Even if you buy a "made for herps" enclosure, you still always have to make sure that what you're keeping in it cannot escape.
My first escape was a tiny hatchling king snake- she was kept in a "store-bought" glass terrarium with a sliding screen top, with a locking peg. The trouble was that SHE was tiny enough ( not to mention determined enough ) to slide thru the 1/4" gap in the sliding screen top; when the locking peg was inserted to lock it, there was still just enough "wiggle room" for a snake that small to go all the way around in the track using "concertina motion"- the screen part was always in place- but she figured out the gap within the track...I found her later that day, inside one of my boots in the closet. That's when I started making my own custom screen tops.
Another snake I underestimated was a young adult bull snake: it was later evening & I was very tired (having worked all day) when a friend called & kept me on the phone too long. Before the call, I had started cleaning the bull snake's tank & she was in a temporary container that I thought was perfectly secure. When I got off the phone, I was literally falling asleep, so I piled some heavy books on the top of the container that the bull snake was in, figuring it could wait until morning. Well, the tank could (wait) but she couldn't & didn't, lol. Stronger & more determined than I anticipated, she was nowhere to be found. How do you lose a 4.5'+ snake? I looked everywhere, worried & kicked myself too. It took 6 months for her to re-appear- apparently she found a gap under my kitchen cabinets that was just right for brumation (where I suspected she was but I had NO access to- I'd looked & ruled out everywhere else)- she had disappeared in November, & re-appeared on my kitchen floor one night in May- "Surprise! I'm HOME!"She was absolutely fine, just ready to eat & drink again, like nothing ever happened.
Whew!
Another surprise "escape" was an early hatching out of a couple rat snakes that was apparently triggered by an earthquake while I was at work. The eggs were not due yet for another week+ & I hadn't yet put the container of eggs into a secure tank. (< I never made THAT mistake again! Hahaha!) I came home to find little trails of egg slime & bits vermiculite going in several directions- time for a game of Hide & Seek! One actually made it up to the top of my very tall book shelves & sat there hissing & vibrating her sassy little tail at me.
Don't underestimate herps...-just learn from them. We all make some mistakes.
Reply With Quote