Emergency surgery saved the life of a 12-foot Burmese python after it swallowed an entire queen-size electric blanket, complete with cord and control box.

The blanket was kept in the snake's cage for warmth and owner Karl Beznoska said it must have gotten tangled in the snake's rabbit dinner. Veterinarians say it probably took Houdini the snake six hours to swallow the blanket.

X-rays showed a tangle of wires extending through about 8 feet of the 60-pound snake's digestive tract. An 18-inch incision got the blanket out.

Houdini is a popular show-and-tell guest at local schools.