--- title: "Snake Swallows Shift Knob and Lives to Tell the Tale" description: "A snake in Maryland needed emergency surgery to remove a shift knob it swallowed, which wore a hole through its skin." date: "2024-01-28" modified: "2024-01-28" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/snake-swallows-shift-knob-and-lives-to-tell-the-tale" categories: - "News" --- # Snake Swallows Shift Knob and Lives to Tell the Tale ![]() *Second Chance Wildlife Center* An animal rehab facility in Maryland is currently nursing a rat snake back to life, after removing a shift knob from its belly. Somehow, the snake had been living with the knob in its gut for long enough to create a hole through its skin. I'm all for[ saving the manuals](), but this little snake took it too far. This sort of thing happens more often than you might think. Rat [snakes ]()love to eat chicken eggs, so when they see anything that's even remotely egg-shaped, they swallow it whole. Unfortunately, that also means they end up swelling things like golf balls and, apparently, [shift knobs](). However, since snakes can digest neither golf balls nor shift knobs, they get stuck inside the snake until they can be surgically removed, which is exactly what the[ Second Chance Wildlife Center](), in Gaithersburg, Maryland did. According to Second Chance, the shift knob had been stuck inside the snake for so long that a hole wore through its skin. I don't know much about snake physiology but it seems surprising that it survived. Second Chance removed the shift knob, stitched the snake back up, and is now nursing it back to health. The snake will stay with Second Chance through the winter and then will return to the wild in the spring. It was no small shift knob, either. The cue ball-looking knob was almost two inches in diameter. It's unclear what sort of vehicle the knob came from but whatever it was only had four forward gears. Second Chance should put it on *eBay* because some snake-loving car enthusiast will want a shift knob that actually came from the belly of the beast. I don't even like snakes but I still felt bad for it. Having a two-inch shift knob stuck in your belly can't feel good, especially after it wears a hole through your skin. Thankfully it's been saved but hopefully, the snake learned its lesson and will be a bit more cautious when eating eggs. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()