A ball python named Sally is recovering from serious injuries after spending at least two weeks surviving outdoors in Rhode Island woods before getting trapped inside a car's engine compartment in West Warwick. The snake, now nicknamed “Carburetor” by the veterinary team that treated her, suffered damaged scales, protruding tissue, and a suspected broken rib before rescuers could free her.
According to WLNE-TV (ABC6), Sally rode inside a vehicle's engine compartment as it traveled to a store in West Warwick before dropping out and slipping into a second vehicle, a truck, where she became lodged. The outlet reports the python was named after the character Sally from the movie Cars, a detail that took on an unplanned layer of irony once she turned up tangled in an actual engine. A worker identified only as Taylor spent nearly an hour working to free her from the truck, with help from customers who happened to be nearby.
The rescue pulled in extra hands fast. As reported by WPRI, ET Reptiles in Warwick closed its store early Wednesday, September 30, so employees could drive to West Warwick and help extract the python from the vehicle. ET Reptiles is located in Warwick, a short distance from where the emergency unfolded.
A Painful Diagnosis and a Grim Early Prognosis
Once freed, Sally's condition looked dire. Per the station's report, she had damaged scales and tissue protruding from her cloaca, and ET Reptiles said she was suspected to have broken ribs. Two emergency veterinarians who examined her recommended euthanasia, according to ET Reptiles, which nonetheless described Sally as energetic and sweet despite her injuries.
Rather than give up on her, the team arranged for Sally to be seen the next morning by The Odd Pet Vet, an exotic-animal specialty practice operating out of the New England Wildlife Center in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, roughly 50 miles north of West Warwick, according to New England Wildlife Center.
Barium Swallows and a Misaligned Vertebra
Sally's treatment at The Odd Pet Vet included x-rays, a barium swallow procedure to evaluate her gastrointestinal tract, and removal of dead tissue, the same report notes. ET Reptiles says she now has one vertebra that appears misaligned, though the snake is making progress. The physiological stakes of that kind of trauma are well documented: mechanical compression from engine components can cause internal tissue prolapse and vertebral displacement in snakes, injuries serious enough to require diagnostic barium swallows to check for blockages, according to The Tye-Dyed Iguana.
Ball pythons can endure weeks without eating thanks to a slow metabolism, but that resilience only goes so far against cold weather. The species is native to West Africa and needs environmental temperatures between 75 and 92 degrees Fahrenheit; exposure to New England's autumn chill compromises their immune systems and can trigger a rapid health decline, according to Peqaboo. That makes the two weeks Sally reportedly spent outdoors, per ET Reptiles, a serious threat to her survival on its own, even before the engine compartment ordeal.
Ball pythons typically grow three to five feet long and live 20 to 30 years in captivity, according to Kingsnake.com — a lifespan and size that can eventually push owners toward rehoming rather than long-term care.
ET Reptiles Pushes Rehoming Over Release
ET Reptiles used Sally's ordeal to urge other exotic-pet owners to seek help rehoming animals rather than releasing them outdoors. “Please call your local reptile shop, rescue, or animal control for resources regarding rehoming!” the shop wrote.
Sally's recovery is ongoing, with no further updates yet on whether she will be cleared for rehoming once her injuries heal.
