UPDATE: Missing EHT Snake Found Alive!

NOTE: The Story is updated below.

What's worse than trying to find a runaway snake in your neighborhood?

Trying to find a runaway snake when your neighborhood has been pelted with several inches of snow.

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A person has posted a "lost snake" story on the Nextdoor App, and is asking for help in finding little Athena.

The owner says the snake ran away (slithered away) in the Brielle Avenue area of Egg Harbor Township. Athena is a ball python, and is said to be "completely harmless." The owner says her head is about the size of a person's thumb and is not venomous at all.

Wikipedia offers this description of the ball python: "The ball python is black or dark brown with light brown blotches on the back and sides. Its white or cream belly is scattered with black markings. It is a stocky snake with a relatively small head and smooth scales. It reaches a maximum adult length of 182 cm (6.0 ft)."

Again, the owner says the snake is harmless and not venomous.

Meanwhile, there's another interesting animal on the loose in our area. A pet bird has "flown the coup" in Smithville. The Facebook page Atlantic County Lost and Found Pets page has a post about the bird, named Chirp, that flew out of the door of its home.

No sightings of Chirp have been made, although one person who commented on the post had an interesting idea:

"Go out in your car, open your car window, drive around and play Cockatiel sounds on YouTube on your cell phone. Try putting the phone out the window. Maybe you will hear your bird - good luck."

Funny, I do that and I don't even have a bird!

Good luck to the owners of Athena and Chirp!

UPDATE: Athena the snake has been found and is alive and doing well. It's owner has posted the following on Facebook:

"We found her!!!!! This morning while my boyfriend was getting ready she came out of no where. She was sitting on top of her tank right next to her light!"

SOURCE: Nextdoor App, Wikipedia, Facebook - Atlantic County Lost and Found Pets.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.