The one that got away...and came back!

[piedpipper]

Hi Everyone!
I have a bit of an interesting story. Over a month and a half ago my beautiful jungle carpet python (the prize of my collection) that I had got from a breeder all the way in Texas, escaped. It was heartbreaking, especially since it was a freak occurrence. My brother's friend (not all there as it would seem) got angry with him and decided the best way to get back at him would be to open all MY tubs in my snake room. Well needless to say the quick carpet python escaped before anyone knew what had happened (nothing else did though; luckily the ball pythons are all too lazy lol).

I looked high and low for him for a couple weeks (in the ceiling even) before I finally gave up. I figured he was definitely a goner with no water or food for all that time.

Well, my father gave me a call today (feeding day for the snakes) and told me that he was about to feed the 11th snake (I only have 10). Needless to say it was the biggest sense of relief and happiness that I have felt for a long time. After over 6 weeks he came back! He was found in the snake room crouched over the unthawing rats that were about to be fed to the other snakes! He was half in the wall and half out (the room is unfinished and has holes where the pipes run).

The most remarkable thing, however, was that not only was he not skinny and dehydrated but had actually nearly doubled in size and was as feisty as ever!
While this is a good thing for me it also means that we must have some mice living in the ceiling
He must have been hanging out near the heating pipes, drinking the odd condensation here and there, and apparently feasting on families of wild mice!

Here are some pictures of him before escaping in early February:




And after we found him today eating a small mouse even though he had been on fuzzies before:




The pictures are pretty bad but he has gotten SO much yellower and larger since he escaped, I cannot imagine how many times he must have shed up there.

Anyway just wanted to share my excitement with you guys. Just because you lost a snake a long time ago doesn't mean it can't show up sometime in the future lol.
These snakes are more resilient than we give them credit for!