This video I’m gonna direct you to is admittedly a couple years old. So I’ve had a chance to process the wacky incident and come to grips with finding this dead, rotted Ball Python stuck inside the B pillar of an Acura SUV.
Figuring out how to find a lost Ball Python would be hard. But the stink gave me direction!
This is how the phone call went.
“Hello Sir, I have a very strange request for you and no one that I’ve called is willing to attempt it. So I ask her to explain further and that’s when things get weird.
Here’s the link to the video in case you don’t wanna read further.
Watch Ball Python gets lost in Acura.
I’ve been known to take on auto repairs and other jobs that no one else will touch. So, when the woman went in to explain that she had lost a snake in her car around a month ago and it’s lately been starting to “smell funky”, my curiosity was piqued. She also explained that it was her young daughters pet and she was very upset that the snake had got loose in the car and could not be found. I had no idea how to find a lost ball python, but I was willing to try.
Here goes nothing. Let’s find a dead snake today.
I’m no dummy, so the picture quickly added up in my head. The snake that was lost in the car was obviously dead and obviously found it’s way into an obscure hiding spot. It was going to be my job to find the snake in the Acura and go from there. For this daunting task, I threw on my set of EZ RED neck lights, which are the exact same thing as the Snap On model. EZ RED designed and sells the rights to their neck lights to Snap On Tools USA.
I was a bit scared because I knew this could turn into a mess, but she pulled at the old heart strings and I decided to help her find the dead Ball Python. What a friggen mistake that was.
According to Reptilehow.com, when trying to find a lost Ball Python one of the first places to look is any dark, tight places that the snake can stay warm. I found out on this job that this was sound advice.
So, there’s a little sneak peak of what you’ll see on the YouTube video I linked to. It’s probably not something you wanna look at while you’re eating. Just a heads up.
So, to finish the story quickly, this is how I found the Ball Python. I
The customer showed up about an hour later with this beautiful, well maintained 2007 Acura SUV. Problem was, you couldn’t get within 20’feet of it without the obvious smell of death. How this woman drove the car to me with that awful smell is beyond me. So right away I confirmed what I already knew. We were looking for a dead snake and trying to salvage this car that was otherwise a great vehicle.
I followed my scent back to the area in between the driver seat and back seat. Basically where the seat belts mount to the pillar. I knew I had found the snake lost in this car, but I still had to get to it and try to remove the remnants of a dead Ball Python in the car.
My only option was to cut a small square in the B pillar where I knew the snake to be and try to “fish” it out. As you’ll see in the video, I found it and although the video doesn’t show it- I did remove it. All of it. Except for that smell. I was not confident it would ever smell like a fresh new car again.
Finding the lost Ball Python in the car was just the beginning.
After I was nice enough to do as this woman requested, I also booked a detail with an Ozone treatment under the special request that this car needed some extra loving. My local detailer (one of the best I’ve ever seen) did his best but this car was still basically uninhabitable.
After getting the car with the snake lost in it back to the customer, I explained that the smell would likely never leave the car and they should look into an insurance claim. All of a sudden this customer was hot and mad at me because I was not able to get the awful smell of a rotting corpse for over a month out of her car.
I politely explained that it just was not possible. The corpse was there too long and the smell has penetrated every crevice of the vehicle. She was not happy, but she left. And I was left feeling like I failed because I could not completely fix this mess.
You win some, you lose some.
On that day I learned something I’ve learned before but always seem to ignore. Some jobs should not be attempted and no matter how much you feel bad, stay away from jobs that don’t have a favorable outcome. They will bite you in the ass. I promise.