A CT scan might be a fairly routine procedure for humans, but when the patient is a five-metre python, things get a little more complicated.
Cuddles the reticulated python was brought to Murdoch University for tests this week after handlers noticed he had lost a bit of weight.
"Cuddles had recently gone off his food and although that's not unusual for snakes in the cooler months, given he's an elderly reticulated python and has lost a bit of weight and body condition we wanted to get a better look at him," Perth Zoo veterinarian Simone Vitali said.
Fortunately, the staff at Murdoch's veterinary hospital were used to dealing with all creatures great and small.
"The [CT scanner] is capable of accommodating horses as well as smaller animals," Dr Shona Reese said.
"To scan the python's whole body we needed to double Cuddles up, even then his tail was overhanging at the end of the table."
A spokeswoman for Perth Zoo said the python "recovered well" from the 90-minute procedure and results were expected next week.
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