Kenyan Sand Boa Disappeared!

Tonight, I was checking in on my ksb and I couldn’t find him! I keep him in a rack system, so to check on him, I just lift the tub up and look underneath to see his belly. Normally, I would leave him alone afterwards and not mess with him, but, when I couldn’t find his belly underneath, I checked his hides, and then dug through the bedding, only to find him not there! I use aspen bedding, and sifted through it very carefully multiple times to be sure, because some people say that they can hide easily in there.
Another note is that he’s very young and he hasn’t eaten for me yet (hence why I like to check up on him but not touch him or mess with him).
Also, I have absolutely no clue how he escaped! Since I last offered him food last Friday, I haven’t touched him at all. I have looked in his cage to see if he would eat the food that I left in there (he didn’t). Once, I saw him hanging out on top of the bedding. The last time I opened his enclosure was earlier today, and I wanted to change his water. I made sure to close his cage when I left the room to fill it. In addition, there’s no way he could have escaped his tub while it was closed (right?). The slit at the top is far too small for him to squeeze through, no matter how small he may be. Also, I doubt he could have climbed up to reach it in the first place! Although he could have “stood” on one of his hides, none of them are really close enough to the edge to allow that.
I’m completely at a loss! Does anyone have any suggestions? I’m so worried about him!


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Good luck finding him (& in good condition). You'd be surprised at what snakes will squeeze thru to escape...I once had a hatchling king snake that escaped
thru the tiny gap in the track of the sliding screen lid (on a glass terrarium). I found her pretty fast...hiding in a boot in my closet. The sliding screen had a
peg that secured it, but even with the peg in place, there was just a little bit of wiggle room for that silly king snake to find her way out. From then on, I had
to tape it so it couldn't move, until I got another cage set up; and from then on, I've made my own cage tops. Hope your little guy turns up. Don't give up!

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Originally Posted by Sir Herp

Tonight, I was checking in on my ksb and I couldn’t find him! I keep him in a rack system, so to check on him, I just lift the tub up and look underneath to see his belly. Normally, I would leave him alone afterwards and not mess with him, but, when I couldn’t find his belly underneath, I checked his hides, and then dug through the bedding, only to find him not there! I use aspen bedding, and sifted through it very carefully multiple times to be sure, because some people say that they can hide easily in there.
Another note is that he’s very young and he hasn’t eaten for me yet (hence why I like to check up on him but not touch him or mess with him).
Also, I have absolutely no clue how he escaped! Since I last offered him food last Friday, I haven’t touched him at all. I have looked in his cage to see if he would eat the food that I left in there (he didn’t). Once, I saw him hanging out on top of the bedding. The last time I opened his enclosure was earlier today, and I wanted to change his water. I made sure to close his cage when I left the room to fill it. In addition, there’s no way he could have escaped his tub while it was closed (right?). The slit at the top is far too small for him to squeeze through, no matter how small he may be. Also, I doubt he could have climbed up to reach it in the first place! Although he could have “stood” on one of his hides, none of them are really close enough to the edge to allow that.
I’m completely at a loss! Does anyone have any suggestions? I’m so worried about him!


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If it's tiny it could still be in there somewhere... in the water bowl , wedged under the water dish or wedged in the top of a hide .... wrapped around any fake foliage or branches ...


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About 3 years ago I had a KSB escape. I found him not 2 feet from his enclosure hiding behind a bag of substrate. Check the immediate vicinity first in anything the could be a snug hiding spot


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My daughter has a tiny KSB in a 5 gal aquarium with a sliding screen top with aspen bedding, a water dish & no other decorations. The tank is at least 4" taller than the snake is long but somehow the little magician managed to escape? Not only did he have to reach the top of the tank but then squeeze through the screen lid?
Complete Mystery?
We found him shortly after in a bag of bedding located on the floor below the shelf it was on.
Maybe put a shallow dish of aspen on the floor in the area?

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Originally Posted by ScalesFins&Feathers

My daughter has a tiny KSB in a 5 gal aquarium with a sliding screen top with aspen bedding, a water dish & no other decorations. The tank is at least 4" taller than the snake is long but somehow the little magician managed to escape? Not only did he have to reach the top of the tank but then squeeze through the screen lid?
Complete Mystery?
We found him shortly after in a bag of bedding located on the floor below the shelf it was on.
Maybe put a shallow dish of aspen on the floor in the area?

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Had same thing happen many years ago with a hatchling Cal king in a glass terrarium with a sliding screen top. The peg used to lock the lid in place left just enough
wiggle room for the lid to slide outwards by maybe 3/8", but it was enough for a tiny snake to find & wriggle thru to "freedom". I'm glad you found your KSB, and
I found my albino king hiding in a boot in my closet, but I've been making my own SECURE cage lids ever since. ;) I've kept many colubrids over the years...you
really have to be careful when they start off so tiny...it's easy to underestimate their escape-skills.

This very well could have been my story today...I went and checked on the snakes this morning after I woke up, and after I finished checking the temps in Pax's cage, I turned around and saw that I didn't put the lid back on Orion's cage last night. THANK GOODNESS he was just sitting on the dresser next to his cage (he's in a 10gal since he's new and it's just sitting on top of an old dresser of mine). I'm double and triple checking locks from now on out!

It may be a bit Overkill but I've got mine secure like I've got a reticulated python in there and it's just a baby ball. Lol

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Originally Posted by Jellybeans

It may be a bit Overkill but I've got mine secure like I've got a reticulated python in there and it's just a baby ball. Lol

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It's not over-kill...snakes are NOT fun to play "hide & seek" with. They're MUCH better than we are...:D

Giiiirl I don't even want to find out.
I have four dogs in the front part of my house and it will be game over :( :(

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When my KSB escaped about 2 years ago, I found her underneath the bottom level of the rack under where the heat tape is...Might be a good place to check, also at the back of the shelf that the tub is on in the rack.

If there is any noticeable gap, don't put it past him to squeeze through. My new baby male KSB has cardboard shoved under his tub in a rack system to keep it tight fitting. I have soldered air holes into the tub to allow enough air flow, but I'm not taking risks with a snake the size of my pinky finger in width.

I ratchet strap Kenny's tub :D

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Originally Posted by RickyNY

I ratchet strap Kenny's tub :D

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Ya gotta do what ya gotta do! :gj:

Sounds familiar Sir Herp! It will be 2 weeks today that my little beloved Trans-Pecos rat snake disappeared from his enclosure and I am still beating myself up today for not double checking his latch on his doors. I know the feeling, BELIEVE ME!
I tore up my apartment looking for him and have laid down hides on top of heat mats as well as placed water bowls around but still no luck.... I know I should keep the faith but I am losing hope day by day!
I have said to myself, maybe if I just stop wishing for him to turn up or just admit he is long gone then he might reappear....Is that wishful thinking though??? :hmm:

I recently got a tiny snake back ..
I just put a little viv with the door I open on the corner on the floor of the snake room .. I had a heat mat underneath and a tiny bowl of water .

It reappeared two weeks later , I found it one morning ( after I'd given up) or was asleep over the heat mat


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UPDATE: My parents found him today while I’m at school. He was in my sister’s bedroom (across the hall). I didn’t think he could’ve gone that far! Also, I had been stuffing towels under my door, so I assume he must have left before I noticed he was gone. I’ll update again when I get home on weight and everything. As for where to put him, my mom is watching him now, and I intend to keep him in an extra 10 gal that we have in the basement, and weigh down the top just in case! I’m very excited to have him back!


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Originally Posted by Sir Herp

UPDATE: My parents found him today while I’m at school. He was in my sister’s bedroom (across the hall). I didn’t think he could’ve gone that far! Also, I had been stuffing towels under my door, so I assume he must have left before I noticed he was gone. I’ll update again when I get home on weight and everything. As for where to put him, my mom is watching him now, and I intend to keep him in an extra 10 gal that we have in the basement, and weigh down the top just in case! I’m very excited to have him back!


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That is so wonderful that he was safely found!

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Originally Posted by Sir Herp

UPDATE: My parents found him today while I’m at school. He was in my sister’s bedroom (across the hall). I didn’t think he could’ve gone that far! Also, I had been stuffing towels under my door, so I assume he must have left before I noticed he was gone. I’ll update again when I get home on weight and everything. As for where to put him, my mom is watching him now, and I intend to keep him in an extra 10 gal that we have in the basement, and weigh down the top just in case! I’m very excited to have him back!


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That's sooooo amazing !!

Never give up people !!




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Glad to hear all ended well.

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Originally Posted by Sir Herp

UPDATE: My parents found him today while I’m at school. He was in my sister’s bedroom (across the hall). I didn’t think he could’ve gone that far! Also, I had been stuffing towels under my door, so I assume he must have left before I noticed he was gone. I’ll update again when I get home on weight and everything. As for where to put him, my mom is watching him now, and I intend to keep him in an extra 10 gal that we have in the basement, and weigh down the top just in case! I’m very excited to have him back!


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Where exactly did your mother find the snake? (In a box, under something, in a tiny hole in the wall..ect) Just curious! Still holding out to find my little noodle..maybe one day?

That's such fantastic news, I got my corn back 8months later,he went in August and we got him back the April,must of hibernated thru winter,found two doors down the street, he had grown a fair bit so must of fed himself over winter, lol

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Very happy that you got your lost little one back, woo-hoo! :dance:

Update 2: He hasn’t lost any weight, but he still is refusing food. After she found him, my mom offered him a pinky that she cut in half (that is necessary, as he is quite small). She said that he “stood next to it with his mouth open” but then lost interest.
Since I didn’t want to bother him yesterday, I inspected him today. He looked a bit dirty so I gave him a soak, and he was very thirsty!
He seems to be doing fine! Except for some scraps of stuck shed and not eating, that is. I hope he likes his new home. We bought a new 10 gal yesterday, because the lid for ours didn’t fit it, and we also bought some new furniture for him.


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Also, thank you everyone who gave advice, commented about your own stories, and wished me luck!! I really appreciate it!


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Originally Posted by Jus1More

Where exactly did your mother find the snake? (In a box, under something, in a tiny hole in the wall..ect) Just curious! Still holding out to find my little noodle..maybe one day?

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It was actually my sister who found him while cleaning her room. Apparently, she picked up a pillow on the floor and he was underneath!
And good luck finding your snake! I think we were SUPER lucky to find my guy there.


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