii home

HONOLULU, June 4 (UPI) -- Investigators in Hawaii are trying to determine how a 2-foot-long ball python got into a house on Oahu.

A resident said the snake was coiled in a bucket in the bathroom, the Honolulu Advertiser reported.

Snakes are illegal in Hawaii, where they have no predators and could become major threats to native birds. Fines for importing them or owning them can run as high as $200,000 although the state grants amnesty for snakes turned in voluntarily.

Ball pythons can grow as big as 6 feet.

"It's kind of small, considering how big it could grow. Coiled up it's the length of a magic marker," said Janelle Saneishi, a spokeswoman for the agriculture department.

The python is destined for a reptile farm in Florida once the investigation is completed. It is luckier than an injured python discovered last month on the Big Island, which was euthanized.

Ball pythons are native to Africa and are popular pets.