I Lost My Baby..

[hervoicewasgray]

The Basic Problem: My most beloved BP escaped outside. It's been 11 days now.

What She Means To Me: I'm the proud owner of 3 Ball Pythons, and a Red Tail Boa.
And in my modest collection, was a very special jewel. Pandora. A normal BP.
She was so ideal, IMHO. Not easily startled, or headshy. Very slow and docile. Ate straight through the winter and NEVER had a hissy fit. She showed my photography teacher that snakes aren't ugly, and all my friends that snakes aren't scary (they all actually fell in love with her, lol).
So. She was naturally beautiful, and had a heart of gold.
She was also my first baby, and my best friend. Helping me through highschool hazing, drama with so-called friends (truly. i haven't had a person friend stick around even 2 years), and my cousin's death.

How This Happened: I take advantage of living in Florida. And keep them all out on our screened in lanai. The RTB actually has a wood/glass cabniet style cage that measures 6'l x 3'w x4'h (in preperation for a female), and is therefore too big to fit inside, so when it gets real cold, I bring him himself inside.
My BPs live in plastic bins. Those nice big see-through ones. For light and ventilation purposes, I cut out the center of the lid and put screening over it. In Pandora's screening, there was a very small tear, that I couldn't even fit my pinky into. It was smack in the center of the bin, so she could only reach it by raising straight up...and the screening didn't tear easily..and either way, Pandora wasn't too explorative or escape prone, so I believed I had no reason to be worried.
Well, lo-and-behold, she makes a monkey out of me.
And instead of curling up behind the fridge on our lanai, atleast. She flexes her strength once more, and shoves herself through a wall of ducttape that was patching up a hole in the screen from where a squirel chewed in.
Which puts her outside in the wildnerness.

What I've Done Since: I searched my yard and neighbors with a friend for 5 hours. That night (after realizing she's nocturnal), I spent two hours idling around the block. I made 3-liter bottle traps, which haven't caught any snake. I moved her bin outside, and it's still empty every morning. I gave flyers to all the neighbors and posted them on signs. Every day I search my yard. Every day I patrol the roadsides, and she hasn't turned up dead. Every night I search for her, crossing the roads, or maybe flat on the roadside.

Is there ANY trick to bring her home? Has anyone found a ball python in the Sarasota/Manatee area?

[Freakie_frog]

Not sure where they live but check this out.
They found a ball about the size of yours a few days ago by their mail box.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...550#post628550

[Gooseman]

Not the same snake, different neck patterns.

I'm sorry for your loss, its not easy losing a friend. Check the tight warm places around your snakes enclosures, usually they dont go too far away, and are in the least likely of places.

[SarahMB]

They do look a lot alike, heh.

[Freakie_frog]

Not the same snake, different neck patterns.

I'm sorry for your loss, its not easy losing a friend. Check the tight warm places around your snakes enclosures, usually they dont go too far away, and are in the least likely of places.

The snake was outside when it escaped.

But good advice for a lost snake inside.

[ladywhipple02]

The back patterning looks different to me... the spots don't look the same.

[Freakie_frog]

Hey worth a shot weird she lost a ball that size outside he found one.

Like I said might not be but worth a shot.

[Kristy]

I am sorry you lost your baby.

Have you tried looking on Craigslist in your area? Someone may have found her and posted her in the pets or lost and found sections. Worth a try if you haven't checked yet.

Hope you find her

[ladywhipple02]

Hey worth a shot weird she lost a ball that size outside he found one.

Like I said might not be but worth a shot.

No kidding it's weird!!! And they do look a lot alike.....

I would want to see total back pictures of each.

[Gooseman]

If you look closely, this snake has 5 bits of center striping before the first back blushing, the one found by the mailbox has 3. Although it was a really good idea Ed, I wouldn't have thought of doing that search.