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  1. #1
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    A bull snake escape story

    I just got my female white sided bull snake from a reputable breeder on morph market and set her up in a 15 long I housed my blood python in for a while everything is in order temps are perfect she is gorgeous and healthy with a perfectly normal bull snake attitude. Anyway I cut small slits in the wire top to fit a thermometer into my cool side for my blood python their was no way my blood would have got through it not even in the wildest of escape scenarios anyway I set Rose my bull snake up in the enclosure and left her for about a week this morning I wake up do my feeding routine for my snakes on feeding day and set a rat pinky in their for her to try to feed her for the first time, it struck me as odd that she wasn’t hungry because the previous day she was practically begging for food so I go about my day and about an hour and a half later it sounds like someone deflated a tire in my office and it struck me immediately that was my snake I lunge off my couch and find my cat cornering her she is cooked and striking I toss the cat into another room and grabbed her immediately lots of bluff striking my hand I checked her up and down and she appears to be fine my heart is thumping and I’m having feelings of guilt and anger at myself and thankfulness I found her healthy I feel like a horrible keeper. Anybody who knows me knows how seriously I take the husbandry of my animals it’s my favorite hobby I Took a minute to reflect I’m seriously worried she may have hurt herself she couldn’t have been out longer then a day but her tank is above a pvc enclosure I have my blood in over 5-6 feet high I am worried sick she may have fell and hurt herself and I’m guessing I can count on not taking her first meal today needless to say my enclosures are officially on lockdown and I will re evaluate everything I ever knew about housing my animals it was an amateur move on my part. Does anybody think she may have slid down the rails or would she just take a nice fall? How can I reduce the stress on this situation? Thank you and sorry for the long winded post I am so relieved and also guilty.

  2. #2
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    I would be checking her for tiny cuts & scrapes she might have gotten if she forced her way thru the slits you cut in the screen top. Suggest you use Vetericyn ointment (made for snakes) if any wounds are found, so they don't get infected.

    Your bull snake may have taken a fall too, or found another way- they never do tell us.

    I guess you aren't quarantining the bull snake away from your blood python either & it's a bit too late now, so I hope that doesn't prove to be a mistake as well? Your new snake could be carrying diseases OR mites (or both!)...just saying.

    I would wait a day or so, & if she's still acting hungry & IF you don't see any injuries*, she's probably okay to feed. (*broken ribs in a snake look like concave areas when they are allowed to slither around on their own- takes careful observation as it only shows up when they bend a certain way. Other injuries can include internal bleeding, etc. Again, close observation of behavior, appearance, & any discharges/bloody stool-urates, etc.)

    BTW, your "wall of text" is hard on the eyes- many skip over such posts for that reason.

    Understand this about bull snakes: they WILL PUSH on every part of their enclosure, & they don't give up easily. They also remember how they got out the first time, all too well. Your snake got lucky with the cat...THIS time.

    The temperatures your bull snake experienced while out didn't likely affect her one bit. These are hardy & intelligent snakes. I've kept & bred/raised them in the past, btw. (not white-sided or any fancy types)
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 03-08-2021 at 04:39 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  4. #3
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    Re: A bull snake escape story

    Thank you I really hope she doesn’t have any damage done to her from a fall or her time spent exposed to the house, she didn’t make it far I live in Florida so the temps I’m not to
    worried about. I really don’t have any means of quarantine currently as bad as that sounds I do however know I got all my snakes from high end breeders and I don’t plan on adding anymore within the next few years I haven’t noticed any health problems in any of my snakes so that’s good news as well.

    sorry about the wall of text I didn’t even really think about that

  5. #4
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    I do look forward to happier updates on your new bull snake, by the way. I miss keeping them but I have "enough" snakes already att. One of my very few escapes over the years was an adult female bull snake- she got loose from a temporary container late one night when I was interrupted cleaning her home with a long phone call. She disappeared for roughly 6 months!

    By coincidence, her escape was mid-November & she re-appeared mid-May, after brumating under the kitchen cupboards completely out of sight & out of my reach all that time. I was living in the high desert back then- & winters were plenty cold, & though I kept my house pretty warm, outer walls (like where the kitchen was) were perfect for brumation.

    Believe me, I felt guilty & horrible, fearing she'd die, & I had searched everywhere I could, short of ripping apart the kitchen. She was just fine...oh sure, ready for water & food, but one night there she was, just slithering across my kitchen floor like nothing was out of the ordinary. Tara went on to reproduce some very fiesty healthy hatchlings too, with her mate, Fulla. (saying the names out loud helps, as in Tara bull snake...) Admirable serpents!
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 03-08-2021 at 04:52 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  7. #5
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    Re: A bull snake escape story

    That is an amazing recovery wow! On a happier update note she just took her first meal from me since I brung her home about an hour after finding her it was still in their from when I left it about 2 hours ago! I’m still a little shocked but the eating has brung my mood back up a bit! I will be making a trip to my local reptile shop to buy a new screen lid in about an hour this will not happen again we are on a code red lockdown from now on lol

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  9. #6
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    Btw, for anyone who doesn't know, bull snakes are very different to keep than BPs & the various boas & pythons. For one thing, they do well at "room temperatures" with some UTH at one end, lots of fresh air (screen top on large glass tank recommended); larger is better when it comes to housing, as they're active & diurnal (day time) hunters of prey in the wild.

    Despite their great appetite, I always found them easy to handle- not inclined to confuse me with food, even if they just ate.

    And their hiss is magnificent!
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 03-08-2021 at 05:30 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  11. #7
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    Re: A bull snake escape story

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    Btw, for anyone who doesn't know, bull snakes are very different to keep than BPs & the various boas & pythons. For one thing, they do well at "room temperatures" with some UTH at one end, lots of fresh air (screen top on large glass tank recommended); larger is better when it comes to housing, as they're active & diurnal (day time) hunters of prey in the wild.

    Despite their great appetite, I always found them easy to handle- not inclined to confuse me with food, even if they just ate.

    And their hiss is magnificent!
    This is good to know, I may start doing some research on these guys. Over the weekend I found a rosy boa and a very young spotted python both at local reptile stores and while I don't have any extra enclosures, and didn't want to impulse buy, it did get me back in the mood of considering adding to my collection. Bull snakes I've always thought were interesting from watching Snake Discovery's youtube channel. If anyone's interested they're a family friendly and very educational channel that my almost 2 year old absolutely loves. Emily, the channel owner, keeps and breeds bull snakes, hognose snakes, and an assortment of other reptiles so I get to live vicariously through her.

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  13. #8
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    Re: A bull snake escape story

    Quote Originally Posted by Hugsplox View Post
    This is good to know, I may start doing some research on these guys. Over the weekend I found a rosy boa and a very young spotted python both at local reptile stores and while I don't have any extra enclosures, and didn't want to impulse buy, it did get me back in the mood of considering adding to my collection. Bull snakes I've always thought were interesting from watching Snake Discovery's youtube channel. If anyone's interested they're a family friendly and very educational channel that my almost 2 year old absolutely loves. Emily, the channel owner, keeps and breeds bull snakes, hognose snakes, and an assortment of other reptiles so I get to live vicariously through her.
    All good pet choices, said "the enabler"... Bull snakes get by far the biggest of those, so just make sure you can spare the room for the size they ultimately need. They're not shy "wallflower" types- they're active hunters. But they accept f/t easily, & also mixed prey types (rats, mice, chicks, etc)- easy to feed. No reason to feed them live, other than maybe newly hatched.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 03-08-2021 at 08:24 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  15. #9
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    Re: A bull snake escape story

    I think bull snakes are a great choice of snake for anyone into larger/medium sized colubrids their hiss is a little intimidating when they get bigger but if you handle them from the time they are young you learn just how much bark and little bite their is in them lol. My experience so far with bull snakes (aside from them being the only snake that has escaped for me) is they are extraordinarily easy to care for they eat everything you feed them and their a lot of fun to watch and handle Once you get used to their hiss which sounds like someone slashed a tire. I agree with the tank space from what I’ve gathered mine is very active she’s also a little more defensive then most bull snakes I’ve handled or been around.

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  17. #10
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    Re: A bull snake escape story

    I agree, bullsnakes are awesome critters to keep. Easy to care for, great eaters, and a pretty good size.
    3.0 Carpet Pythons, 1.1 Bullsnakes
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