Ball Python escape, could he have gotten out of the house?

[Homebody]

Thank you all so much for your help, the panic is now over!

That is absolutely the best way to end the panic. I'm so happy for you.

[KaijuSpy]

That is absolutely the best way to end the panic. I'm so happy for you.

Thanks a bunch to you and everyone else! We're going to see how he goes for a lil while, and take him to our local reptile shop so they can check to see if he's healthy and if they're worried or we see a change we'll take him to the vet - I'm sure he's fine but he has been in a dirty space for the last day

[Homebody]

Thanks a bunch to you and everyone else! We're going to see how he goes for a lil while, and take him to our local reptile shop so they can check to see if he's healthy and if they're worried or we see a change we'll take him to the vet - I'm sure he's fine but he has been in a dirty space for the last day

If there's nothing obviously wrong with him, I'd just leave him alone. His little adventure was stressful enough. I wouldn't add the stress of a trip if I could avoid it.

[Bogertophis]

Thanks a bunch to you and everyone else! We're going to see how he goes for a lil while, and take him to our local reptile shop so they can check to see if he's healthy and if they're worried or we see a change we'll take him to the vet - I'm sure he's fine but he has been in a dirty space for the last day

First- wonderful news that you found him so fast!

I wouldn't worry too much about his brief chill- he's probably okay & just keep an eye on him. An RI would show up as open mouth breathing, bubbles in & around the mouth, & noisy breathing (whistling, crackling, wheezing sounds). IF you don't see/hear any of that, I would AVOID taking him to a vet, or especially to a reptile shop, as he could actually pick something up from them.

He needs most to de-stress- let him rest for a week without handling- stress lowers their immune system just as it does ours. Again, so happy you found him quickly.

[Argentum]

CAUTION- if you try this, it can be deadly for the snake. Yes, the scent might attract the snake, but snakes have been known to get stuck between the wire bars of cages trying to get at the occupant (bird or rodent) & they can die trying, because the animal inside is going to attack the snake & may do enough damage to kill it (if the cage itself doesn't). DO NOT USE a wire cage- but a plastic-type one with secure snap-on top- the kind with very narrow slits for ventilation that NOTHING can crawl thru, much less get stuck in.

To clarify my suggestion of a wire cage, it should be common sense to use a wire mesh that's too small for a snake to have any chance of getting through it or getting stuck in it. I think what is being described above would be a metal bar cage, typically used for larger rodents, rather than a wire cage. Otherwise, it wouldn't hold a mouse in, let alone a ball python out. To keep a mouse inside, the wire needs to have openings 1/4 inch or less.

[Bogertophis]

To clarify my suggestion of a wire cage, it should be common sense to use a wire mesh that's too small for a snake to have any chance of getting through it or getting stuck in it. I think what is being described above would be a metal bar cage, typically used for larger rodents, rather than a wire cage. Otherwise, it wouldn't hold a mouse in, let alone a ball python out. To keep a mouse inside, the wire needs to have openings 1/4 inch or less.

I agree- "common sense"- but I felt the need to mention not because I thought you didn't understand, but for anyone else that might get it wrong. I've seen too many people use cages they thought a rodent couldn't get out of or that a snake couldn't get into (things like bird cages where the bars are close together but can still be pushed apart some) & snakes can be motivated enough to hurt themselves trying. That's all I meant.

[KaijuSpy]

Thanks guys, gonna leave him be for a while and just keep an eye out for any trouble I was just a little worried because he'd been in a place thats dirty - but then again I wouldn't necessarily be sick if I were stuck down there either

[KaijuSpy]

To clarify my suggestion of a wire cage, it should be common sense to use a wire mesh that's too small for a snake to have any chance of getting through it or getting stuck in it. I think what is being described above would be a metal bar cage, typically used for larger rodents, rather than a wire cage. Otherwise, it wouldn't hold a mouse in, let alone a ball python out. To keep a mouse inside, the wire needs to have openings 1/4 inch or less.

If I had gone for that method, I personally would have used something like this:


because I would have probably kept/given them away as pets. In the UK it's not legal to feed live to snakes (at least that's what I was told) and I'd feel a bit wrong for buying rodents that were meant to be sold as pets and letting my snake kill them lolol - maybe that's inconsistent of me

[Argentum]

If I had gone for that method, I personally would have used something like this:


because I would have probably kept/given them away as pets. In the UK it's not legal to feed live to snakes (at least that's what I was told) and I'd feel a bit wrong for buying rodents that were meant to be sold as pets and letting my snake kill them lolol - maybe that's inconsistent of me

That's not a bad carrier theoretically, but if the situation ever arises, it's not something I would recommend. You would be surprised just how fast a mouse can chew through those slats, or depending on how far apart they are, just squeeze out between them. When I mentioned 1/4", that's the square dimension of the opening - mice can fit through spaces that appear too small for their bones. However, it's even more likely for them to chew through the slats and have plenty of room to get out. That's why I suggested wire, they can't chew through metal unless it's a thread fine enough to bite through. I prefer 1/4" hardware cloth for keeping mice confined. Anything its head can fit through, the body can also fit through.

Incidentally, mice actually make very nice pets. Rats are even better, more intelligent, social and interactive than mice. Unfortunately, they don't have much longevity even in captivity.

[Bogertophis]

Thanks guys, gonna leave him be for a while and just keep an eye out for any trouble I was just a little worried because he'd been in a place thats dirty - but then again I wouldn't necessarily be sick if I were stuck down there either

I assume you also checked him over to be sure he had no physical wounds- little cuts- from sliding thru sharp edges. (I think you'd have noticed.) Escapes can expose our pets to injuries (including exposure to pesticides or other chemicals), pathogens, and inadequate warmth, so it's really nerve-wracking to have one escape- but most of the time they're okay, as long as they're found in time, & not stuck in a wall or a refrigerator motor.

I once got a yearling Everglades rat snake after she'd been returned* to the pet store that her first owners had gotten her from- she came with quite a history though- they hadn't had her for very long, it seems (I never got a precise time-line but it was under 6 months total) when she'd escaped & finally made her way outside, where she was eventually found. She was very lucky- that was in the desert southwest, nothing like where she belonged -Florida- with lots of moisture. (*It seems her first owners decided snakes weren't a good option for them- that their kids were not up to the responsibility.)

She was a typical rat snake- a little feisty when cornered, & the pet store folks had trouble showing her to re-sell, so she ultimately came home with me, even though I showed them how to approach & pick her up without a bite. There's just something scary about even a skinny little rat snake when they bluff with some skill. Anyway, when some snakes have a "big adventure" like that, it can also influence their perspective on the world, but she calmed down just fine.