Escapee help needed ... lost snake

Unfortunately I made the mistake of not latching one side of one of my snakes tub. For the life of me, I cannot find him. I’ve checked everywhere I can think of and even cut holes into cabinets to sort of borescope them. I’ve had my house at over 80F so his body temperature doesn’t get too low but it’s 99F outside and jeez.

I’ve checked behind everything, under everything, laundry baskets, every drawer, under everything that has a drawer, all of my rodent bins, torn the couch apart and even looked on clothes hangers (someone else found their snake after three months hanging out in the closet). I’m not sure what else to do other than to drop the temps in the house and make a warm spot for him and hope for the best.

I’m not going to leave a dead mouse out and if he really wanted to he would have eaten all of my rodents anyways. The mouse I WAS having trouble catching under my cabinets is no longer a problem (hence cutting into them). Downside to that is he isn’t going to be hungry.

Any ideas? I don’t want him to dehydrate or get too cold. I especially don’t want to lose him either. It just feels like I’ve looked everywhere multiple times and am at a loss. I do not believe it is possible for him to get outside ... I only use one door really and I would have caught him.

TIA!


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This site was helpful and I am going to try the corn starch and plastic bags tonight ... http://www.anapsid.org/escapedsnake.html


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Hope you find him soon!!!!

I wouldn't drop the temperatures hoping he heads for a warm spot, because if he's holed up far enough away, he won't try to find it, he would
probably just stay curled up & cold wherever he is.

Darn! I sure hate playing hide & seek w/ snakes, they're SO GOOD at it. Just keep looking...especially at night, when he's more likely to hunt.

The worst (most dangerous) room for a loose snake is probably the kitchen: they can be attracted to the warm motor of a refrigerator & get
killed, they can get into the stove...& maybe into the walls of house, if there's a gap behind the stove where it's hooked up. Cupboards: at
floor level, there is often a dark inviting crawl space up behind the bottom cupboard doors, where they can get under the bottom of the cupboard
& the floor...I once had an adult bull snake get loose & hibernate there for 6 months before she emerged unscathed & ready for food & company.
Washer & dryer, also dishwashers, often have access at floor level, behind them etc.

Good luck & don't give up!

Snakes also love dresser drawers: many have openings at the back to go under the bottom drawer, & up inside between the drawers. Be very
careful when opening drawers so he doesn't get hurt if he's in there. If only we could put a collar with a little bell on our snakes...:D

When my snake got out I found him behind the freezer. I'm sure you've already checked there, though.

I hope you find him!

Stay looking within 10' of the enclosure, and look real good before moving on, most of the time when they escape they look for the nearest place to hide as they don't like being exposed.

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Originally Posted by 55fingers

When my snake got out I found him behind the freezer. I'm sure you've already checked there, though.

I hope you find him!

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^^^i was going to say carefully check behind your refrigerator or if you have a freezer check behind that where the compressor is . The compressors give off a lot of heat when they condense the refrigerant . ^^^check near you hot water heater and any other mechanical /appliances you have . I don’t know where your located and what your indoor temp is at but I don’t he/ she will be looking for anything crazy for heat ...... check your laundry basket lol. I hope you find him though good luck and keep us posted



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I got one back recently by simply leaving a little plastic terrarium on the floor of the snake room with a heat mat under it and a bowl of water in it .

It was asleep in there one morning about two weeks later


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If you can keep the door shut to the room where he escaped, so that. They are almost aaaalways within a 10-foot radius of the escape spot. Think dark, warm, and secure. Just be careful moving items while looking so you don’t squish him. And mostly, don’t panic. 😊 Many people on this forum have found a lost snake months later! And many more have found them in a day or less. They are evolutionary powerhouses and luckily, it’s summer.

Just remember that no space is too small or too obscure! I’ve found two different snakes hiding in a closed umbrella in the space between the couch and the wall🙄

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Originally Posted by Team Slytherin

.... They are almost aaaalways within a 10-foot radius of the escape spot....

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You BP-keepers sure are lucky! Of the snakes I've ever had escape (all of them many years ago) all 4 were more active types that sure didn't follow
that rule about staying close by, much less "a few feet away", lol. But I got three of them back quickly, the exception- my very enterprising adult female
bull snake (Tara*) that hibernated for 6 months under a kitchen cupboard, where I suspected she was, by process of elimination, but where I couldn't verify
until she made a dramatic appearance on my kitchen floor one night in May, about 10 pm. I was SO relieved & happy to have her safely back. When she
was first given to me, she had a bit of an attitude (hence her name Tara bull snake, pronounced "terri-ble" snake", lol) but by the time she disappeared,
her mischief was a thing of the past, except for the escape; it was her first & last big adventure, she settled down & produced some feisty offspring for me,
with her unrelated mate, Fulla ("full o' bull snake") and both lived good long lives.

How do I get under the refrigerator myself to see if he is under there? I can see he isn’t on the floor under it and he isn’t visually under the dishwasher after removing the skirting. The flour lines helped as I can see flattened areas moving back and forth between the two, so I know am closing in on him. Thanks!


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Originally Posted by Spechal

How do I get under the refrigerator myself to see if he is under there? I can see he isn’t on the floor under it and he isn’t visually under the dishwasher after removing the skirting. The flour lines helped as I can see flattened areas moving back and forth between the two, so I know am closing in on him. Thanks!


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If you can slide it forward, slowly & carefully, so you can look in the back...? That's awesome that you have tracked him with the flour!

Speaking for myself, I'd be tempted to call an appliance repair guy (& carefully explain the problem, hoping they aren't phobic) if the snake is in there but
out of reach. And I think it would be much safer to cut the power (unplug the frig) for a while while you're poking around back there.

The snakes I've kept have managed to escape a few times mostly by ether me or my family having them out and falling asleep (us humans that is). Several times they were found hidden under various beds, once behind a radiator and sometimes behind a cupboard.

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Originally Posted by Vipera Berus

The snakes I've kept have managed to escape a few times mostly by ether me or my family having them out and falling asleep (us humans that is). Several times they were found hidden under various beds, once behind a radiator and sometimes behind a cupboard.

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Snakes are very relaxing, I once dozed off for about 5 minutes holding a snake while relaxing after a long work day in my rocker-recliner, so I can relate...
I know it was not over 5 minutes, as I was watching the news, which in those good old days was a lot more boring. My snake went under my chair & didn't
want to come out, lol...but I won. That snake & I were both lucky, had the snake gotten into the springs, he could have been killed or badly injured, and I'd
have felt horrible.

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Originally Posted by zincubus

i got one back recently by simply leaving a little plastic terrarium on the floor of the snake room with a heat mat under it and a bowl of water in it .

It was asleep in there one morning about two weeks later

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excellent!

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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

excellent!

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I'd kinda given up as well so it was a lovely surprise when I found it there one morning :)


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Update?????


...and side note: I can't believe how often people reply on these threads with comments like "every time I've lost my snake" or "Snake Doe has escaped multiple times"...
Why aren't people fixing the escape issue????

Well I've had a few escapeees over the years but I can't 'fix' my brain [emoji4]

The most recent escape turned up a few weeks later thankfully but I just get distracted by a phone call , or the wife calling out for me for something or I just see something else and then I forgot to lock the viv doors ..


I've found the few others that escaped . The only one that actually never turned up was a hatchling Corn snake that my son had been showing his girlfriend and didn't slide the doors closed properly

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He’s not lost anymore but also not found. At this point, I’ve set out a seedling mat (they stay at like 90F), a makeshift hide and water outside where I believe he is, but no luck the last few nights. He’s migrated from the spot he was in but is still inaccessible and out of view. I still use flour to track his movements and I can see he is no loner going for the dishwasher, stove or refrigerator based on the lines not getting squished down; I removed all of the skirtings. He is still migrating somewhere around my kitchen which also has a utility closet with HVAC ... pretty sure he is under there and it’s even less accessible than anything else and the most dangerous to both of us to mess around with. Hoping he comes out in the next 24 hours or I will have to call someone. Only way to get where I believe he is, is to cut into the floor that raises the furnace and water heater off the ground. Or cut through the drywall ... I may do that because I know I can patch it. May just do that tonight anyways or certainly in the morning if my “trap” doesn’t work. He’s a cunning little guy and I know I need to get to him ASAP, but I am making sure he is taken care of until capture. The flour lines have really helped me isolate him or at least know when he leaves the kitchen and goes back into it. I would love to stay up all night waiting on him like I did other the holiday, but alas ... work.

Thanks for everyone’s support in saying it happens and thanks for asking for an update. I feel bad I haven’t captured him yet, but I don’t want to trap him as most people use glue pads and then a solvent and that just seems wrong to me. He is also too fat for the water bottle trap trick; I feel.


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I'm so glad you aren't trying glue traps...those are horrible! I've never heard of anyone trying to trap their pet that way, but I know many herps get
stuck on them by accident, not what the person was trying to catch & hard to remove. I've never tried to use a water bottle trap, so no opinion there.

Really glad you've narrowed down where he is, we're all pulling for you to get him safely home to his viv soon...yes, snake escapes "happen" to most of us.
Each time there's a new post on this I'm hoping he's in your hands. He will be soon...

My funniest "escape" wasn't from a cage but from eggs! Back when I lived in the desert, I didn't need an incubator for my snake eggs as room temperature
was perfect. So I was at least a week or two from this clutch of Everglades rat snakes to hatch (or so I thought) & I was just about to put the box of eggs
into a secure cage when we had an earthquake while I was at work. When I came home, I found that the earthquake appeared to hasten their desire to get
going...there were 3 little slimy trails of vermiculite leading away from several empty egg shells and "the game" was on. I found them all pretty fast, and oh
did they resent that! Hatchling rat snakes are feisty, they coiled & lunged & did their best to scare me off: one was on the top of a book case, up near the
ceiling...most impressive! Another was on his way up, & the third went into the closet. (the rest hatched out into a cage, whew!)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spechal

He’s not lost anymore but also not found. At this point, I’ve set out a seedling mat (they stay at like 90F), a makeshift hide and water outside where I believe he is, but no luck the last few nights. He’s migrated from the spot he was in but is still inaccessible and out of view. I still use flour to track his movements and I can see he is no loner going for the dishwasher, stove or refrigerator based on the lines not getting squished down; I removed all of the skirtings. He is still migrating somewhere around my kitchen which also has a utility closet with HVAC ... pretty sure he is under there and it’s even less accessible than anything else and the most dangerous to both of us to mess around with. Hoping he comes out in the next 24 hours or I will have to call someone. Only way to get where I believe he is, is to cut into the floor that raises the furnace and water heater off the ground. Or cut through the drywall ... I may do that because I know I can patch it. May just do that tonight anyways or certainly in the morning if my “trap” doesn’t work. He’s a cunning little guy and I know I need to get to him ASAP, but I am making sure he is taken care of until capture. The flour lines have really helped me isolate him or at least know when he leaves the kitchen and goes back into it. I would love to stay up all night waiting on him like I did other the holiday, but alas ... work.

Thanks for everyone’s support in saying it happens and thanks for asking for an update. I feel bad I haven’t captured him yet, but I don’t want to trap him as most people use glue pads and then a solvent and that just seems wrong to me. He is also too fat for the water bottle trap trick; I feel.


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I got one of mine back safely after a few weeks by just leaving an small terranium on the floor of the snake room - just had a heat mat underneath and a dish of water inside !!


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I got one of mine back safely after a few weeks by just leaving an small terranium on the floor of the snake room - just had a heat mat underneath and a dish of water inside !!


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And that's amazing! That's what I call a well-behaved snake...:D

Keep up the hunt! Sounds like you are closing in and hope you find him soon.

One of my corns got out some time last night. Thankfully I found him this morning after 10 minutes of searching. He was only a few feet from his tank, nice and cozy inside a sock drawer. Corns think it's their job to escape.

This is one sneaky dude or something. I cut I hole into the drywall to be met with more drywall to find that a return vent made the whole area accessible ... (fml) ... he wasn’t in there. It also happens to be the laundry room so I took all of the covers off the washer and dryer and no dice. The flour line hasn’t been messed with other then the area I know he is coming in and out from.

Back to the drawing board and left a hide and water out next to the area.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spechal

This is one sneaky dude or something. I cut I hole into the drywall to be met with more drywall to find that a return vent made the whole area accessible ... (fml) ... he wasn’t in there. It also happens to be the laundry room so I took all of the covers off the washer and dryer and no dice. The flour line hasn’t been messed with other then the area I know he is coming in and out from.

Back to the drawing board and left a hide and water out next to the area.


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What about adding a heatmat ??




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Tried that the last couple of nights too ... should add it back. Thanks!


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Any way he could get into the dryer vent that goes to the outside? I've seen snakes (when placed deliberately on my floor) head unerringly to the
tiny bit of fresh air coming in at the sliding glass door. Also, I'm assuming it's warm outside too where you are? So he might be attracted to that as
he might be to a heat mat???

Haven’t disconnected the dryer vent to check ... it’s a stacked one and the dryer is on top, but worth a look. It’s averaging 95-97F outside these days in KC. Thanks!

He probably can't get into the actual vent hose itself, but he might be attracted to where it goes outside; look up inside the back of the dryer (& washer).

Now he isn’t crossing the flour lines ... hoping for the best and ripping the house apart again.


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Since it seems you know what room he's in, have you tried the plastic bags trick? This helped me track down and catch an escaped baby corn back in the day when I knew he was in the kitchen (due to crossing flour lines).
I placed plastic bags along every edge of the wall and along the cabinets (because they usually like to travel along a surface like the wall and the bags make so much noise). I sat up late at night in the living room in the dark and quiet. The second night, I heard the bags moving and there he was.

Good luck, I hope you recover him!

I have, I need to put them back in place though. Trying not to look too insane when people come over. Explaining flour lines all over is fun. Thank you!


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Originally Posted by Spechal

....Trying not to look too insane when people come over....

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I gave that up years ago. Just living with snakes in your house pretty much puts us in that category. :giggle:

Any news on this ?



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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Joelgriz8124

Any news on this ?



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None yet, he’s had water out and I’ve had other crises to deal with. I will find his ass though. I have a strong suspicion he is under the insides of the refrigerator now which is going to make it that much harder to get him. Works pays the bills and the vet bill for butterball today. I haven’t given up, just haven’t had the time needed to dedicate to finding him. I need a full day or weekend without having to deal with life to trap him.

I talked with my new vet today about it and he isn’t concerned either; he bred ball, reticulated and carpet pythons for years. He said as long as there is water out don’t freak out. He will show up when he gets hungry. I have a lot more info to share as well, but that’s for another thread. We talked pythons for about an hour (disease, mites, rodents, husbandry, as much as I could talk with him without holding him up too much) and only worried about butterball for like 10-15 minutes. He’s highly revered around here and almost impossible to get in to see.


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I hope the nightmare ends soon, for you and for your bratty snake. ;) And by all means, do share other details as your time permits.

So a thing happened. Checked behind a dresser I’ve checked at least a dozen times before to find a cool and slightly dehydrated Candyman. :D He is in a humidity box now to help with what looked and felt like some stuck shed. Also to help raise body temperature. He wasn’t scared or shy to see me, that’s for sure. He hasn’t eaten since May 15th and I am going to offer the smallest meal I can for him later tonight or tomorrow. *happy dance*


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Hey, that's awesome! It's about freakin' time! :dance::dance::dance:

That's great! I had a yearling GTP escape one time, and he had low weight for his age because he had been a problem feeder (the only problem feeder I ever had) so I freaked out. This was in the fall and the house was about 65 degrees. I could not find him anywhere, and he was just tiny so I assumed he wasn't going to make it. He turned up a little over a month later, hanging on the back of my boyfriend's computer. Tough little critters.

finally! a happy ending!!! oh so glad you found him. [emoji122]