An uncle known for his unusual pets is what got sophomore Kyla Krimmel interested in pet snakes. Axel, a five-year-old Rosy Boa, stays in Krimmel’s room. While Sage, a three-year-old Kenyan Sand Boa that the Krimmels have had for three years, stays in her brother’s room.

Krimmel and her family has had the snakes for one year and never had any issues. Until last January. 

“My brother’s friends were in my room without me knowing, and I guess they left the cage open and so the snake escaped,” Krimmel said.

Axel snuck out in early October, and for four months, Krimmel was unable to find it.

“In January we went to Colorado to snowboard. I was putting my boot on and I saw the snake in there,” Krimmel said.

Having been missing for so long, Krimmel and her family weren’t sure if the snake was alive, so they put the snake into the tub until they found an empty box to transfer it to.

To their surprise, the snake was alive. For four days Krimmel took care of it and made sure it had water, but was unable to feed it because she had no food on her. When their trip was over, Krimmel had to find out how she was going to get the snake back home. 

“We put the snake back into the boot on the plane ride home. TSA checked our bags twice and didn’t find the snake,” Krimmel said. 

Since then, Axel has been doing fine, drinking and eating as he should. Krimmel was surprised that he even survived the plane trip, considering such a high altitude could’ve been dangerous.  

“He must have been kind of scared, imagine being under that type of air pressure his eyes could have popped out,” Krimmel said.

Axel is still alive and well today.