Does snake urine/urate glow under black light?

Two questions I'm hoping someone can help with!
- Does snake urine (or dry urates) show up under black light?
- When a snake urinates, if they're outside a cage, would they urinate away from where they're hiding or would it be pretty close to their hideout?

Asking because one of my best bud's BPs escaped her cage about 4 days ago. I'd ask him this myself, but he's already driving himself nuts laying down flour and scouring his place, and has been alternating between hopeful and incredibly depressed. I just don't wanna bring this up with him if it's a dead end. I know cat urine shows up under blacklight... and while I know a snake probably doesn't urinate anywhere near as much as a cat, if there's a chance it could help, I thought i'd bring it up.

Thanks for any input!

I've heard of people successfully using thermal imaging cameras to find escaped snakes! If you live in the US, I thiiiiiink you can rent them affordably at Wal-Mart or home depot? (i wouldn't know, I'm european, but that's what I've heard)

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That's a fantastic idea, thank you!! We're not in the US, but we found an tool/equipment rental place with them, so we're renting one tomorrow and giving it a go! Thanks again for the idea!! :)

if you have hard floors, you can dust them in flour and then you'll often get 'tracks' in the morning =)

Any update?

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No, no significant news... My friend's wife and I did rent a thermal imager, but we didn't find her. We haven't told my friend because we're worried it would just upset him more. They have flour down and there has been one track going in to a room, so that's good that at least they know the snake is around somewhere, but no one has been able to find her! The three us have pulled the room apart that the track was going into and nothing.

All the windows have screens, they never leave doors open because they have indoor cats, and there aren't any holes going into the wall, so we're confident she's still in the house, but everyone is just super confused on where she could be hiding... My friend says she's due for a shed, so he's worried now that she's just hunkered down somewhere and is waiting that out. :(

Thanks for asking!! All the help here has been really appreciated!!

Uhg. Cats. How big are the cats? How big is the snake?

The cats are pretty big but they're older and have never shown any interest in the snakes (even when they're out). They don't even bother chasing bugs. That was my initial thought too (if the cats and the snake would have a run in) but my friend and his wife say they're more concerned that the cats would get bitten than anything happening to the snake! The missing girl is about 2 feet long.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ulfric

When a snake urinates, if they're outside a cage, would they urinate away from where they're hiding or would it be pretty close to their hideout?

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Individual preference. Some will come out of their hide to release their bowels and others seem to relish in smearing it all over their cozy little den.

She's going to be somewhere dumb life between a bed mattress or in a closet or even behind a drawer that she crawled up the back of. I wonder if u but a mouse in a little cage if she will get close to it to eat it. Might be able to bacially bait her out with a mouse. Even a thawed one she might smell and go after

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I would try setting up a warm spot with a hide, scented with a mouse at least.

Just checking back to let everyone know that almost three months later, my friend found his snake! Despite renting a thermal imager, trying to use a blacklight, leaving out thawed mice to lure her, puling the house apart, dismantling electronics she could have gone into, and his wife booking someone to come in and dismantle their gas fireplace...... The missing BP was found last night, randomly chilling out next to another snake's tub. Likely now that the weather is cooling off, she was there for heat. She ate a mouse, had a little soak in a water dish, and appears to be healthy!!

Thanks again to everyone who had suggestions!! We are joking about getting her a little Hide And Seek Champion 2016 trophy.

Glad your friend found her. (:

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I'm so glad your friend found his escapee!! Success stories like this always make me happy, and optimistic in case I ever lose a snake haha

This should almost be a sticky'd post. Reason being is that when new first time owners come in here looking for husbandry info and hearing from all the gurus that BP's are not as forgiving as others with bad husbandry and that temps and humidity need to be spot on for a happy and healthy BP, they are still a hearty species and can survive for a while in less than perfect conditions.

While the guru advice you will get here is accurate, should be followed and you need to get husbandry dialed in correctly, I know for myself being a new owner of just under 3 months, I drive myself nuts when the temp or humidity are off. It's good to know they can be somewhat hearty animals.

By the way I could be totally wrong but I wouldn't think a thermal imager would work well with cold blooded animals since they take the temp of their surroundings, where-as a warm blooded animal will have a different temp than the surroundings thus showing up on a thermal imager.

A completely unrelated note, but still on topic about black lights/uv lights. I have one and while I have no idea about that glowing. I have used the UV light to find scorpions and track down one that escaped it's enclosure.