Baby Ball Python Escaped!!

I guess my brother or one of his friends forgot to secure his screen lid two nights ago and he managed to escape. Can anyone tell me any success stories? Just to give me an idea of where to search and where to check frequently. I've searched everything that could be warm and under everything (couches, refrigerator, oven, tv). I'm pretty sure he's small enough to fit under doors, but his tank is in the living room and its pretty far from our rooms (like 10-15ft). I figured he would be around 5 ft away from his tank since its the first night. Tonight I placed 3 live mice in vented enclosures around holes that I would think he would be in (since they're small, dark, and easy to reach). And I've placed plastic bags all around the living room. I stayed up all night trying to hear anything, but i think he's so stressed out with his new environment that he didn't even bother to come out to look for food or to find a new hide. I also brought the room temperature pretty down to see if he would come out to find a warmer spot. Any suggestions? He's 197g and around 17 inches long. I wouldn't think he could be able climb anything too high right? Any suggestions would be appreciated. And just so you guys know, my brother saw the wrath of a thousand suns when I found out he was behind this.

Can you post a photo of the enclosure and area?
I would go back and check around the tank, it probably went into the nearest little space or drawer or bookshelf it could get into and balled up. It helps to use a flashlight when searching. They don't like open areas so it would have moved along the walls.
It's likely to be under or in something. So you might be looking somewhere from above and think it can't possibly be underneath that box/book/bag but don't assume, lift up everything and check underneath and inside. And behind bookcases even if you think they're right up against the wall and there's no space behind. Also behind the books/dvds on a bookshelf, even if there doesn't appear to be much space behind them.

The first week I had my baby ball 70grams.. He escaped and I found him in between my radiator which is the smallest gap ever! Then a few days later he escaped I found him on my computer desk.. Which is pretty high off the ground! So check in places you might not even think of.


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Ok I just got to work, but I'll post a picture as soon as I get off. Thank you! Now that you suggested that I think there are a couple of spots that I've missed. His tank sits on top of an end table and I didn't even think to take out the drawers to see if he's behind them.


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Nothing yet. I asked my mother to check the end table, pull the drawers out, pull everything out and there was nothing. I'm really hoping he's close by his tank.

Wait till night time. Then start looking with a flashlight. Your snake isn't going to be moving at all during the day.

Thanks Ricky! I'm going to try it again tonight. Hopefully he's comfortable enough to be on the move. I was literally on my couch the whole night with a flash light (off obviously) trying to listen for any noises from the plastic bags I laid out across the floor. But I didn't hear anything. And I have a feeling he's hungry because I haven't fed him since the 31st and he's the type who would never miss a meal.

I had a baby sand boa that escaped one night from a spare bedroom. He traveled out of that room, across a big game room, down a short hall, into my daughter's bedroom, and in her shoe. Fortunately she found him before she jammed her foot in that shoe, lol.

Anyway - the point is - don't underestimate the distance or creative places they could be. This was just a 12-14-inch sand boa. Your ball can get pretty far pretty quick.

Also has anyone had any luck catching ball pythons with glue boards without the snake getting hurt? I'm honestly not going to try that, but I've called some of my local pest control places and two of them suggested that glue boards are one of the best and cheapest ways to catch pet snakes. I feel it's too dangerous, but they said its fine as long as I check the boards every hour or so and have some vegetable oil ready to get rid of the glue on the board once I find him. I was just curious if anyone's tried it on here with no damage to the snake.

Lol okay Fireproof, I will definitely look into cleaning all three rooms today. And if I can't find him during the day, I guess I have night duty. I'm so determined to find this little guy before the week ends. There's no way I can study for the semester if I'm constantly worried for my little guy.

Why not try putting a heat mat with some paper towelling over it regulated with a tstat and leave it at a nice temp with a nice secure hide, it's worthy trying everything, just check everywhere is my main advice, hope you find your BP soon! Good luck


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Oh that's a great idea! I didn't think about putting a heat mat under his hide. I'm seriously going to try everything guys. So keep shooting ideas lol.

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Originally Posted by jrabbit

Oh that's a great idea! I didn't think about putting a heat mat under his hide. I'm seriously going to try everything guys. So keep shooting ideas lol.

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Just make sure you connect it to a thermostat, I've also heard of people putting down flour so that you can see if the snake has moved through the flour.. Then you'd have an idea of what room/place he is in.

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Originally Posted by jrabbit

I'm really hoping he's close by his tank.

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It seems they usually are. Not all the time, but a lot of the time it seems like they show great persistence in getting out only to crawl 6 feet and curl up in whatever they find.

Doublecheck everything within 6 or 7 feet of the tank, even places you are sure he cannot fit in.

The only two snakes I lost were found in a moving box with a bunch of stuff in it, and behind some cardboard that was leaning against a wall.

The snake is in the one place you haven't checked. Wherever you think they couldn't have gone, they are there. I've heard of snakes being found in laundy, in subwoofers. Basically get on the ground and pretend to be the snake. they like to travel along walls and are just looking for a secure place to hold up. Generally they don't move a whole lot once they find a good spot. I've found all my snakes within hours of escape.

My corn has gotten out several times and he was always in the entertainment center that the tank is in. There is a hole in the back for cords and he crawled through and just hung out there for however long he was out (I was out of town). He was completely fine and healthy and ate his first rat pup.

Check EVERY crevice mate!, they can get in socks, under your bedframe, in your computer lol, anywhere.
But your best bet is warm spots.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...96c68560f0.jpg

This is his set up (the top and the 4 screen top clips aren't shown, but obviously it doesn't matter because it was working for 4 months up until my brother forgot to clip them back on). It's a 30 gallon, but it's really tall so I figured it would work well with him since it isn't too much space.


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Have you checked all them draws? Move everything? I would literally just scan the whole entire room everywhere from corner to Corner, and since you have tile floor you should try putting some flour down or something over night to see if he has moved through it, when you do fine him buy some clips so that there is 0% chance of a next escape.


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Pretty enclosure. I wish I could be there to help you. I have panic attacks when my snakes have escaped and the only thing I can focus on is finding them. They get found pretty quick lol.

Just pretend you were the snake, where would you go? windowsil, along the wall, into the desk, piles of laundry. Wedged underneath something. In a box. shoes. etc. etc.

As others have stated, look everywhere. I once found an escaped pueblan milksnake in a trash can!

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Originally Posted by SRMD94

Have you checked all them draws? Move everything? I would literally just scan the whole entire room everywhere from corner to Corner, and since you have tile floor you should try putting some flour down or something over night to see if he has moved through it, when you do fine him buy some clips so that there is 0% chance of a next escape.


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Yeah, I actually did have clips its just that someone forgot to put them back after handling him. I have 4 clips as of right now. Should I buy another pair? lol

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Originally Posted by jrabbit

Yeah, I actually did have clips its just that someone forgot to put them back after handling him. I have 4 clips as of right now. Should I buy another pair? lol

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4 clips is fine, just make sure you tell everyone who comes into contact with the bp to re clip the lid... get a sign up or something lol


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Originally Posted by Kaorte

The only two snakes I lost were found in a moving box with a bunch of stuff in it, and behind some cardboard that was leaning against a wall.

The snake is in the one place you haven't checked. Wherever you think they couldn't have gone, they are there. I've heard of snakes being found in laundy, in subwoofers. Basically get on the ground and pretend to be the snake. they like to travel along walls and are just looking for a secure place to hold up. Generally they don't move a whole lot once they find a good spot. I've found all my snakes within hours of escape.

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Thank you! Its actually a mess, because I was tearing apart his set up just to try to look for him lol. There's actually a fake 7ft tall Christmas tree next to his tank. I'm finishing up two more rooms and I'm thinking about tearing the tree down tonight if I don't find him in either of the rooms. I did look plenty of times around the tree and I would think I could find him easily with a flashlight since he's a medium (pretty close to high) white pied. But I don't think I'll be satisfied until its gone lol.

I had something similar happen to me. I had a snake that a a few cousins wanted to see and then I told one of them to put the Snake away. He also didnt put the lid back on. Luckily he was only missing like an hour. But since then I make sure that I know the snakes are put away properly.

Would be hilarious if he was just hanging out in the Christmas tree the whole time.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Would be hilarious if he was just hanging out in the Christmas tree the whole time.

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I know right! I'm taking it down now. Hopefully he's in there.

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Originally Posted by Gerardo

I had something similar happen to me. I had a snake that a a few cousins wanted to see and then I told one of them to put the Snake away. He also didnt put the lid back on. Luckily he was only missing like an hour. But since then I make sure that I know the snakes are put away properly.

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Yeah, I'm probably going to put a lock on it after I find him lol. It just sucks because I was asleep at the time and by the time I woke up he was already gone.

I realllly hope you find him. I have been reading the thread and everyone has some really good suggestions. I like the flour idea, mainly because it looks like the room he is in isn't carpeted. You should be able to see really easily if he does move. BTW, his setup is lovely.

Check the desk again. He's either in, under or behind a drawer.

yesterday morning when i went to check on my BP's I found that I had left one of the latches open and my 190 g. female had gone exploring. After tearing my hobby room apart looking for her. Pulled boxes out and opened them. went through drawers nothing. finally decided to look up and found my girl using a RC helicopter canopy for a hide. On top of my pedestal drill press about 6 feet up. LOOK EVERYWHERE. good luck hope you find your bp soon.

I saw this thread yesterday, and didn't have any suggestions that were not already offered. I checked back this morning hoping to see "I found him in_____" insert any ridiculous location you can think of!! :D I'll keep checking in, and I hope you find him soon!!

Have you probed DEEP into the crevices of your couch? Where it is uncomfortable to get your hand between fixtures.

Best of Luck! :)

Here's a thought...would it be possible that he got into a ventilation duct? Depending on where you are, if it's cold, and you're running the heat, the snake may have headed there for warmth. If there are large enough opening, perhaps he squeezed in, and is now somewhere in your duct work.

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Originally Posted by yellowbelly76

Here's a thought...would it be possible that he got into a ventilation duct? Depending on where you are, if it's cold, and you're running the heat, the snake may have headed there for warmth. If there are large enough opening, perhaps he squeezed in, and is now somewhere in your duct work.

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I live in Florida and I think thats why he's pretty happy not moving at this point lol. But I have been putting the temp in the house at 70º to see if he'll come out somewhere warmer. But yeah, no luck so far. But I have a huge feeling that he's in my couch thats like a few feet away from his tank... I saw a hole that was made in one of the couches (it's this fabric thats stapled to the bottom part of the couch to cover the box springs)... I'm going to pick up my friend's staple gun today after work lol.

Dismantling a couch should be fun!! lol I would not be surprised if you find him curled up in there. Good luck!!!

I found him!! After putting my couch back together he decided to pop out of my mom's room! He's such a stinker lol. Thank you everyone for helping me out! :)

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Originally Posted by jrabbit

I found him!! After putting my couch back together he decided to pop out of my mom's room! He's such a stinker lol. Thank you everyone for helping me out! :)

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I'm so glad he turned up!! Figures he would appear after taking apart the couch lol! Better late than never I guess!!


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http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...caf931e49d.jpg

He was pretty hungry too. He ate a huge rat pup like it was no big deal. I'm glad he wasn't too stressed out being out and about for 3 days.


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Great News!

:fest::carrot::partyon::colbert2::dance::handshake:banana:

Glad you found him.

So glad you found him! Such a cutie :) followed the thread closely and new you would find the little stinker lol

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Originally Posted by jrabbit

Also has anyone had any luck catching ball pythons with glue boards without the snake getting hurt? I'm honestly not going to try that, but I've called some of my local pest control places and two of them suggested that glue boards are one of the best and cheapest ways to catch pet snakes. I feel it's too dangerous, but they said its fine as long as I check the boards every hour or so and have some vegetable oil ready to get rid of the glue on the board once I find him. I was just curious if anyone's tried it on here with no damage to the snake.

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Very glad you found your snake! I had one of mine decide to explore the house for a week last year so understand how stressful it is.

I am surprised no one commented on the suggestion to use glue boards by not one, but two pest control businesses to "catch" a wandering snake? I can't imagine how stressful and likely painful this would be, thrashing around trying to get the board off! Sounds like a non-reptile person pulling a thought out of his behind! But, then again, they are in "pest" control so not very likely to be trained in proper reptile husbandry.

Anyone ever hear of this being used?

Glue boards?! I think the people suggesting that have confused "pets" with "pest".

Great to read that this game of Hide And Seek is over and both of you had fun playing LOL.

Congrats man.. At least you can be stress free now!


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Yay for finding him! What a relief!


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Glad you found him! ... Just to add to what everyone else said about the darnedest of all places you would think you might find him .... My girlfriend and I went to get feeders one day at our local reptile shop and while we were there our spotted python climbed out of her purse and onto my g/f's arm ..... We didn't even know she had escaped!!! And between our house and the reptile shop we stopped at Wal-Mart, a friend's house, and then a restaurant. So she could have climbed out of the g/f's purse at any of those stops and we would have never known she was even missing until we got home to feed and at that point the last place we would have thought to look would have been anywhere outside the house let alone miles away!! :tricho:

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Originally Posted by jrabbit

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...caf931e49d.jpg

He was pretty hungry too. He ate a huge rat pup like it was no big deal. I'm glad he wasn't too stressed out being out and about for 3 days.

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Great news! and WOW!!! HE IS STUNNING :O

I am so glad you found him! He is a really cutie!

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Originally Posted by T_Sauer

Glad you found him! ... Just to add to what everyone else said about the darnedest of all places you would think you might find him .... My girlfriend and I went to get feeders one day at our local reptile shop and while we were there our spotted python climbed out of her purse and onto my g/f's arm ..... We didn't even know she had escaped!!! And between our house and the reptile shop we stopped at Wal-Mart, a friend's house, and then a restaurant. So she could have climbed out of the g/f's purse at any of those stops and we would have never known she was even missing until we got home to feed and at that point the last place we would have thought to look would have been anywhere outside the house let alone miles away!! :tricho:

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Oh my gosh! Thats insane! But I have to admit that's the best story I've heard lol.