In a bit of a bind...

[bearhart]

I've got an Olive that's a bit over 10ft. I took her out for a romp in the back-yard today. We've got a rock wall that she climbed all over and I got some great pictures.

Then disaster struck....

Apparently, there has been some erosion behind the rock wall and she's gotten all but about 1 or 2 feet of her body in hole behind it. She can clearly get out if she wants too but I know her well enough to know she's going to want to hang out in there.

To make matters worse, this is probably her first long stint out of doors and she's clearly wound. I tried to retrieve her a little earlier and she warded me off with a half-hearted strike. By the time I got the hook and blanket together she was too far in the hole to retrieve.

Any ideas on the best way to get her out and back inside?

Thanks!

[blackcrystal22]

Try to entice her with some food. Make sure, if she coils around it, she could easily be grabbed up and put into a large bin to transport. :]

[bearhart]

we were wondering about this exact strategy. She was fed a couple of weeks ago but I suspect she'd eat again since she gets fed every 3 weeks or so.

It is my understanding that once they are coiled they can be manipulated quickly since they are kind of "stuck" in it. She's eaten F/T all her life so she releases quickly. But, getting her out is the most important thing to me. I've dealt with her in feeding mode before...

Somebody else suggested flushing her out w/ water but I'd rather not stress her. Luring with food seems like a much more positive approach.

[blackcrystal22]

If the food plan does not fail, flushing with water could work as a backup but could be stressful.
You also don't know how deep that hole is. ;]

[bearhart]

I know its not huge. Its taken her a long time to fit herself in there. Her is a picture of her just before she finally got herself all the way in...



She can come out that other hole to the lower-left if she wants to...

[littleindiangirl]

whats on the other side of the wall? Sounds like your going to be pulling an all nighter waiting for her to come out.

[AjBalls]

I'd be tearing that wall down by now...

[m00kfu]

I'd be tearing that wall down by now...

I was just gonna say it looks like there's just that one rock in front that she's hiding behind. It LOOKS like you could just pop it off without disturbing the rest of the wall, but it's hard to tell from the picture. Make sure nothing could possibly fall on her if you were to do that.

[bearhart]

Success!

I went and got a live large rat and put it in a small nylon chameleon cage. It took ages, but I managed to lure her out onto flat ground with it. Then I took the rat out, whacked it, and put it on my hook. I then turned the nylon cage on its end and lured her into it as far as I could. As soon as she struck, I grabbed her back half and dumped her into the cage and zipped it up. Good thing I did it quick because she released her mouth from the rat almost immediately. whew! (I should say "we" because my wife was kind enough to help even though she's not a snake person).

Anyway, now the cage is covered with a sheet in the back yard for the moment. I'm going to give her a chance to finish if she wants to before I transfer her back into her normal enclosure.

Let me wind down for a few and I'll post some of the pictures before she found the hole - they're cool!

Thanks for the suggestions!

[blackcrystal22]

Glad that did the trick!