Snakes, as every schoolboy knows, can go for quite some time between meals. Even monocled cobras -- extremely poisonous, but hardly the hardiest of reptiles -- can survive up to six weeks without a bite. Which helps explain why a house in the western German city of Mülheim is being sealed off and evacuated for two months.

The saga began over a week ago when amateur snake keeper Kevin O., 19, brought home his exotic new pet and installed it in a terrarium complete with the ventilation system necessary to keep the three-month old serpent toasty warm. Just a short time later, however, the snake tank was empty and its occupant was nowhere to be found. O. called the authorities.

What followed was one of the lengthiest and most expensive pet-hunts Germany has seen in recent years. The walls, floor and ceiling of O's attic apartment were dismantled and the two units on the ground floor below were also carefully searched. Flour was strewn on the floor in the hopes of collecting tracks. Strong, double-sided tape was installed to perhaps trap the cobra baby. The fire department even brought in mini-cameras to search the tightest and most inaccessible corners.

To no avail. On Sunday, the search was called off and the renters were told they would have to find alternate accommodation for eight weeks -- by which time, it is assumed, the snake will have starved to death. The house has been sealed off to cut off any possible reptilian escape routes, though the cobra is not likely to venture outdoors, say experts, due to chilly German temperatures.

A Hefty Bill