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  1. #1
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    MBK; Escape And a Question

    Helllo ya'll.

    Story time!
    I got my dream snake of an MBK about... a month and a half ago. She is a solid eater and has had a great personality when handling. After I got over my initial over-hyped imagination. She is easy to get in and out of the cage, and when it's food time, she's ready.
    Now, about a week ago, she had tried to escape her tank. And was half successful. The previous owner had put some tape over the spot of a broken clip (it's a sliding top tank) and a bungee cord to keep it in place. So she attempted to get through it. And she got caught on the tape. She somehow lifted the tape that was rolled over it and got stuck. It had happened in the span of maybe five minutes since I left the room, but got her out and cleaned up, putting a rock over the opening of the broken clip so she couldn't get through it.
    Fast-forward to this morning, at 4:55 am. I hear movement through my room and like things getting knocked over. My first thought was not a snake had escaped (because with the four other snakes in my room, this seemed like the least likely culprit). I had a good panic for nearly an hour and finally heard something near the snakes on one side and thought, "if it's a mouse, I will lose it." And granted, I had nearly 30 minutes of hearing something before I finally went to investigate it. With a flashlight phone in hand, it was still pretty dark, I came up to the MBK's tank, and saw her head on the back side of the glass, but her tail was sticking outside the glass and wrapped around the corner. SHE HAD ESCAPED!!! I don't know how, but she somehow did and then tried to go behind her tank to hide in hopes that I wouldn't find her. And I didn't noticed she escaped until I found her. So I got extremely lucky. She also slithered to my bed, causing a ruckus and then all the way back to her tank. Not a very sneaky snake at all! And she isn't that big. About 2 feet and the size of a sharpie. So not very big but made the loudest noises you could ever hear. (From everything on the floor in my room)
    She is safely back in her tank and is still trying to escape as I type, but finally put a pair of tweezers in the locking clips to put a lock on the sliding screen.
    Now, I can see where she attempted to go. And she hadn't gotten out so far. Hopefully we won't have a repeat of this morning and how I thought I had a brownie or a mouse in this room.

    I am currently waiting for another lid on another tank to put her in, and don't have the appropriate size second tank to house her in till then. So making do with the tank that she came with.

    Now, my question. She has been a bit more actively looking around and being curious. But she did strike at the glass when I tried something by her tank (the outlet is right there). And she was honing in on me moving around. Should I be worried or give her a break from handling tomorrow after that little escapade this morning, or should I be alright to hold her? I'm still pretty new to colubrids (My last one was when I was... 3). And I have pythons and a boa as my references (the oldest being almost 6, so had him almost 5 years). But I had been holding her everyday (excluding feeding and 48 hours after) for up to 15 minutes. Just don't want to stress her out. Thank you in advance.
    Last edited by anomalystory; 06-16-2020 at 11:37 PM.

  2. #2
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    Striking from inside a tank means nothing...snakes don't identify you visually thru the glass- they see the motion & think either food or predator...nothing personal.

    I doubt she'll mind if your handling continues as before since she's a good eater & already knows you- she's not brand new.

    The MAIN thing is to secure your tank!!! You are very lucky to have found her quickly this time...king snakes hide very well, & you might not get her back next time,
    or she might get injured when loose. Please be responsible & prevent any & all escapes.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to Bogertophis For This Useful Post:

    Craiga 01453 (06-17-2020)

  4. #3
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    Re: MBK; Escape And a Question

    I gotcha. Wasn't sure if it was that or from the experience she had earlier this morning. So I wanted to double check for my own peace of mind since never had kingsnakes (other than the few escape artists at the museum) to work with.

    I understand. Wanted to check since we had a kingsnake at the museum that after his escape (He was gone for a few hours, not an hour like me), he had switched from being a very calm snake to a very defensive one and never fully got back to being handleable.

    Had thought I reinforced the tank, with blocking the exit she had used before, but I don't know this last time how she got out. So have put something stronger on the locking part so that she can't get out and put a couple more weights on the plastic part to keep her from moving it. I count myself very lucky. And that there isn't too much on the floor. She had been around cords (and that's the only reason I spotted her at all), and was trying to follow the baseboard. All my other tanks have the twist top (exo-terra) lids, which I am waiting for for her new tank. So just reinforcing this one till the replacement comes.

    Thank you for your quick response and clarification Bogertophis. Much appreciated.

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    Aside from making sure that enclosure situation is resolved (you got very lucky!)...And NO TAPE EVER inside an enclosure or anywhere the animal can reach it...


    I wanted to remind you and future readers about the importance of proper quarantine. Since the new MBK has only been with you a month and a half she shouldn't be anywhere near the rest of your snakes, especially considering she came to you second hand.

    It's too late now, if the MBK brought anything into the home it could have already affected your other snakes.

    Just a friendly reminder and hopefully a lesson learned without any negative outcome.

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    bcr229 (06-17-2020),Bogertophis (06-17-2020)

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    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: MBK; Escape And a Question

    Quote Originally Posted by anomalystory View Post
    ... I understand. Wanted to check since we had a kingsnake at the museum that after his escape (He was gone for a few hours, not an hour like me), he had switched from being a very calm snake to a very defensive one and never fully got back to being handleable...
    Snakes obviously learn from their experiences just like the rest of us. A taste of freedom has been known to awaken their instincts, but also that had to be a frightening experience for the snake, and some have a harder time trusting again, IMO. Then again, museums can be pretty chaotic places for snakes.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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