An animal rehab facility in Maryland is at present nursing a rat snake again to life, after eradicating a shift knob from its stomach. Somehow, the snake had been residing with the knob in its intestine for lengthy sufficient to create a gap by way of its pores and skin. I’m all for saving the manuals, however this little snake took it too far.
This type of factor occurs extra usually than you would possibly assume. Rat snakes like to eat rooster eggs, so once they see something that is even remotely egg-shaped, they swallow it entire. Unfortunately, that additionally means they find yourself swelling issues like golf balls and, apparently, shift knobs. However, since snakes can digest neither golf balls nor shift knobs, they get caught contained in the snake till they are often surgically eliminated, which is strictly what the Second Chance Wildlife Center, in Gaithersburg, Maryland did.
According to Second Chance, the shift knob had been caught contained in the snake for thus lengthy {that a} gap wore by way of its pores and skin. I do not know a lot about snake physiology but it surely appears stunning that it survived. Second Chance eliminated the shift knob, stitched the snake again up, and is now nursing it again to well being. The snake will stick with Second Chance by way of the winter after which will return to the wild within the spring.
It was no small shift knob, both. The cue ball-looking knob was almost two inches in diameter. It’s unclear what kind of car the knob got here from however no matter it was solely had 4 ahead gears. Second Chance ought to put it on eBay as a result of some snake-loving automobile fanatic will desire a shift knob that really got here from the stomach of the beast.
I do not even like snakes however I nonetheless felt unhealthy for it. Having a two-inch shift knob caught in your stomach cannot really feel good, particularly after it wears a gap by way of your pores and skin. Thankfully it has been saved however hopefully, the snake realized its lesson and might be a bit extra cautious when consuming eggs.
Got suggestions? Send ’em to [email protected]
