A python raided a family's garden bird cage but ignored the feathered pray - and had a drink of water instead to quench its thirst during a heat wave.

Kannika Wiratsilp watched her CCTV camera aghast as the 12ft long snake sipped water inside her pet parrot's cage in Pathum Thani, Thailand, on May 6.

Footage shows the reptile biting onto the bowl of water and even attempting to soak its body with water in another container.

She said: 'Every morning, I check the CCTV, so when I saw the python coming for water, I rushed to check the cage, but the python was already gone.

'Luckily, my parrot is safe. I've now closed the hole where the python might have entered with rocks and branches to prevent it from returning.'

The homeowner did not get the chance to call the wildlife rescue team as the animal appeared at 1 a.m. and slithered away shortly after.

It happened while Thailand was being roasted by an extreme heat wave that saw at least 38 die of heat stroke over several weeks.

Bangkok's heat index - or measure of apparent heat when relative humidity is taken into account - breached 52 degrees Celsius on April 30 as authorities warned locals to avoid outdoor activities.