Any motorist who leaves his car for a technical check must be concerned about what will be under the hood. But few will expect to find a crawling snake sleeping on the engine.
But that’s precisely what happened when the Turner family dropped off their Vauxhall Vivaro minivan at a Wymondham garage.
Chris Newell, owner of CSN Autos, said he was shocked to find the one-meter-long Sunfire Royal Ball Python while performing a technical check on a family’s car on Monday, June 21.
But after calling its owner, they found they also owned the snake, which had been missing for almost a fortnight – and it was under the hood the entire time.
Mr Newell said: “I was shocked and confused. We couldn’t understand how he was there and still alive.
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“The snake escaped overnight two weeks ago and fell under the hood.
“He got down on a stroller with a pillowcase to take him home. It’s not what you expect on a Monday.
The car is owned by Jim Catton and Sophie Turner of Becket’s Grove in Wymondham, with the snake named Gav owned by their nine-year-old son Ellis.
Ms Turner said Ellis was ‘devastated’ when they couldn’t find hers, after her vivarium was accidentally left open overnight and slipped out the window.
She said: “We were lying in bed one night and fell asleep at midnight. But then I heard the neighbor’s son screaming in the street.
“I stuck my head out and asked what the problem was and he said he saw a snake but I didn’t think about it. So we went back to bed.
“We only realized the next day that the vivarium was open.
“The neighborhood looked everywhere. Ellis was devastated. He got this snake when his uncle died. But I didn’t think we would find him.
“We went to Dinosaur Park, Great Yarmouth, shopping and driving the whole time and it was under the hood. When we got a phone call from Chris saying we found a snake in your car, we couldn’t believe it. Ellis is delighted to have him at home.