Snake Who Swallowed Fake Egg Rehabilitated And Returned To Wild

RAMONA, CA — A snake who swallowed a fake egg was returned to the wild after being rehabilitated at San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center. The reptile was released Thursday near the area it was found in San Diego County.

A farmer brought in the Gopher snake on June 16, after it had swallowed the farmer's "dummy" chicken egg, which is made out of a plastic polymer product. Farmers often use dummy eggs to get their chickens to lay eggs, and snakes sometimes mistake them for real eggs, according to the San Diego Humane Society.

The team sedated the snake and slowly moved the egg toward its head so that the snake could regurgitate it. They stitched up the areas where the egg had lacerated the snake's skin. Once awake, the snake was able to push the egg back out through its mouth.

It took about a month for the snake to recover from its wounds.

"Every wild creature plays an important role in our ecosystem and that's why we work so hard to save them," said Andy Blue, campus director of San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center. "For us humans, we want Gopher snakes around because they naturally help us control the rodent population."