ORLANDO, Fla. – Investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are checking their list of known ball python owners to see if any of their snakes recently escaped.
Shaun Oleson said he was sitting on a couch with a friend inside a screened porch when he felt something sharp pierce his side.
"I don't remember actually grabbing a snake, but when I reached back and pulled it out, I screamed," Oleson said. "It was latched onto my side, so I ripped it off of my flank -- or my hip. I ripped it off, and it just kept coming out. I threw it across the patio."
He said the ball python was about 4 feet long. Oleson's friend killed the snake.
Oleson said paramedics told him the snake wasn't venomous, so he didn't require hospitalization.
Oleson wants to know where the ball python came from since they're not native to Florida.
News 6 alerted FWC officials about the snake bite Wednesday night. A representative said he was checking with his captive animals team to see if any known ball python owners may have had a snake escape.
If that's the case, Oleson said he has a message for the owner.
"Think about other people. Think about animals and about the dangers that are associated with if these things get out," Oleson said.