My baby escaped!! :((

[Jessicalaylay]

So we just got this ball python 6 days ago. He was settling into his new home, but he somehow escaped and I cannot find him ANYWHERE. I keep him in my room in a basement in KS and with the weather getting colder I'm just so worried about him. Plus, he has not eaten the last two time we've tried to feed him. I'm surprised he got out because he wasn't super active in the first place so I don't imagine him getting up the stairs or going very far because he was just so timid while adjusting to his new home. I was up all night trying to find him and reading articles, so I put out flour in each of the rooms, lined up pennies along floorboards along with some plastic bags, and setup heated blankets with hides to try to draw him out with warmth and nothing so far :/ I'm afraid he might've gotten in the walls because my room is by the laundry room and a basement closet that has holes he could fit through (if he got out of my room). Has anyone's ball ever crawled into the walls, and any luck getting him out?? I've literally looked in every other place I could possibly think of and no luck....so any advice would be completely welcome. It's been about 14 hours since we got home and found out he escaped, but he could've gotten out up to 24 hours ago.

[TurkeyPython]

First off, two feeding attempts already and you got him 6 days ago? You should have left him alone for a week to adjust and wait a week after he refused the first one. Secondly, have you figured out how he escaped? If you don't find it and fix it then there's no point in putting him back in as he will just escape again.
As for finding him, if you have cats or dogs watch them carefully. It's in their instincts to hunt small animals and they can be a huge help in finding an escaped snake as long as you're very careful. Check things such as couches and recliners and bed frames that he could have crawled up in to. Check all along your walls for any gaps or holes he could have fit through. Once you find where he is if you can't reach him put his hide and a f/t rat/mouse on a heat mat and water nearby and he should hopefully go in there. If he doesn't come out on his own then you may need to carefully do some "remodeling"

[Trisnake]

Once, when my friend was letting his sugar gliders out to get some exercise, one crawled into the hole where the fan connects to the ceiling. He normally doesn't mind them climbing on the fan because they would then usually launch themselves and glide somewhere else, but this time was different. It took us about an hour and a half to get the baby out, but were eventually able go lure her out with raspberries.

I know it's a way different situation since it's not a snake and we actually saw where she went, but with that being said we were probably very lucky, even under those circumstances.

I think you've done most of what you can with the hides and flour and stuff, especially if you take into account what TurkeyPython said, so I'd say start double checking: if there's a laundry room near your room, I'd check there first. There's lots of warm tight spaces for a snake to squeeze into. Look behind and underneath everything. And until you find him (or, until you definitively wont) I would avoid using the washer and dryer. If he/she is back there they can easily get burned or even crushed if you have a machine that hops (like mine does).

How big was the snake when he escaped? If it's just a baby it could very well still be somewhere in the basement, it would be a long and tiring journey for a baby to climb a flight of stairs vertically, possibly moreso if they're smooth vs carpeted. At least in my novice opinion. I would still check the rest of the house though.

Also, I need to ask; how is the husbandry with your enclosure? And what kind of enclosure do you keep him in? In the mean time of waiting for your snake to show up again, I would fix the issue that allowed him to escape in the first place.

I hope you find your baby, I would be worried sick if I were in your situation. Keep us updated and good luck!

[Albert Clark]

Sorry for the loss. The real thing about escaped snakes is they rarely travel far away from the enclosures area. That's part of the good news. Living in a basement is the other good news bc it's usually darker there than anywhere else in the house. So use that to your advantage by constantly looking for him with a high powered flashlight. Any doors that lead to the outside be sure to put a rug under them unless there is absolutely no gap between the door and the floor. You will have your best chances at finding him by turning off any loud noise appliances and searching the spaces that generate heat including electrical strips and outlet areas. Remain quiet and use that high powered flashlight. I would also consider inviting some friends over with flashlights and concentrate your searches at night when the little guy is more inclined to venture out. Good luck and don't get upset or sad just get busy with your search efforts.

[Jessicalaylay]

Well we got him Sunday and they said to feed him on Tuesday (that's when they feed him weekly), so we tried on Tuesday and again on Friday (since some places say babies should eat every 3-4 days) but that's good to know to wait a week next time. We haven't been handling him either so he could adjust. But as far as escaping, we have him in a screen top with a dual heat lamp (night:day bulbs) and a wet towel over part of it to help maintain humidity with some small weights on top - I just think he was just strong enough to lift the screen off the enclosure enough for him to squeeze out (he is still pretty tiny). Thanks for the advice though, we live in a duplex so I'm just hoping he doesn't get into the walls

[Jessicalaylay]

I appreciate the advice! He was still little, we hadn't measured yet because they told us not to handle him but I'd say hardly over 14 inches. As far as husbandry goes- we have a 20 gallon tank with a screen top (not ideal, I know :/) but we had a dual heat lamp on top (a 100w daytime bulb and a 100w IR for nighttime), initially had a hard time controlling heat and humidity so we added a small UTH on the warm side so temps stayed about 87. On the cool side they were around 80. Put a wet towel over 2/3 the screen to help with humidity and that kept it around 55-60% with daily misting. A couple of inches of Forrest floor for substrate. Two hides, one on each side, artificial branches for climbing, and a large water dish.

Still no sign of baby, none of the "traps" have been touched but tonight we will search again. Thanks so much for the well wishes and advice- I will keep you posted!

[Albert Clark]

Think about putting him in a six quart tub and lid when you find him. Then look up the hatchling 101 post that Deborah has here on the search bar. Don't worry to much I think he will turn up. Don't give up, with each passing day you have to be more vigilant.

[cletus]

I had one get out and was missing for 3 days. Ended up finding him wedged in between the wall and the shelf that his enclosure was sitting on. Never thought to look there.

[voodoolamb]

My girl was out for over 2 months before I got her back. Don't lose hope!

[Sallos]

You mentioned that you have about 2 inches of substrate. Just to cover all of the bases, did you check it very well to make sure he didn't just burrow down into it?