Odds of finding my lost bp?

Ok. Heres the story. Ive spent the last month on a $350 payment plan for a beautiful 2011 albino male bp. Finally brought him home Wednesday. Saturday i come home from work i see the tub is halfway out the rack and he has vanished. Turns out my 20 year old sister wanted to check up on the baby rat i had thrown in there the day before (which he already ate) and forgot to close the tub. :(

I turned the basement it was in upside Down and meticulously examined everything in it piece by piece, moving each item to.the other side of the room after inspection. No snake. No holes in the finished walls or any way to get out. Checked the baseboard heater.boxspring,closet. Every suggestion on where to look that I've seen I've checked. To no avail

I've set small aquariums with live rats all around the basement with heat pads and hides. No luck. Tried the plastic bags around the floor.

Question is, I've heard all the success stories, but has anyone lost a snake and never found it? Im trying to be optimistic but its tough. Ive slept 4 hours in 3 days. I've been staying up listening for the snake goin over the bags. Sorry for the rant but Im feeling rather helpless/hopeless right now

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Check all your electronics, they produce heat and that's what they go for. I found a snake of mine years ago inside my computer tower.

Have you tried putting flour on the floor to see if he slithers through it?

When I was a small child, my family's RTB escaped and they never found it.

That said, I've had another snake escape and found it about a week later - in my bed! I had a crested gecko escape that I found two months later on my ceiling. There's hope yet.

I hope you find her! Anywhere small, dark, possibly warm...

2 of my snakes have gotten out in the past. They both were gone for exactly a week and were found in good condition. Well, I didn't exactly find them. They turned up in the open.

If you don't want the mess of flour, you can spread out tin foil onto the floor. When the snake slithers over it, you can see the indented trail.

Good luck!

Thought about flour but didn't think the snake would bother venturing out into the open floor. My room is in a high traffic area between rooms and the floor would just end up with footprints all over it and would be a pain to get up with all the humidity

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You have a huge advantage over most people in your situation. You are looking for a yellow snake. Look through everything again. They can get in places you think are impossible. Check really good around your rack. Behind all the other tubs and under the rack. I have had two escape only to be found on a different shelf of the rack. Normally they will be found close to where they went missing. Can you post picks of your setup and room? We may be able to give you some suggestions on where to look.

You will be surprised where they turn up! Good news is is that apparently you were housing him in the basement, so I would almost say that your chances of him still being there is 98% or better. Do you have a water heater down there? also, if you have any reclining chairs or couches, check up inside of them. (I wouldnt sit down anywhere) Recliners are typically hollow on the inside and with all the mechanisms it is a good hiding space for the lil guy to hide.

Best of luck! and like what was said before, if you have hard wood floors, put some flour down around the edges of the wall and especially across doorway threshholds to see if it was passing bye that area. Even if you dont find him with this tactic right away...at least you know hes around!

my family lost one of our bp's for almost exactly 5 months. i had given up hope of finding him, but he turned up, under our dresser, maybe 4 feet from his enclosure. and it was our cat that found him, the cat would look at the dresser and meow and look at me, almost like "your an idiot, pay attention to what im trying to tell you" so don't give up on him.

I would post pics if the rack/room but in the process of clearing my room item by item i moved the rack to the other side. The racks location is irrelevant to where the snake may be at this point. Just built some soda bottle traps and layed them around the basement

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My corn snake Skittles really is a Houdini. He's still a baby, 49 grams at most, and when we first got him he was barely 10 grams :o
The first time he got out he was maybe 9 inches long, skinnier than a shoe lace, and very light, but strong. On top of that we were moving from one house to another, so I was unable to stay in the house overnight (my things were at the apartment).
I searched the first day for over an hour. I looked everywhere I thought he would be. I checked those places again. Then I searched EVERYWHERE he could be, not just what seemed likely. I searched those areas 4, 5, 6 times. I moved things around. he was gone. :(
I barely slept that night. I came back first thing in the morning and looked again and again. Finally I gave up. My skittles was gone :( I sat down on a toy box and started to cry.
And then I heard this scratching sound on the hardwood floor. I looked down--SKITTLES WAS SLITHERING RIGHT BY MY FEET!!!
That was one miracle.
I got tighter cage clips and put them on his lid. We moved him to the apartment.
Skittles is a light butter yellow color and our carpet is white. He's hard to see.
He got out another time; I found him in a box right below his cage. We put books on top of the cage in addition to the clips. He got out again, and I couldn't find him all night. I slept 2 hours at most, and on the floor in case he slithered on me. I put out f/t pinkies on the floor. I put plastic bags everywhere.
He wasn't in my room. Turns out after 6 people tearing the apartment up in search of him he was hiding out behind a bookcase...in the hall across from my room. :rolleyes: Now I have a metal lid on his tank he can't get out of!

The point?
You have a good chance of finding them if you keep looking.
Just when I was about to give up every time he got out, he showed up.
Stay vigilant, eyes always peeled, ears too. Skittles was tiny and I still found him THREE TIMES! You'll find your ball python if you keep searching.
Look in warm places, look in low places, both of those first. Keep in mind that no place is out of reach--it might look impossible but if they put their mind to it, they CAN climb, squeeze, endure through anything! They are muscle from their head to the tip of their tail. They'll use it all if they want to!
Look everywhere, not just what seems likely. Check two times, three times, four times--and more. Keep in mind too that while you move things and walk, he'll hear you, and he'll panic and might move! So keep looking--I had checked near the toy box I found Skittles at four times before I must have moved what he was hiding under and he slithered by the box.
Eventually, they'll make a wrong move and be found.
Good luck! You'll find him. Keep looking!

Add on: once recently my bp Nergal got out. He didn't go someplace warm or dark or small--he slithered across the floor in my room, climbed up a cardboard box, and crawled onto my face when I was sleeping. :rolleyes: I didn't even know he could reach that far up, but he did. LOOK EVERYWHERE! <3

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Originally Posted by shelliebear

Add on: once recently my bp Nergal got out. He didn't go someplace warm or dark or small--he slithered across the floor in my room, climbed up a cardboard box, and crawled onto my face when I was sleeping. :rolleyes: I didn't even know he could reach that far up, but he did. LOOK EVERYWHERE! <3

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It is amazing the stuff they can climb! I'll get some pics of where I found one of our carpet pythons that got loose last year. I don't know how a 4 foot carpet got up on a shelf that is over 6 foot high up on a sheer wall with nothing to climb but the framing around a door, but she did.

Don't give up yet on finding your ball just yet. We've lost a few snakes and we have found all of them except one, a yearling corn. Luckily balls are fairly clumsy compared to most snakes and it is loose in basement, so it should be fairly well contained.

Yep! They'll climb door frames for sure--I saw Nergal do it at the house once. It's incredible! Their muscle strength is awe inspiring.

In this weeks episode of snakebytes tv they showed a scales corn that got loose. Brian found it like 8 shelves away so they can travel and clime well and fast

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Originally Posted by crepers86

In this weeks episode of snakebytes tv they showed a scales corn that got loose. Brian found it like 8 shelves away

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You do realize that was staged, right?

Thanks guys. Still looking every day. Still no luck. Won't give up. Dumped like half a bag of flour around my room last night.

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Any luck with finding the lil guy?

No luck. Been looking everyday still. Heat pads are still out. Doesnt help that its getting warm out.

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I would like to share my mothers day experience with everyone on here that gave their impuy helpin me find my snake. It ends with me getting my snake. But trust me its worth reading. Here we go

As i mentioned i was told my sister left the tub open. My birthday happens to be next sunday. As i was browsing craigslist i came across a beautiful albino ball that i had to have. My girlfriend agreed to front the money to me untill my sister paid me for losing the snake. Bought the albino. Brought it home. It felt oddly familliar. Something about it just seemed like ive seen it before. I immediatly compared pics and low and behold... It was my snake 100%. I contacted the lady i bought it from and turns out she bought it from a "woman with pink hair in her early twenties".... My sister died her hair koolaid red.Turns out my sister stole my snake and sold it on craigslist an hour before i discovered it missing! And helped me look for it! For a week! And get this... She sold it for $75!.

Of course she denied everything but the lady confirmed it was her via a picture message i sent her.

It just goes to show that you cant trust anyone.

Also follow your instincts. I knew from the second i saw the drawer open what went down. But without evidence what can i do?.

So all in all, we spent the $300 abd got my snake back and confirmed a suspected thief in the household. What a mothers day for my family.

thanks everyone who unselfishly devoted the time to post on my thread and provide such heartwarming advice and insight into the situation. Its amazing how i can trust you guys more than my own blood.

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oh my - that is really sad. i am sorry

Wow, just wow. I am glad you got your snake back and hopefully your sister will see the error of her ways.

What a story!I'm glad you got your snake back. Thank goodness nobody bought it from that other lady.

I wonder why your sister stole your snake? Does she not like him?

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It had nothing to do with not liking him. Ive had snakes for years. The minute i bring in a high priced snake in and its gone. All about making a quick buck. This isnt the first time stuffs been missing. This time shes caught red han.... Er... Red haired. And everyone was telling me that it probably got out and who would steal a snake . I know my animals and my 250g snake would not push a 40qt tub halfway out before escaping. Im amazed at how quickly i knew it was my snake after only having him 3 days and holding him 2 or 3 times. Definitly gives me a special bond with this one. Like its destiny or something... Image if my girl would have said no to loaning the money?

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Amazing that you recognized the snake - so very glad that in this strange turn of events you got your baby back!

Honestly shocked by your sister - stealing an animal takes it to a whole 'nother level.

One more thing i wanted to add. I can't stand craigslist flippers which clearly this other woman was. Glad you got your snake back. I would confront your sister with the evidence and let her know you documented it and that if it ever happened again you might have to go to the police. That is just really shady.

I hope the lady felt sorry for you and did not charge you the full 300, instead maybe just got her money back... Sounds like you were involved with a couple of shady ladies if not. Yeah, I agree with High Line, police should be involved. Family or not, stealing stuff is just wrong... wonder what she needed the $75 so bad for...

Glad you got your snake back, even if you did end up paying for it twice.

Your sister sounds like a piece of work...

This leaves sooo many questions unanswered now..

1. Where did you dump her body after you killed her? Or can you not tell us this just yet?

2. Is your sister a crack addict? Why else would she need to steal your stuff and sell it on craigslist?

3. WTF?

4. WTF?!

5. What prevents her from doing it again to you?

6. She gonna pay you back?

7. Did you notify Craigslist about this seller and that she is involved in flipping and selling stolen property?

Yea i know. I threatened to have the cops here. Its hard for me to put any blame on the lady because its easy to admit that it would be hard to pass up a deal like that. I would have probably scooped up a healthy albino for that price even if i didnt plan on keeping it (trade bait). She was fully cooperative in the whole thing except for the money. I never asked for it back, but on her end she never offered.

And yea my sisters a piece of something alright...

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Lock your rack! Crazy story im glad you got your snake back!

Something needs to be done about your sister....thats disgraceful.

Goes to show how much more she loves money than the respect and love of her family...I'd have probably called the cops on her.

Agreed, may be the only way she learns.

Update: last night, the night ended with everyone agreeing to bring my sister to the lady to have her identify her and "prove that were accusing the wrong person". :-/ the whole time my sister didnt know that we already had the lady identify her via picture text message. This afternoon i just got a call from the lady. She said my sister showed up at her house looking for her while she wasnt home.

My guess is my sister was gonna plead with the lady to say it wasnt her.

Sh** is gonna hit the fan pretty hard when i get home from work

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Originally Posted by Izzys Keeper

Update: last night, the night ended with everyone agreeing to bring my sister to the lady to have her identify her and "prove that were accusing the wrong person". :-/ the whole time my sister didnt know that we already had the lady identify her via picture text message. This afternoon i just got a call from the lady. She said my sister showed up at her house looking for her while she wasnt home.

My guess is my sister was gonna plead with the lady to say it wasnt her.

Sh** is gonna hit the fan pretty hard when i get home from work

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Been following this thread the whole time....

Wow.

Videotape the entire encounter, if you can. I'm serious. You can delete a file later if it doesn't pan out. If it turns into a situation, it's the best thing you can possibly do to help put your sister in her place.

I was disgusted as I read this thread. Disgusted.

Do you live with her? If not, there is no way she would ever be allowed to set foot in my house ever again. Ever. Family or no family.

If you do live with her, I would seriously urge you to get a locking door for your room, and keep it locked whenever you are not in it.

How can people honestly think that that type of behavior is okay?! :colbert:

I really... really hope that your sister gets identified and that people start listening to your side of the story.

And to answer any questions about her being a druggie.

Honestly i can say that as far as i know shes never had a drug problem. Shes never shown signs of it (besides stealing). I pray that thats not whats goin on here but i know what it looks like. I think she just has no respect and thinks she could get away with stuff if its never proven. How could she know i would end up buying it back? Ive never hit a girl but its sad to say i came close. Cant say i didnt threaten to do all kinds of things though...

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Originally Posted by Izzys Keeper

And to answer any questions about her being a druggie.

Honestly i can say that as far as i know shes never had a drug problem. Shes never shown signs of it (besides stealing). I pray that thats not whats goin on here but i know what it looks like. I think she just has no respect and thinks she could get away with stuff if its never proven. How could she know i would end up buying it back? Ive never hit a girl but its sad to say i came close. Cant say i didnt threaten to do all kinds of things though...

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I would definitely keep it super cool, document all of your interaction (someone videotaping) and go about getting in touch with the lady who sold you back your snake. If she is co-operating, then that's your best bet. I would call the police and let them know what's going on, and ask them their advice on what to do in this situation. You don't need to press charges, but they might have some advice for how to handle this in the most effective way. Plus, if you ever did need to press charges, you would have the backing of the local law enforcement and showed that you followed the proper steps before it was an issue.

Just my two cents.

Then again, I feel that she severely crossed a line with selling your pet.

Some thing like this happened at the pet store awhile back where a girl stole a puppy while at the store the next day she posted on face book she got the new puppy one of the employees had the girl on her friends list and seen it and the pet store had cameras that they checked...

where did you burry your sister's body?

I have a shovel you can use, if you want it.

Harry

I've been following this story intensely on the edge of my seat pretty much trying to see if you would eventually find your snake. I'm glad that you did find it. Even though your backstabbing sister stole it from you. I concur with everyone else on here about your sister even if she is flesh and blood. But congrats on getting your snake back even if you had to re-buy it.

@ vasiliki... Everyone has my side the evidence is unmistakable. It sucks that i cant get a locking door because the door that leads downstairs is the only way to get to the laundry room and my brothers room.

As of now my sister is written off. Im done with her crap. Theres no need to bring any more drama to the ladys home. I know me bringing her there she would still deny it even after being identified. I got what i need. My girlfriend will get her 300 back. And if all goes well my sisters sorry ass is heading off to job corp next month for a year. By then thats plenty of time to wash my hands of her

Wow, I just started reading this thread again. Crazy turn it took. It really sounds like your sister needs help, professional help. If she's stealing from her own brother thats a serious problem. But to steal, and sell something on Craigslist takes a special kind of person. Honestly I understand you wanting to write her off, but that's really not going to change how she is. Most likely she will do it again. I would go to her very calm and concerned and try to get her some sort of help.

Another update guys. This ones a bit better then the other ones. Last night my mom and sister were talking for a while and ny sister broke down and confessed.

Her reasoning was sone psychological issues shes been having with me and my brother. Weve been pretty pressing about her getting har ged and a job (doing the big brother thing). Apprently she said she did it because of some cruel stuff i said to her a while ago. And ever since then she cant get over hating me.

The details were very vague as it was near impossible to make out full sentences through the hysterical crying . She apologized over and over and promised to pay the money.

Now whether or not i believe her reasoning ( i believe that was her way of playing victim), im glad she confessed. I might get over it one day but for the time being i cant even look at her. I accept the apology as i believe it was heartfelt but the reasoning and excuse behind it ill never accept.

Sounds like she's really, really sorry she got caught...

You have a rack, right? If you do, is there any way you can rig up a system to lock the tubs so they can't be shut? Even a length of pipe and a padlock and some holders for the pipe would do it. If the back's closed off you wouldn't need to do it for the back. It'll stop anything like this happening again even if she never sets foot in that room again.

She's not sorry about what she did, she's just sorry she got caught. I wouldn't have forgiven her for stealing one of my snakes and selling it off. I'd have shut her out of my life just like that.

shave your sister's hair off, and leave no evidence.
:taz:

Ive accepted the apology. I have forgiven her though. She has agreed to visit a shrink. Ive thought up all kinds of locking devices. Planning on installing it soon

Well maybe it'll teach her a lesson. By doing what she did she pretty much just burned $225 to temporarily get $75. Some times a little tough love is all someone needs. Or to get kicked out of the house. My cousin lived with me and my family a few years and, long story short, she stole over $100 from our great grandma! And who knows what else. We ended taking her to live with her mom some 6 hours away. She actually called my mom not too long ago asking if she could move back in with us :mad:

if you can attach two 2"-4" wide (however long) piano type hinges with a master lock, it should work.

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Originally Posted by Izzys Keeper

Ive accepted the apology. I have forgiven her though. She has agreed to visit a shrink. Ive thought up all kinds of locking devices. Planning on installing it soon

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Glad to hear she finally confessed. Her reasoning seems a little... strange. Even from a girly prespective (and I've had my 'off my rocker' moments, I assure you). But hopefully she does press to resolve her issues. In the end, it's her who decides if she gets more stable or not.

And good on you for thinking about preventative measures with locking up your stuff. As terrible as it sounds, that's a really important step. Remove the temptation, so if she did consider something similar, it will require more thought than just 'impulse', and hopefully prevent any issues.