Free ball python if you can find/catch it

When investigating my dog's barking Wednesday night I almost stepped on a very large ball python. It was on the move, sliding along right next to my house. I took a picture of the tail end - the part that was not tapering yet was about the diameter of a tennis ball. I believe it went under my house. I have had the house leveled many times and I believe there are caverns down there. There are numerous holes next to the foundation from the replaced sand sinking/settling.
I live on the Galveston side of Houston. If anyone wants to try to flush out the snake and keep it, let me know in a reply.
Or - how can I safely flush it out? Someone said to flush rattlesnakes they spray gasoline down holes. Will the python react the same?
My other option is to fill in all the holes. So this brings up this question - will it dig out or die eventually? If it can dig out then I will know where it is.

I appreciate any help you can offer.

How do you know it was a ball python? Do you have any pictures of it?

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Originally Posted by txcoker

How do you know it was a ball python? Do you have any pictures of it?

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Originally Posted by Freeb

When investigating my dog's barking Wednesday night I almost stepped on a very large ball python. It was on the move, sliding along right next to my house. I took a picture of the tail end - the part that was not tapering yet was about the diameter of a tennis ball.

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If you could post the picture, that would be great in helping us determine perhaps what kind of snake it was :) And good of you to come here asking for help, rather than just find someone to 'come kill it' or anything like that.

Please don't use gasoline on a snake.

If it is a ball python, it is absolutely no threat to you. Just leave it be. If it comes out and you can catch it, take it to a local reptile store and turn it in. If you're friendly with your neighbors, ask them of they've lost a BP. Maybe someone is looking for him.

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Originally Posted by txcoker

How do you know it was a ball python? Do you have any pictures of it?

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Yes i do have a picture - how do i post it?

Upload the picture to photobucket, then copy the IMG code and paste it here :)

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/...6/24730d67.jpg

I live in Houston. If you catch it let me know and I will come down and get it from you and give it a proper home.

Looks like a BP. Just grab him gently if you see him. He's unlikely to bite. But even if he does, it will not hurt.

Any ideas how to get it to come out?

That's a ball python all right. And it looks good sized too. Next time you see it, just grab it and place it in a pillowcase. I'd suggest taking it to a pet store or veterinary office.

You might be able to find a breeder close to your area that might be able to come out and try to get it. I wish I were closer.

Well if it's hungry you might be able to put a rat/dead rat out where you've seen him before and wait to see if the smell attracts him. You're not going to be able to trap it, they're too good of escape artists for that. Just have a pillowcase ready and a warm spot to put the pillowcase + snake in until you figure out where to bring him.

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Originally Posted by OmNomNom

Well if it's hungry you might be able to put a rat/dead rat out where you've seen him before and wait to see if the smell attracts him. You're not going to be able to trap it, they're too good of escape artists for that. Just have a pillowcase ready and a warm spot to put the pillowcase + snake in until you figure out where to bring him.

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How often do they eat?

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Originally Posted by chet1028

Looks like a BP. Just grab him gently if you see him. He's unlikely to bite. But even if he does, it will not hurt.

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How much would you guess it weighs?

whenever they have a chance at food unless they are (spoiled) pet snakes like ours. Is it warm out?

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Originally Posted by Capray

whenever they have a chance at food unless they are (spoiled) pet snakes like ours. Is it warm out?

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Yes - Houston in the summer - 95 typically

Well.....anywhere from once a week to a year, depending on the snake/time of the year. :D Could be a while. Still, it's worth a shot. He doesn't look like he's gone particularly long without eating, and if you have rats/mice/other rodents around your property/under your house he may just be hunting things up down there.

Is your house on a solid slab or is it on pier & beam with a crawl space?

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Originally Posted by txcoker

Is your house on a solid slab or is it on pier & beam with a crawl space?

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Solid slab I have had tunnels dug under it twice for leveling. They replace/repack the sand around the house when they are done, but it sinks as time passes and holes appear right at the foundation. I have re-filled and packed the holes in the past. I am thinking of doing it again. My question is will a BP burrow out? That way I would at least know where it is...

No, I don't believe they will burrow out. Your best bet might be (if the tunnels are all connected) to fill in all but one of them, leaving only one way for it to come in and out. Buying a frozen rat from your local petstore, thawing it and then placing it in an overturned box with a hole cut in it might entice it out. And it's more likely to stay put if you have the box where it can "hide".

Most likely you'll just have to keep a sharp eye out, or look around to see if there's someone in your area who catches snakes. They're tricky little buggers, and excellent escape artists, so you'd be surprised where they hide and how they get there. :)

If you pack it in tight it will probablly kill it. If you are on a solid foundation then I would image it is hiding some other place, unless the foundation repair areas are relatively deep. How deep are the foundation repair holes and how deep do they go under the slab? Can you post a picture of those?

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Originally Posted by txcoker

If you pack it in tight it will probablly kill it. If you are on a solid foundation then I would image it is hiding some other place, unless the foundation repair areas are relatively deep. How deep are the foundation repair holes and how deep do they go under the slab? Can you post a picture of those?

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No pictures but in the past they are about 2.5-3 feet from the view from the ground. The original tunnels were big enough for a man to stand in.

Ball pythons are nocturnal which is likely why you saw it at night. If you check from time to time after dark, it may come out and cruise around a bit on its own, that is assuming it is still there now. It could have easily moved on already while you slept. Hope everything works out for you. Thanks for considering the welfare of the animal and coming on here. Kudos

He's really perfectly harmless--- apparently people used to keep them in walled gardens in west Africa, so the pythons could do rodent control. Today kids in Benin and Ghana just pick them up and carry them around, the way American kids do with garter snakes.

So, I wouldn't get too bent out of shape trying to find him. He'll get bored and come out eventually---maybe you'll see him again, or maybe he'll go find a pack rat den somewhere to clean out and inhabit. Like everyone says, you can pick him up barehanded and stick him in a pillowcase. They occasionally hiss, only very rarely bite, and the bites are barely a pinprick. But if you're snake-phobic or otherwise worried about it, you can wear gardening gloves.

You're also stronger than he is by quite a lot. So if you see the tail slithering under the house again, just grab him, and pull gently. Eventually he'll give up and let you pull him out. (I've done this several time with ball pythons trying to sneak under couches...)

Definitely don't use gasoline, if the spaces are so large it's unlikely to make the snake emerge and it would be a fire hazard as well. If you fill in all the holes too tightly or try to use gas, it might die and the smell of a dead python might ruin the house for a while, as it seeps up through the floors.

The suggestions of using a frozen rodent and a box might work for you. They are so placid that usually you can just pick them up. You can use a towel or gloves if he acts lively, but in general, they just don't mind handling.

Wow, it really is a ball python. Why don't I ever find free snakes in my yard? :P

Freeb I sent you a pm earlier let me know if you are interested.

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Originally Posted by txcoker

Freeb I sent you a pm earlier let me know if you are interested.

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I can't find your pm.

That's a very big bp I wish I was closer to the area


1.0 normal bp- Blitz
1.0 Nicaraguan boa- Gavin
0.1 Red Tail Boa- Tara

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Originally Posted by Freeb

I can't find your pm.

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Just resent it.

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Originally Posted by txcoker

Just resent it.

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Please try one more time. I received pms earlier but now they are dissappearing. I took off all the pop-up blockers for the moment.

You can try navigating there via the normal page, rather than using the pop up. If you click on notifications at the top, then inbox, it will show all pms that you have received, read and unread. Good luck on your snake hunt!

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Originally Posted by RoseyReps

You can try navigating there via the normal page, rather than using the pop up. If you click on notifications at the top, then inbox, it will show all pms that you have received, read and unread. Good luck on your snake hunt!

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Thank you - that worked!

have you caught it ??

No - I haven't seen it again. I keep going and looking after dark in case it pops out again.

I also live in the houston area. I will be in Lake Jackson tomorrow, so if you happen to catch it tonight, I can swing by tomorrow and pick it up.

I'd definitely ask around and see if any of your neighbors are looking for it. It's gotta be, or at least used to be someones pet and I doubt he would travel too far without getting ran over or attacked by a dog or something. Sure there are some stupid people who would just toss a snake out, but most likely he's an escapee. They are amazing escape artists.

Updates !!! Please

wow and i just moved from galveston

I would buy a mouse and put it into a clear plastic box with lots of holes drilled in it or a metal cage. (make sure you leave it at the very least water) Put the mouse where you took that pic. If possible, place a heating pad near the mouse.

If he's still there, I'll bet you see him again soon. Most likely coiled up around the container or on the pad. Check at night when it's colder. Ball pythons can "see" heat so it will be attracted to the heat of the pad and mouse. That is if it cools down at night.

Updates?!

I spoke to the homeowner and she was very thankful for everyone on the site. She has not seen it again, but if she or her neighbors see it they will catch it, and ill go get. She was very releived that it could help with rats and mice, she has a bayou that backs up to her property.

me too ill find it a good home as well

Updated on this thread.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-happy-ending!