So I went down last night to feed my dwarf albino retic and dropped the F/T rat in like always. I closed the door (sliding glass) and went up to bed around 11:30 PM est.
I went down to check on her this morning and she was gone. When I shut the door on the right, it pulled the left door open a smidge. I didn't use the sliding lock I have because I was tired and just forgot to put it on.
I frantically looked everywhere for her. She's bright yellow and over 6 feet. Our basement where her cage is located is small, but there are plenty of places to hide.
After an hour, I opened the hatch to a crawl space we have down there. It's all concrete base and open rafters. She was laying on the concrete in the middle of the space. I crawled in, got her, and was devastated as she was limp and lifeless. I was completely distraught. I read on here a few times that keepers in the same situation still replaced the animal in their cage to ensure that the snake just wasn't in a state of hibernation.
I placed her back in her enclosure, which is plenty toasty, and took my daughter to school. I came back, checked on her and her body was still in the same position but I could see muscled in her mid-section twitch a little.
Then, an hour later, her tail was a little more scrunched up. I reached in and touched her. She was still cold, but started moving! I could NOT believe it. I seriously thought this animal was dead.
She's warming up now and I'll be sure to watch her closely the next day or two for signs of an RI, but at least for now, she's alive. I'm beyond shocked and, of course, very happy to still have her in my care. She really was 100% limp and lifeless. I would have bet the house that she was gone. I'm amazed at the resiliency of these animals.
Trust me when I say that I will NEVER leave the cage without first making sure it's locked again. Anyone who's experienced an escape knows the anxiety.
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