The ball python went missing when a vent on its enclosure got dislodged.
A ball python (Python regius) that was able to escape its enclosure during a move has been found, thanks to a 5-year-old, Essex, England boy who had to use the bathroom and found the 3-foot long snake.
“He was frantic and shaking and I could tell something was wrong, but that was not what I expected,” the boy’s mom, Laura Cowell told The Guardian. “I had to use a broom handle to lift the lid, then out popped its head and its tongue came out as well.”
Rob Yeldham, owner of Scales and Fangs in Leigh-on-Sea, England, was called by the boy’s mom to remove the snake.
Intense media coverage ensued and the owner of the snake, Tim Yardley, came forward with photos of his pet.
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Yardley had moved all his belongings to a new house when, during the move, his ball python, escaped from its enclosure.
“During the move one of the air vents on the enclosure got dislodged and … Reggie was able to pull the air vent off his enclosure and escape his tank,” Yeldham told the BBC.
“We believe from there he made his way into the toilet system. He was out for about two months… before he finally made his way up into Laura's toilet where her son unfortunately came face to face with him."
"I'm just glad he ended up in safe hands, my full apologies to the family and their little boy who found him under such circumstances,” Yardley wrote on social media, calling the escape a total accident.
The ball python has a bit of scale rot, likely due to the bleach in the toilet system, Yeldham said. The snake will be returned to Yardley once it is recovered and the enclosure is secure.
