Start with the container a ball python cannot push out of
The core of a ball python grab bag is not food or gadgets; it is a secure box. Choose a sturdy plastic tub with a latching lid and ventilation holes melted or drilled high on the sides, sized so the snake can coil comfortably without acres of empty space that let it slide around in transit. Line it with paper towels, which are clean, disposable and show blood, stool or mites clearly. Add a snug hide, because a ball python deprived of somewhere to press itself into will stress far faster than one that can hide, and a heavy, low water bowl that will not tip when the tub is carried.
The snake bag and the layers inside the tub
Put a breathable cloth snake bag or plain cotton pillowcase in the kit, tied shut during the actual capture. Moving a ball python inside a closed bag, then placing bag and all into the tub, keeps a frightened snake contained even if nervous hands fumble the lid. Pack spare paper towels in a sealed plastic pouch, a roll of tape for labelling the tub with your name and phone number, and a spare hide if space allows. Skip loose substrate entirely: in an evacuation it spills, soaks and hides the snake from a quick visual check.
Warmth that works with no power
A ball python grab bag needs heat that does not depend on a wall socket. Pack several disposable hand warmers, with a clear house rule written on the kit: warmers go outside the tub or beneath one end, wrapped in cloth, never loose against the snake's belly, because direct contact with a heating packet can burn an animal that will not always move away. Include a simple battery or dial thermometer so whoever is caring for the snake can check the tub rather than guessing from room air. A folded blanket in the kit insulates the tub in a cold car or hall.
Food, water and the honest limits of both
Do not plan to feed a ball python during a short evacuation; this species routinely goes weeks without eating, and a meal fed into a cold, stressed snake is more likely to be regurgitated than digested. What matters is water: pack a sealed bottle of clean water for refilling the bowl, since water at a shelter or hotel may be unfamiliar and the bowl will spill in transit. If the displacement stretches on, the written feeding card in the kit, noting when the snake last ate and what size prey it takes, lets a vet or experienced keeper judge the situation properly.
The records card that speaks when you cannot
Write or print a card for the ball python kit covering identity, pattern description, a recent photo, last feed, last shed, any ongoing health notes, your phone number and your reptile vet's details. Ball pythons all look alike to a stranger, and the photo plus a note of distinctive markings is what reunites a specific snake with a specific owner in a busy shelter. Refresh the hand warmers and the photo on a regular rhythm, and check the lid latches still bite firmly. Storing that same identity, feeding and vet information in a KinsLe Pet Passport keeps the ball python's portable record ready to show a shelter, vet or temporary keeper straight from your phone.