My baby is missing....

[danigurrl]

My child, my baby bp, is loose! He's in the middle of his 3rd shed since I've gotten him, and he has a hard time shedding his skin. His 1st shed came off scale by scale, and they've gotten better each time since. He still isn't having the best shed (skin flakes off in chunks) so I usually soak him in 93 degree water for 10 minutes every morning while he's in blue.

Well I put him in his tub this morning, and put him back in his viv and put the usual anchors on the lid (a large air matress in a box, weighs about 10 lbs, and two 5lb rocks on either end) then I went to work for 6 hours. When I got home I checked him to see how much of his shed was off.....and he was GONE! I don't know how that little guy lifted that lid up...but he must have!

He was in a 20g long tank with 4 hides, UTH, and newpaper substrate.

So far I've crumbled about 30 plastic bags and lined my room with them...and poured flour in front of my closet door and the main door to my room. My heating ducts are sealed...which made me very happy when I checked there because I don't want him lost in the ducts. I'm hoping he didn't leave my bedroom in that 6 hours that I was gone because I have a puppy pit bull who has already taken a liking to killing poor sparrow babies outside...I don't want to know what she'd do if she saw my Trigger!!

I'm sorry for the long post, I'm just wicked upset and this is tearing me apart. I have 6 other snakes in my care, and I feel like the worst person ever for letting this happen. Trigger is my baby, he went everywhere with me, he'd curl up in my hair. He'd come out of his hides when he saw me or when I opened his viv to take him out.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y32...l/100_1984.jpg
I miss you Trigger, come back!!!

[asther00tsundo]

check inside all your shoes, basically anything that he could turn into a hide. its gonna be fun but im sure you will find him! everythings gonna be ok, just dont panic. he just took himself for a walk...

[SarahMB]

Also check on your highest bookshelf. They like it up there.

You are not the world's worst snake keeper, one of ours got out today as well. I'm not beating myself up about it in the least, but it is a lesson I'm taking to heart!

[asther00tsundo]

any luck yet? i'm hoping so...

[danigurrl]

Nope, Trigger is nowhere to be found! The only thing I know is that he's left my bedroom because there was a flour trail. I'm starting to get more worried because he hasn't eatten in a month (stubborn lil thing) and he's deep in shed. My mother has birds (2 lovebirds, 2 parakeets, and an expensive senegal parrot) and I'm worried that I'm going to wake up and 1 of her birds will be missing.

I've been trying to set up the soda bottle traps, but I don't have any live mouse or rat pups at this time, nor does the pet shop near my house, Trigger is my only snake who only eats live prey (well, other than my ribbon snake, who eats live fish...) I'm hoping to put a few bottle traps around the house ith some live rat pups to coax him out of hiding.

I can't tell you how many times I've dragged my huge refreidgerator across the kitchen to check under it....

[Spaniard]

Well I don't think you need to add the birds to your big list of worries. He'll probably stay away from there. Seeing as how they're imprint feeders the bird wont' register as prey. If anything I think the birds would do more damage to the snake than vice versa.

[danigurrl]

Still no Trigger. Starting today I'm on vacation for a week, so I'm dedicating my entire week to tearing apart every inch of my house as many times as nessecary in the hopes of finding by beloved companion.

[shhhli]

section off blocks of each room. then i'd put down something that can have flour poured over it. figure out then which room he's in and start from there. i would then proceed to put a nice warm food item under something so he would feel safe and not out in the open going after it- but watch that food source or if at night video tape it.

[danigurrl]

Unfortunantly, Trigger only eats lives prey. Usually rat pups. Right now I don't have any live rat pups, only live mouse pinks. If I set up a bottle trap and maybe cover most of it in a towel, maybe put an UTH under it with lots of layers of newspaper, would the mouse pink give off the same attractive smell to him? He hasn't eatten in a month. He's been shedding. I don't know if he has any interest in food yet. The flour idea dosn't work outside o fmy bedroom because I have two dogs who just lick it all up. lol. I woke up and my black pug's face was all covered in white powder, he looked like a drug addict.

[danigurrl]

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