Roommates find python in the laundry room, name it 'T. Swift'

Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A pair of Alberta roommates said they were initially terrified to find a ball python in their laundry room, but they have now given the snake a new home and a new name: "T. Swift."

Peter Quebec-Stacey said his roommate was in the laundry room on their Calgary condo's lower floor Tuesday when she spotted the 2-foot snake curled up under the washing machine.

"She was screaming at first -- we were both quite scared at the start, as we weren't sure what the snake's reaction would be to being handled," Quebec-Stacey told the Calgary Herald.

Quebec-Stacey said he determined the animal must be an escaped pet, so the roommates carefully moved the washing machine and he donned some protective gloves to pick up the snake.

"Once we realized how sweet she is we both had a good laugh at how crazy the whole situation was," Quebec-Stacey said.

The snake was given a clean bill of health from a local veterinarian and Quebec-Stacey posted a photo to the YYC Pet Recovery group on Facebook in the hopes an owner would come forward, but there was no luck.

"After going through all the crazy things of figuring out what she was and what to do with her, we just both kind of fell in love with her," Quebec-Stacey said. "I just felt bad for her -- it must have been terrifying for her."

The roommates decided to keep the snake and dubbed it T. Swift in honor of Taylor Swift's recent viral campaign for her music, which heavily used snake imagery.

"So after finding a snake in our basement yesterday I've gotten him a new home and it looks like it's here to stay," Quebec-Stacey wrote on Facebook. "Meet T. Swift, everyone. Looks like Swift is going to SNAKE IT OFF. SNAKE IT OFF."

Quebec-Stacey said he and his roommate were happy to welcome a new resident into the condo, where they have lived for about two weeks.

"It's nice to have a new little pet now that we're in a new place," he told Global News.