Behavior Question

This may be a stupid question, but the answer will make me feel much better. As some of you may know my butter Bella is currently missing. As of yet I haven't been able to find her. I've been starting to doubt if she is still in my apartment because my snake rack is located so close to my front door. My apartment is setup so that all of the apartments are interconnected through a hallway. The more I think about though the less I think she would have left my apartment. The hallway is usually cooler and the light is always on. Since BPs are nocturnal it isn't likely she would venture into a well lit hallway from a dark apartment, right?

Edit: Sorry for posting so much about my missing snake. I'm super stressed out because if she is not in my apartment there is a good chance someone's pet will get her. Everyone around me has at least a dog and I can't control their animals. :(

Honestly, its hard to say. Some are more bold than others, really depends on your snake. I may not have many but I have one which would come out at 9pm every night without fail into a very brightly lit room from its dark warm hide, and yet another who wouldn't come out at all until the lights are all turned off. Be it 9pm or 3am.

Sorry I can't be of much help but its pretty little to go on and I don't like the idea of false hope.. And I'm sure most of us understand the extensive posting, we would all get flustered and panicky to some extent when we lose one.

I'm sorry to hear about your snake :( I know I'd be freaking out too.

My bp's tub is in my room right next to my desk, and she never seems to have a problem coming out with my desk lamp blazing. I think it all depends on where she got it in her mind to go and how easy it is to get there. If it is significantly cooler then I doubt the hallway would be her first choice, but you never know. Is there a way she could have gotten under the door?

Most of mine aren't active until it gets dark. I have a few that will become active early if they smell food, but most of them (Bella included) don't usually come out until it's dark, so I'm really hoping she's still in my apartment.

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Originally Posted by blushingball419

I'm sorry to hear about your snake :( I know I'd be freaking out too.

My bp's tub is in my room right next to my desk, and she never seems to have a problem coming out with my desk lamp blazing. I think it all depends on where she got it in her mind to go and how easy it is to get there. If it is significantly cooler then I doubt the hallway would be her first choice, but you never know. Is there a way she could have gotten under the door?

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There is a small gap under the door. I don't know if it's big enough for her to get threw though. I haven't been willing to test it with one of my other 2010s.

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Originally Posted by Kinra

There is a small gap under the door. I don't know if it's big enough for her to get threw though. I haven't been willing to test it with one of my other 2010s.

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You would be surprised where they can hide... I would (for peace of mind) assume shes still in the apartment. I would just keep looking. Leave several heat sources out and hides. Get extra if you need to. Im sure you will find her eventually. They may hide but when they get hungry they come out to "hunt" Ive lost a snake for two weeks once and right as I was about to give up I saw her poke her head out from under my dryer one day. Best of luck!

They are usually found close to where they escape. I'd double check all the spots you looked already but think from a different perspective. You would be surprised where they will go.

Regards,

B

I had a hacthling escape last season, I sound him a 8 days later! in the tub in my master bathroom of all places, I was really freaked because he hadn't even had his first meal.

I'm sorry she escaped my male (sneaky is his name go figure) got out several times during breeding season and he was always jammed in under the fridge or freezer they are the closest hot and dark spots try checking everywhere again. Inside furniture you never know they can fit into some small spaces hope you find her soon. Good luck

Go get your penny jar and place a line of pennies at least two high around everything the animal may hide in or around (furniture, closets, water heater, washing machine dryer, cabinets book cases etc. Then patiently wait and observe until you see where the pennies are out of place. That is where you start looking. The animal will crawl over the line of pennies and move them out of place in the process. Thus you find where it is hiding.

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Originally Posted by Rat160

You would be surprised where they can hide... I would (for peace of mind) assume shes still in the apartment. I would just keep looking. Leave several heat sources out and hides. Get extra if you need to. Im sure you will find her eventually. They may hide but when they get hungry they come out to "hunt" Ive lost a snake for two weeks once and right as I was about to give up I saw her poke her head out from under my dryer one day. Best of luck!

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Thanks, I've been hoping she's still in the apartment, but because of how close to the front door the rack is (it's the best spot heat and space wise) I feel like I'm giving myself a sense of false hope. She could be in the closet next to the front door, but I haven't found her in it yet.

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Originally Posted by Simple Man

They are usually found close to where they escape. I'd double check all the spots you looked already but think from a different perspective. You would be surprised where they will go.

Regards,

B

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I have the spare tub at the bottom of my rack open hoping she will just crawl back into it. My apartment is completely turned upside down right now, I'm going to clean it really well this weekend and check everywhere again. My couch cushions aren't even on the couch because I keep tipping it over to check if she crawled up into it.

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Originally Posted by llovelace

I had a hacthling escape last season, I sound him a 8 days later! in the tub in my master bathroom of all places, I was really freaked because he hadn't even had his first meal.

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That would really freak me out too. Bella is a fatty so it could take her a long time to get hungry and come out of her hiding spot.

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Originally Posted by VicShell

I'm sorry she escaped my male (sneaky is his name go figure) got out several times during breeding season and he was always jammed in under the fridge or freezer they are the closest hot and dark spots try checking everywhere again. Inside furniture you never know they can fit into some small spaces hope you find her soon. Good luck

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Thanks, I have hot spots setup all over and I've tried leaving f/t rat pups out but those really start to stink after a day.

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Originally Posted by tonkatoyman

Go get your penny jar and place a line of pennies at least two high around everything the animal may hide in or around (furniture, closets, water heater, washing machine dryer, cabinets book cases etc. Then patiently wait and observe until you see where the pennies are out of place. That is where you start looking. The animal will crawl over the line of pennies and move them out of place in the process. Thus you find where it is hiding.

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That's a great idea, thanks! :) I had read online people have had success lining their walls with face up scotch tape, and I tried that a little but it's a pain because it doesn't stay still, the slightest breeze will move it.

I cannot stress this enough : THINK SMALL.

Right now your focused on searching for a snake that's probably 2 1/2 - 3 feet long.

Don't. Search for a 3" long piece of snake, because 90% of the time that is all you'll see.

I've had several get out on me, and without fail when I finally see them, it's about a 3" long bit of their side, which is ridiculously easy to overlook. Think of those Where's Waldo ? pictures. Or the I Spy books.

It's very important to remember they like small tight spaces, and they can smoosh themselves into some of the most unlikely places. Break out your magnifying glass, go over every inch of that couch. Not just under the cushions and under the bottom, but look for tiny tears in the fabric to allow her to get inside the couch. Check for loose staples holding the fabric in place, she can easily squeeze into a gap like that and end up wedged inside the couch frame or springs.

When you check the entertainment center, look on, under, behind, inside, beside, between, inside out and upside down. Remember this, a 700 gram snake can fit into a cereal bowl when balled up, so if it's big enough to hold a cereal bowl, it's big enough to hide the snake. Even more likely, if she's all stretched out, she can squeeze into an area the diameter of a silver dollar, that is pretty darn small!

Keep searching, look with a fine toothed comb, she'll turn up. Look up as well as down, I remember last year someone found their missing ball python wedged into the back of a large picture frame 5 feet off the ground, and they still don't know how it got there.

Best of luck with your search.

Gale

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Originally Posted by angllady2

I cannot stress this enough : THINK SMALL.

Right now your focused on searching for a snake that's probably 2 1/2 - 3 feet long.

Don't. Search for a 3" long piece of snake, because 90% of the time that is all you'll see.

I've had several get out on me, and without fail when I finally see them, it's about a 3" long bit of their side, which is ridiculously easy to overlook. Think of those Where's Waldo ? pictures. Or the I Spy books.

It's very important to remember they like small tight spaces, and they can smoosh themselves into some of the most unlikely places. Break out your magnifying glass, go over every inch of that couch. Not just under the cushions and under the bottom, but look for tiny tears in the fabric to allow her to get inside the couch. Check for loose staples holding the fabric in place, she can easily squeeze into a gap like that and end up wedged inside the couch frame or springs.

When you check the entertainment center, look on, under, behind, inside, beside, between, inside out and upside down. Remember this, a 700 gram snake can fit into a cereal bowl when balled up, so if it's big enough to hold a cereal bowl, it's big enough to hide the snake. Even more likely, if she's all stretched out, she can squeeze into an area the diameter of a silver dollar, that is pretty darn small!

Keep searching, look with a fine toothed comb, she'll turn up. Look up as well as down, I remember last year someone found their missing ball python wedged into the back of a large picture frame 5 feet off the ground, and they still don't know how it got there.

Best of luck with your search.

Gale

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I actually just found her a few minutes ago. She was under my kitchen sink stuck in a sticky rat/mouse trap. I got her unstuck (using cooking oil), cleaned up and back in a tub, this time one that is super secure. In my excitement at finding her I created another thread http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-found-Bella! I couldn't think straight I was so happy, so I didn't search for the other 2 threads I had going.