‘That’s a first’: Ball python discovered inside U-Haul truck

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - A slithery discovery was made inside a U-Haul Box Truck in Henrico on Wednesday that caught Megan Hamm, area field manager for U-Haul, off guard.

“I unlocked the passenger door and opened up the passenger door, and it was just sitting right inside,” said Hamm.

Hamm found a ball python in the passenger side of the U-Haul truck.

“It threw me off for a second. I knew it was non-poisonous. I could tell it was a ball python,” said Hamm. “Wasn’t even really moving. I knew it was really cold.”

Richard Perry, the owner of Virginia Wildlife Management and Control, was called in to help.

“It’s not uncommon for us to get, you know, 100-150 text messages with pictures of snakes each day and calls or reports about snakes and everything, but to get a call about a python in a U-Haul, that’s a first,” Perry said.

Perry said the snake was in “very rough condition.”

“It was literally frozen to the touch, very cold, unresponsive,” said Perry. “We immediately placed it in a towel, got it wrapped up to try and get it warm.”

The ball python was rushed to Perry’s facility, where crews stayed up all night to take care of the night.

“You’d see a little bit of movement here and there, but very little. Not enough to give us any belief that it was going to survive,” said Perry.

This changed on Thursday morning when Perry said the snake started to show signs of improvement.

“Throughout the whole night, it’s going from good to bad to real good to real bad to this morning when we got up, it’s was nothing but sheer, sheer excitement,” Perry said. “We were jumping for joy. It was such a fantastic moment.”

A moment Perry said, is one of the rewarding parts of the job.

“It just brought a lot of joy to a lot of people,” Perry said.

Virginia Wildlife Management and Control says ball pythons are non-venomous and harmless. In addition, Perry said ball pythons are often purchased from pet shops and conventions.

Perry said the snake is in fantastic condition, and the owner of the snake has been located.

Copyright 2023 WWBT. All rights reserved.