A ball python community moderator is urging owners to leave their snakes at home after seeing posts about pets lost inside cars "pretty much every day for the past month."
Here's what to know
In a post on Reddit's r/BallPython community, the moderator warned that taking ball pythons on routine outings creates an avoidable risk of losing them inside a vehicle.
The community of thousands of ball python owners and enthusiasts quickly caught on, and the post racked up more than 1,100 upvotes before it was archived.
"STOP TAKING YOUR BALL PYTHONS IN THE CAR UNNECESSARILY," the moderator wrote.
More background
Some owners apparently wanted their snakes with them on the commute to work or while dropping children off at school. The post also called out trips to get food.
The moderator also discouraged trips to "look at the other ball pythons at petsmart."
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Ball pythons have a reputation for being calm, but the moderator said that doesn't mean they enjoy riding along in a car the way a dog might. Cars offer no shortage of dark, tight spaces, exactly the kind of hiding spots ball pythons gravitate toward, and the moderator noted it can take mere seconds for one to disappear outside its owner's reach.
What can be done?
"They don't want to go get coffee," the moderator wrote. "They don't want to go get pizza. Or go to work with you. Or drop the kids off at school. Or go look at the other ball pythons at PetSmart.
"These are not enjoyable or beneficial experiences for them, and each and every time you do this, you're causing an unnecessary risk."
For situations where travel truly is necessary, such as a move or a vet visit, the moderator advised doubling up on containment: tying the snake inside a pillowcase, then placing that inside a bin with a locking lid and air holes.
Where can I learn more?
Pythons have turned up in car consoles, engines, and grilles, a reminder of the risk the moderator described.
• In the Netherlands, police sent to move a car found two live pythons inside its console.
• In Rhode Island, a ball python rescued from a car engine survived after veterinarians urged euthanasia.
• In India, rescuers pulled a massive python from beneath a parked car's bonnet.
• New Jersey police freed a three-foot ball python wedged in a car grille after wheel alignment.
• A Pennsylvania driver stopped for gas and said a python lunged from the engine bay.
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