The most hopeless escape case *ever*

[WingedWolfPsion]

Red and black spiders? If you're in the US, that sounds like you have black widows. If so, be extremely careful. I don't think the snake would care about the spiders.

Also, ball pythons will seek a good hiding place over warmth--they really don't know enough to avoid cold. Their instincts simply aren't wired to deal with it. So he could go down into a cold root cellar, looking for water. If you have a lot of bowls of water around, though, he might not.

[Salamander Rising]

When my bp got out (at my cousins apt, while she was watching him for me) he was gone for a few weeks. He was found on a shelf in a closet, curled up in some stuffed toys. He was probably about 4 feet when that happened. Another time my Savannah monitor got out of his tank, he was less then six inches long at the time. I looked everywhere for him. I couldn't find him and pretty much gave up. I found him six months later, sunning in a window. He spent the winter in a drafty attic, which was also my bedroom. Don't give up hope, you will most likely find him when you aren't looking. Good luck.

His breeder just told me about a Boa he lost in house which he then moved out of and then back into 9 years later.

He found the now-huge Boa living in the ceiling.

[Salamander Rising]

Red and black spiders? If you're in the US, that sounds like you have black widows. If so, be extremely careful. I don't think the snake would care about the spiders.

Also, ball pythons will seek a good hiding place over warmth--they really don't know enough to avoid cold. Their instincts simply aren't wired to deal with it. So he could go down into a cold root cellar, looking for water. If you have a lot of bowls of water around, though, he might not.

They're not Black Widows.

They're as big as the palm of your hand, 'fuzzy' and have black bodies with red and black striped legs.

The closest photo of one I could ever find was something like "Fisher Spider".

We check the cellar every day.

I can't check under the other half of the house, though.

There's just no way under it...unless you're a snake.

I can't even guess whether there's moisture under there or not.

Before the new floor was put down though, I went down the trap door in the kitchen into the drystone well after a rabbit that had fallen in.

If I was a snake, that's where I'd go.

About a foot of space to the floor above, soft dirt and rocks.

Just perfect.

[Salamander Rising]

Red and black spiders? If you're in the US, that sounds like you have black widows. If so, be extremely careful. I don't think the snake would care about the spiders.

Also, ball pythons will seek a good hiding place over warmth--they really don't know enough to avoid cold. Their instincts simply aren't wired to deal with it. So he could go down into a cold root cellar, looking for water. If you have a lot of bowls of water around, though, he might not.

Oh, and the other issue is that my house is built over lots of underground springs which means the water table is very high.

The yard is perpetually soggy unless we're having a drought...which we never do.

When it rains really hard, the underground water rises up and floods the root cellar.

Getting water probably isn't hard for him...but I have bowls of it everywhere, anyway.

[Salamander Rising]

Red and black spiders? If you're in the US, that sounds like you have black widows. If so, be extremely careful. I don't think the snake would care about the spiders.

Also, ball pythons will seek a good hiding place over warmth--they really don't know enough to avoid cold. Their instincts simply aren't wired to deal with it. So he could go down into a cold root cellar, looking for water. If you have a lot of bowls of water around, though, he might not.

Here's one.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pkuhns/...1497/lightbox/

Charming, isn't it?

[mackynz]

They're not Black Widows.

They're as big as the palm of your hand, 'fuzzy' and have black bodies with red and black striped legs.

Remind me to never come to your house hahaha...

[Salamander Rising]

Remind me to never come to your house hahaha...

The first time I saw one was when I'd gone down there to fetch my Dobes out.
[they loved to 'den' down there in the summer]

The light switch is to the left, right at the door and I flipped the switch, happened to look over and one of those things was perched about an eighth of an inch from my thumb, visibly breathing.

I almost knocked myself out jumping backwards and smacking my head on the log door sill.

I stood outside and yelled for the dogs after that.

[Kaorte]

That is the scariest spider ever. No thank you!!

[Salamander Rising]

That is the scariest spider ever. No thank you!!

Did I mention they're fast and have lousy attitudes?

[angllady2]

Boy, you have lousy fishing spiders. Mine here, while just a big and just as hairy, are very docile. I've kept two of them inside over the winter in a plastic critter keeper.

I can understand not wanting to mess with them though, most people dislike spiders even more than they dislike snakes.

One last thought, have you ever sat down in the middle of the room and just asked him out loud to come home ? I know people swear they can't hear us or understand us, but sometimes I wonder. It couldn't hurt anyway.

Gale