The strangest place to find a ball!

Now, let's face it. If you've been keeping snakes for a while and/or keep several of them at a time, you've faced an escaped snake. They definitely are cleaver creatures. :rolleye2:

My question is, what's the strangest place you've found your Ball Python, or any snake for that matter, after it had escaped it's comfy little home?

For me, the strangest place happened right before Christmas. When I first started keeping snakes, I have had several escape, but I thought I learned from my mistakes and thought I had every single tub/cage escape proof...apparently not! While cleaning cages I noticed one of my small Het. Axanthic females had somehow squeezed out of her tub. I tore my place up looking for her to no luck. I didn't know where she could have gone. Everyday I did a look through my place and everyday nothing turned up. About a week and a half goes by and nothing. I go do some laundry, looking through my dirtly clothes thinking she might have somehow hidden herself in there...nothing. I proceed with the wash (I have an old top loader washing machine where the center spins), fill up the machine and have it go into it's gentle spin cycle. Before I go into the fast spin cycle, I open the top and to my surprise, squeezed between the inner bin and the outter part of the machine, was a tiny little Ball Python, sticking it's head out at me wondering what was going on! I was able to pry her out and, except for her being exceptionally clean, it looked like no harm was done! Now if I had NOT checked before it went into the fast spin cycle, I most likely would of had shredded snake in my clothes...:O

I have NO idea how it ended up inside the washing machine, and how it got itself stuck inbetween the bin. It was the stranges thing. I'm just really glad I was able to recover her with no harm. She has now eaten just fine and seems to be doing well.

So, what's your strangest place?

OMG I'm glad you found her before she got hurt! I have yet to have a snake escape but I've only been keeping them for about 2 months. I hope mine never do but I know that (just like getting bit) it will happen sooner or later.

I had an escape he was gone for about a month when I had just about given up on finding him my four year old came out of her room "look mom I found big red " he was under her bed in a blanket.

I'm surprised Gene didn't escape the other day. He must be exceptionally lazy. I forgot to close the lid of his tank and didn't realize it for almost 45 minutes. I walked into the bedroom and looked at the tank and freaked out, then looked at my girlfriend who went white as a ghost because she had no idea it was open either. He hadn't budged from his hide. However, the one time I purposely left the lid open because he was exploring the top of his tank, he did start to work his way out!

My girl Calypso has busted out twice, mainly because of me. Both times, I thought I had latched her lid correctly, but didnt get the 2nd clip locked in all the way, oops. :rolleyes: Both times she got out, I found her just a few feet from her tank, between my bed and the wall. My box spring is directly on the carpet, so she couldn't get under it!

I'm just happy I found her right after I realized she was out. Good thing you found your girl before it was too late!

Strangest: Lois got out one night and CLIMBED THE STAIRS. She's always been a climber, but I spent 20 minutes downstairs looking for her because everyone says ball pythons go low when they escape. I finally went upstairs and there she was, cruising around. Probably looking for a nice precarious bookshelf to climb.

(I'm glad your girl made it out okay. I know a cat who was permanently messed up in the head from a washer/dryer experience.)

The only SNAKE escape I ever had was my cornsnake. I found her inside my fiance's acoustic guitar, all snuggled up. :D
She was completely unharmed and wasn't gone for more than 2 hours.

I had one get away for 2 1/2 weeks it was my first escape and my first ball I had her for 2 years before she got out but she managed somehow to get into my roof somehow and fell through in my basement ( I heard a loud smack on my floor and the roof tile was open above my light) Thank god she was okay !!

About a month ago my snake escaped because I didn't have th tank lid secure. I found him in my bathroom that is in my bedroom. He was hiding in the base board of the heater I have. I found him within an hour of tearing everything apart. I got very lucky that I found him so quickly and that he didn't sustain any injuries.

My girl has gotten out twice now... the first time she SOMEHOW got up into the closet and inside of a large box and THEN under a collection of books and an old laptop... I am not sure how...
the second time... she got out... and squeezed under my closed bedroom door... which the space between the door and the floor is only an inch... and shes MUCH large than an inch thick... so I have NO IDEA how she squeezed down that small but she did... and she ended up 3 rooms away in the kitchen... on the side of the fridge... wrapped up nice and neat... and when I was getting her out (with a broom handle because she was so far back) she was huffing and puffing and all mad at me cause she must have been just so comfy.

I've been fortunate enough to not have any escapees yet, but the strangest that I've ever heard of happened back in '09 and where this member found one...

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...on-in-the-wild

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Trey Yeoman

My girl has gotten out twice now... the first time she SOMEHOW got up into the closet and inside of a large box and THEN under a collection of books and an old laptop... I am not sure how...
the second time... she got out... and squeezed under my closed bedroom door... which the space between the door and the floor is only an inch... and shes MUCH large than an inch thick... so I have NO IDEA how she squeezed down that small but she did... and she ended up 3 rooms away in the kitchen... on the side of the fridge... wrapped up nice and neat... and when I was getting her out (with a broom handle because she was so far back) she was huffing and puffing and all mad at me cause she must have been just so comfy.

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Yeah...these guys are amazing creatures! Some of the things they can fit through is mind boggling!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by loonunit

Strangest: Lois got out one night and CLIMBED THE STAIRS. She's always been a climber, but I spent 20 minutes downstairs looking for her because everyone says ball pythons go low when they escape. I finally went upstairs and there she was, cruising around. Probably looking for a nice precarious bookshelf to climb.

(I'm glad your girl made it out okay. I know a cat who was permanently messed up in the head from a washer/dryer experience.)

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I remember seeing a study done where they tested out a snake's ability to climb a rope...the ropes varied from really thick rope, to rope the size of a shoe string, and every single time the snake was able to climb the rope!
My thought in your situation would be to check down stairs too, not even thinking about it going upstairs!

All of mine are in tubs, so the only escape that can happen is by human error.
We had a baby go missing because I didn't fully close the tub late one night.
She was gone for four days before she was located by my cats, three cats staring at a purse is not a normal sight. She was all curled up beside the purse. To get their she had to get up a flight of stairs, and up on top of a shelf.

I've never made the same mistake again, always make sure to fully close the tubs.

had many snakes in 15 years and about 20 escapes most the time It my fault, weirdest was my butter corn ( he getting really old) but he got out of the tank I had him in ( lid was not on square ) I lost him for over 3 months. in the middle of winter. I happen to be checking the heating ducts and cleaning them out some from heavier items like coins and such I just happen to be using a mirror and a light and I seen this yellow skin. and though ok if this is the corn it either dead, or very close to it ( plus could not figure how to get out ,so I stuck a mouse in a small deli cup and set in the heater vent and watched and waited within 20 mintued the snake was back n the cage , with a full belly and only damage was some frost bite to the tail about 1/2 lost .

to this day we not been able to figuer out how a inch round snake got into the heating duct and not get fried by the electric heater coils.

my first by Spike was the Houdini of all time. He escaped constantly and we could never figure out where, I even had locks on his lid!! He always ended up in 2 places though, my sock drawer or my bed.

Stewie is my resident escape artist now and I always find him pretty close to home, usually curled up in the space between his tank and the table. I can't wait to get my other rack finished!!

I've had 4 escapes by 2 snakes! First was my Pastel, she chose 3 different spots. One, on the top shelf of the closet their rack is in. Two, in the box of boxes by my BF's cell phone charger (imagine the surprise of hearing "Babe, there's a snake by my phone. Come get it please." at 7am!). And three, in a long tube like box that was open on one end, closed on the other. She was curled up at the closed end. That was the longest it took me to find her.

Second, and last, was my pinstripe. He squeezed into a space that was between a box that was under my desk, and the actual desk. I pulled out the box to look along the wall, and there he was all curled up! It was quite cute.

I have left a tub open overnight on accident. It was feeding night, and luckily she didn't go anywhere! It was my het pied female, who's the most lazy ball ever! I was quite lucky it was her tub, and none of the others.

Few years ago one of my rescues got out of his "sick bay" tub. Found him in the Box Spring under my mattress. It was torn a bit underneath and he must have found that spot and slithered in. As I looked under the bed and then up into the box spring, I saw a bit of his pattern.
Guess he put himself to bed ;)

I recently moved some shelves I breed on and didn't get the shelves nailed down as it was late so I figured for one night things would be fine.
Luckily the shelf was less than a foot off of the ground and there's no way to escape this small room :P
I ventured into the snake room the next morning to find this....

They were breeding the night before and he was trying to lock up with her on this box :rofl:
There's no way to escape this small room :P
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...b/PICT1312.jpg

No interesting ball python escapes but about 17 years ago I had a 14 foot retic escape. I spent 2 1/2 hours tearing apart my apartment couldn't find her anywhere. I pulled out the fridge stove nothing. Finally when I was pushing the stove back in I saw some yellow under the burner. Somehow she was coiled up in and around the burners. I spent another hour tearing the stove apart to get her out.

I own 5 cats with claws all big fat and want to eat my snakes. I think if one got out they would mess the snake up bad, the snake might grab one but 4 other cats fighting it and it will be out before the cat is.

Ive never had an escape i have them in fish tanks with solid screen lids with weights in all 4 corner, the wiehgts are about 8lbs in total on each tank.

Just have to say thank you for all your replies, these have definitely been fun reading about all your escapes! And some are really odd places....inside the stove is one of them...

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Originally Posted by LotsaBalls

No interesting ball python escapes but about 17 years ago I had a 14 foot retic escape. I spent 2 1/2 hours tearing apart my apartment couldn't find her anywhere. I pulled out the fridge stove nothing. Finally when I was pushing the stove back in I saw some yellow under the burner. Somehow she was coiled up in and around the burners. I spent another hour tearing the stove apart to get her out.

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That's so crazy! At least you found her before using the stove at all!

I remeber the 1st day I got my corn she got out! I found her climbing up wall, behind a skate board nailed to my wall. What had happend is that I didnt close the lid good and she got out so prob about 30min later after she got out I found out and started looking. I looked for 2hrs and didnt find her so I thought mabye she was scared and didnt wanna come out so i layed on my bed and waited and I saw her poke her lil head out from behind the board on my wall. Funniest snake moment every!:banana:

i really doubt i'll have any issue with an escape cuz i've got my girl under lock & key, literally. mostly to keep the kids curious hands out of her terrarium but also to keep her in. i HAVE forgotten to put the lock back on a couple times though but was lucky enough that the kids didnt notice...the terrarium's sliding front doors are actually quite heavy so i'm sure my girl would NOT be able to push them open.

Under my pillow.

I came home from work (3rd shift), laid down in bed, shoved my hand under my pillow and there was my 1500 gram male normal. (Back when I had him).
Didn't even know he had escaped.