Did you find your lost snake?

[BonnieBallPython]

i read online that every snake owner has to go looking for their snake at some point, especially when it comes to constrictors. i dont know how accurate it is.

anyway, last night i dreamt that my snake escaped. i know it was a dream because a lot of other unrealistic things happened in it. today, my snake actually escaped. my father was handling her and fell asleep.

i do have hope that we will find her. however, i'd like to know: when you lost your snake, did you find it? how long did it take? what did you do to find it?

[redshepherd]

LOL maybe this is true. My dumeril's boa got out last year when she was still in her 110qt tub. I had used clips on the sides for months with no worry. Then just one day, she was strong enough to flip them open! I found the enclosure empty with the clips all over the floor LOL.

I found her curled up in the bag of clean aspen in the bathroom!! The bathroom door was closed too, so she had apparently squashed herself under the door crack, which is only a centimeter tall.

From that day on, I stacked my suitcase on her tub that weighs something like 20 lbs. And I now stack heavy books (really heavy books) on all other snakes who are still using stand-alone tubs.

[cletus]

LOL maybe this is true. My dumeril's boa got out last year when she was still in her 110qt tub. I had used clips on the sides for months with no worry. Then just one day, she was strong enough to flip them open! I found the enclosure empty with the clips all over the floor LOL.

I found her curled up in the bag of clean aspen in the bathroom!! The bathroom door was closed too, so she had apparently squashed herself under the door crack, which is only a centimeter tall.

From that day on, I stacked my suitcase on her tub that weighs something like 20 lbs. And I now stack heavy books (really heavy books) on all other snakes who are still using stand-alone tubs.

This is what I do. I use a soldering iron to make the holes. It works well. The clips cost 88 cents at Home Depot and for that tub I use 3 of them. I made zip tie hinges on the back and just clip the front. It would take a lot of force to get out..

[redshepherd]

This is what I do. I use a soldering iron to make the holes. It works well. The clips cost 88 cents at Home Depot and for that tub I use 3 of them. I made zip tie hinges on the back and just clip the front. It would take a lot of force to get out..

Hey good idea! I've seen the same method used, except with these dog leash clips. My bp's are in a rack now, except for a baby, so I'm still just stacking books LOL

[Craiga 01453]

I think it's true that many of us have lost snakes, some with better results than others when it comes to finding the snake. I know people will use heat/food traps of some sort to try to lure the animal to a certain spot. I would imagine this takes some time and patience. Your snake is probably somewhere tight and warm, and probably somewhere you'd be surprised she can fit. Try EVERYWHERE!!! But start with places that are tight and warm, like behind/under the fridge, any vents that may be open even the slightest amount. If they can flatten and fit their head, amazingly their whole body will fit too. You'd probably be surprised how small an opening needs to be for them to fit in it. Look up and inside any couches or things like that. Look in drawers and cabinets. BE CAREFUL when looking anywhere that there may be moving parts, the last thing you want is to move something and squish or cut or hurt your snake in any way. Unfortunately, while you're frantically looking, moving things around your snake is probably a bit nervous and will likely not come out from where it is unless it gets cold or hungry.
I have heard plenty of stories of snakes turning up randomly, sometimes days, weeks, even months later. I actually am caring for a friends juvenile hognose that was missing for almost 2 months. She picked up a pile of clothes to do laundry and there he was on the floor beneath a pile of clothes.

The one time I "lost" my juvenile corn snake I was lucky I knew where he went...I was holding him while on my computer chair and he started exploring towards the underneath part of the chair. No worries, I thought, my BP and my 4 foot King explore down there all the time. Well, I was wrong!!! This pencil thin new snake found his way into a TINY hole that lead to the underneath part of the seat of the chair. He was already at least half way in and had found something to grab onto and I was unable to get him out, so I had no choice but to watch him slither all the way in as opposed to pulling and injuring/killing the snake. At least I knew where he was, but how the heck do I get him out?!?!?! I ended up putting the whole chair in a bedsheet and taped up the opening so if the snake came out of the chair he would at least be contained in the bedsheet. Anyway, I surgically dismantled the ENTIRE chair the following day and found him just looking up at me to say "hey, I was comfy in there!"

Good luck finding your snake!!

[Kaorte]

I've had snakes go missing twice. I've always found them within a few hours. I literally do not stop looking until they are found. One was across the room behind a piece of cardboard. The other was in a box about 10' away from where the tub was.

I start closest to the tub and work my way outward. Haven't had an escape in many years though.

[Kroberts10]

I had one escapee before I built my rack and was using books to hold the lid shut. I had the thermometer wire stop the lid from latching and te weights were about 6" away from the end of the lid and there was that slight opening around the rim and he pushed through. He was only about 300g at the time. My room has LOTS of places to hide. So I went to plug in my phone to charge before I started dismantling the room, and he just happened to be beside my bed, on the vent that is under my phone charger. Then I got some large clips to hold the lid shut and didn't have any more problems.

Sometimes I would love to watch them escape, just to see how they do it.
Kyle


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[anthroterra]

I've had 2 escapes.
The first was a young corn snake who went missing while I was in the hospital. I had 5lb weights weighing down the screen top and the house sitter claimed she never moved them, but he somehow escaped anyway. Never found him, and it's been nearly 2 years.
The second was a ball python who managed to pop out the cord insert on a National Geographic tank. Luckily, I found him curled up in a basket only 2ft away the next morning. I now only use animal plastics cages
I know snakes are soothing, but how do you fall asleep while handling one? Lol. Had a long day I guess.

[cletus]

I've only had one escape and that was years ago. Was a corn snake. I found him about 4 days later wedged in between the wall and the shelf his enclosure was sitting on. It was unfortunate because he was never more that 12 inches away from the enclosure and it pretty much sealed my doom of keeping snakes the rest of the time I was married.

[Slither Seeker]

for the DIY'rs out there, after reading about lost snakes here and how easy it is for them to find a way out and after being remarkably underwhelmed by the clips sold at petco to hold my screen top, I completely redesigned my fish tank set up, mounted it on it's siide, made it front entry with a sealed plexiglass front and made locks attached with industrial strength double sided tape. I went with two of them since my 5 year old seems to do better remembering at least one that way. for the port where the wires enter the tank, I created a port cover that bolts on, using a whole punch and a grinder, leaving no space large enough for escape. this is one of those scenarios where and ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!