I'm Back...But Auryn's Missing.

Hi guys! It's been awhile (a very LONG while) since I've lurked around BP.net. How IS everyone?!

I'm posting today because I'm at work having a panic attack and I know that you guys are probably the only people in my life who can understand completely. Wednesday late afternoon I unlatched Auryn's tub to get him more water, and after I replaced it--for the first time ever--I forgot to re-latch the tub.

Because Auryn hasn't been eating for me for over 3 months, I've been trying to bother him only every couple of days for water changes and once a week to try and feed him. When I went to check on him this morning, I found his tub empty. Auryn has been with me over two years and this is the first time I've ever been careless enough to forget to latch the tub. I searched this morning around the tub & in the computer room (where he lives) for half an hour before I had to leave for work.

I'm SO worried about him. He hasn't been eating for me; I've tried F/T, P/K, and Live (I currently have 2 mice who have been living with me for months). Outside of Auryn's tub, the condo I'm living in doesn't stay BP-friendly warm. I have to work till 6 tonight and my boyfriend works from 10AM - Midnight, so I can't ask him to look for Auryn during the day today.

For those of you who have had snakes go MIA, could you give me some search advice so I can relax a little and have a plan of action for when I get home? In the past, I've read on the forums to search EVERY nook and cranny near the enclosure because they typically don't go far. Has this been your experience?

I haven't had one escape but I have read look in tight, dark spaces. I would assume closets, under beds and cushions, etc.

G/L finding him though.

I've had 2 incidents and I found both very close to the area they got out from. One snake under the couch and the other snake was behind the mini fridge in the bar area of my basement. Both were within a 15 foot radius of they cages. Its definitely heartstopping and I wish you good luck finding him.

Hey girl! :hug:

So sorry to hear that he's out. I'm SURE you'll find him... don't worry, please keep us posted...

check all small tight spaces in the area, especially the ones that may offer heat, like anther user said, Fridges and other appliances.

First breath.. panic will make you miss him..

Start slow one thing I learn from some way smarter that me is when your looking for something change you POV. Sit in the middle of the room and start looking. Just looking. Then start at one wall and look every where.

Think about what things a Ball would seek out.. tight, warm, out of the way places.

Thanks so much you guys...I'm feeling a little calmer now. :hug: I'm so glad to see that FF and Miss L are still around.

Are you kidding I ain't going no where.. They going to have to run me off with torches and pitch forks before I....Naa who am kidding

I'm also gald to see you back around..

Welcome Back.!

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Originally Posted by Spaniard

I've had 2 incidents and I found both very close to the area they got out from.

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Same here. I've had a few escapes over the years, and they've always been within a few feet of their tub in a small dark space.

Hey there ;)


Welcome back!

I think he will show up when and where you're least expecting it :gj:

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Originally Posted by Nate

Hey there ;)


Welcome back!

I think he will show up when and where you're least expecting it :gj:

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Hopefully, not in the neighbor's couch. :D Okay, bad joke. Thought I'd throw a little humor from that story of a boa found in Brooklyn.

Snake's probably still in your room when you get back. Let us know how it goes.

I had the same thing happen, I forgot to re-latch completely and the next morning one of my babies had run away. I spent the entire day looking for her, the ENTIRE day. I checked behind the books on the bookcases, in my computer towers, in the futon, in the clothes in the closet just incase she somehow found a way into a pair of jeans or a jacket, I mean everywhere. Everywhere except a foam basket that was within 1ft away from her enclosure. I was working a few days later and heard a rustling, pinpointed that basket and just shook my head saying, "No freaking way." Well, to my embarrassment, there she was, not even a foot away from her enclosure.

Be persistent, I have read that if you get a shoe box and place a dead rodent in there, the smell will attract your lost snake. Simply cut a hole thats large enough for Auryn to enter, but not exit once she's eaten. I never tried that, so don't quote me!

Check everywhere, even the dumbest place that you'd never think she'd go.

Do you keep the door closed to that room when you aren't in there?

SO nice to see you back! :hug: I know that panicky feeling. Kisasa escaped twice on me. First time, I found her in a deep closet on the other side of the house, behind some boxes in the very back. ("Flashlight" is your best friend! LOL) I tell ya, I never realized how many tiny, dark, unreachable (by me!) places my home had until she escaped and I had to find her! I was very glad all I had to do was move a bunch of boxes. The second time, I could hear her moving and found her slithering behind some stuff against the wall.

It's unlikely you'll just see him slithering across the middle of a room...but follow along the walls....look for any "trails of destruction" (stuff knocked over or moved out of place) to help determine which direction he might have gone. Make the home as quiet as possible and just sit silently and listen. Try to think like he does...warm, quiet, dark, tight. And don't dismiss any hole, opening, crack, crevice etc that you think is "too small" for him to have fit through.

I'm sure you'll find him! And I don't think one day in a cool room will do him any harm! :hug:

Kim!!! :hug:

I really can't add much to the other good information shared already, but it's great to see you and PLEASE post when you find him!

Nice to see you back Kim, sorry Auryn is missing and I hope you will be able to find him.

Look for dark small cramp places, laundry basket, behind dressers, in drawers etc.

Good luck on finding him!

My lil guy escaped when i first got him. thankfully he just coiled up on top of the screen around the latch and sat there.

to the petstore for some clips i went, i have since moved on yo a bigger enclosure that is secure. and since my girlfriends younger nephews come by to be baby say and the little girl next door comes to play with them i have it under lock and key that requires you to lock it with the key to close it properly :) helps let me remember.

Sorry bout your luck Kim,

About 8 Years ago I lost a ball python, took 4 or 5 months to find him, he was in a folder in my filing cabinet...He was alive and well.....oh the funy thing about it, was the filing cabinet was the stand for his cage....lol

Good Luck Kim

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Originally Posted by JLC

It's unlikely you'll just see him slithering across the middle of a room...but follow along the walls....

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Never tried this myself but I have heard that pouring corn meal along the base boards can be helpful, give you an idea of where he may have passed...

Only escapee I ever had turned up at the toilet. Guess he wanted water...

As mentioned by others, check UNDER refrigerators. Its amazing that they can fit under them, but they do it. I never realized how nice and warm it is under there until I checked for myself.

Welcome back. Sorry to hear about Auren. I've had a young bp escape and after I searched everywhere with no luck, I started listening for him. Whenever I was reading or watching T.V. or anything, I kept an ear out and any time I heard anything I ran to see if it was him. Eventually I heard a noise in my kitchen and ran to check and I found him wrapped in the window blinds. Good luck finding him and getting him eating again.

My boy escaped last week....found him UNDER his cage in the 1 inch gap curled up next to the UTH.


That was after spending hours looking for him and leaving my poor Jack Russell Terrier locked outside in the rain the whole time

Hey!

My first BP escaped only after 2 days in his new home... (great way to find out about a fault in the doorsystem:mad:) We looked EVERYWHERE, tore apart the whole small appartment, disassembled the couch etc.. Well, we found her in the closet behind a shoerack looking content as ever :) Good luck on finding him, patience and not paniccing is definately the key here.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who has responded with encouragement. I'm feeling a lot less anxious. I still have about 2 hours until I can go home and look for him (not that I'm counting...), and I'll be stopping on my way home for a high-powered flashlight.

It's REALLY nice to see (read?) all the familiar faces (names?) :) I missed you guys.

you could try shaking a bag of F/T mice or rats too haha :P just kidding

good to hear from you!

Mine has gone off feed for a couple months each winter, but he always comes back around when he's ready.

As for the escape - I left a cage door open once but found him only a few feet away checking out a closet. I'm sure you'll find your boy once you have a chance to really search. Doesn't help the panic much though, I know!

Gosh if my boa ever escaped I'd be much more worried, but the BP is pretty likely to be found on or near the floor, which really narrows things down.

GOOD LUCK! POST PICS SOON!

Hey sorry about your escapee but don't worry It happens to everyone at one point in time or another! I would do a forum search one escapee or loose snake and see what you can find. There are a number of threads out there covering this exact topic with some excellent Ideas!

I had a similar incident where my Female Spider figured how to open her Sliding top 20gal Long:O Needless to say I understand your panic.
I tore the room apart and realized there was an open vent cover and a nice crack/hole in my wall she could easily get in.I tried a few techniques I rembered reading in old threads but the best one was sprinkel baby powder around the hard wood floor.My girl was loose for 3-4 days and I was beginning to lose hope but after my late class (about 10:30P) I did a quick check and noticed snake trails.That put me in search mode and within 5min I found her on the window ledge!:banana:

So don't go :rolleye2: your snake should turn up.Keep us posted!

Hey guys!! I found Auryn! And I didn't even have to do any digging!

I stopped by Home Depot on the way home from work to pick up a good LED Maglite (I didn't have a powerful flashlight at home). When I got home, I took my shoes off, crept into the kitchen and put together the flashlight. My plan of attack was to keep most of the lights off upstairs (where his tub is) and try to creep up the stairs with just the flashlight and listen for any sounds.

Well, I got halfway up the stairs when a familiar (and welcome) head became visible. Auryn had his neck and head poked about 5 inches out into the air in the stairway from between the slats in the banister, and his body was sticking out in the upstairs hallway. It was almost like he was waiting for me to get home and come up the stairs!

I got a hold of him, and popped him back in his tub. He's cold, but he looks just fine. I had to laugh. I was prepared for the worst sort of snake hunt, complete with tearing closets apart, dragging washers and driers out, and dismantling floorboard electric heating units. Auryn wasn't in the room his tub was in, he was in the hallway. The bathroom door and my bedroom door were just a few feet away and our washer/drier closet is in the same hallway I found him in (with the doors open, of course), so it could have been MUCH worse.

THANK YOU SO MUCH everyone for keeping me sane throughout my work day today. It really, really helped and I definitely need to come back around here more often :)

Sweet! Thats good news, glad you found him and made it through work with all the hairs still attached to your head :)

Glad this one had such a happy ending. Glad he showed back up for you.

Glad to read that your worry ended so soon and with a laugh! Don't stray too far!

Welcome back Kim, im glad you found Auryn! It was only a matter of time before he came crawling back to momma:gj:

Glad you found your baby.

Glad you found him, congrats!

You found him! That's great news! Congrats!

That's cute... You shoulda taken a pic of him waiting for ya! :banana:

:clap: :clap: :clap: Yaaayyyyyy Kim! And Yaayyyy for Auryn, too! I'm so happy for you!!

Now...you DO get to stick around for awhile, right??? ;)

thats great! glad you found him, did you try shaking a bag of F/T's? :P haha

Glad you got him back. Nothing better than happening across them in plain view.

Not very sneaky is he? :)

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Originally Posted by AzureN1ght

Thanks so much you guys...I'm feeling a little calmer now. :hug: I'm so glad to see that FF and Miss L are still around.

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Awww girl, We've MISSED you! :oops:

Yep... still here... Ain't gonna change! :D

SO glad you found him, or vise versa! ;)

Now, get your camera... and post some updated pics of that beauty! :banana:

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Originally Posted by JLC

:clap: :clap: :clap: Yaaayyyyyy Kim! And Yaayyyy for Auryn, too! I'm so happy for you!!

Now...you DO get to stick around for awhile, right??? ;)

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I DO get to stick around for awhile :)

It's about time I hung out around here again. So much has happened since I was last around here!

I'm VERY glad to see that all my favorite people are still here :D

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Originally Posted by fishmommy

good to hear from you!

Mine has gone off feed for a couple months each winter, but he always comes back around when he's ready.

As for the escape - I left a cage door open once but found him only a few feet away checking out a closet. I'm sure you'll find your boy once you have a chance to really search. Doesn't help the panic much though, I know!

Gosh if my boa ever escaped I'd be much more worried, but the BP is pretty likely to be found on or near the floor, which really narrows things down.

GOOD LUCK! POST PICS SOON!

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Glad to hear that Auryn refusing to eat isn't entirely unusual. I've been really worried about him. He doesn't look overly skinny, but he isn't as chunky as I'd like.

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Originally Posted by Laooda

Awww girl, We've MISSED you! :oops:

Yep... still here... Ain't gonna change! :D

SO glad you found him, or vise versa! ;)

Now, get your camera... and post some updated pics of that beauty! :banana:

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I'll definitely work on getting some pictures! :D